Results 4,721-4,740 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Water Charges: Motion [Private Members] (28 Sep 2016)

Damien English: Only.

Water Charges: Motion [Private Members] (28 Sep 2016)

Damien English: We are having the same discussion over and over again but we will have to repeat the same points for a few more months until we have a final vote on this issue for once and for all. I have heard umpteen times that people voted to abolish water charges. That is not factually true. I cannot say that they did not but those in opposition cannot keep saying it because it is not true.

Water Charges: Motion [Private Members] (28 Sep 2016)

Damien English: I deal in facts. There is no point in kidding ourselves. People did not say "No" to Irish Water. Rather, they raised many issues on the doors and voted for Sinn Féin for many reasons - I am not sure what they were but they did vote. Let us call a spade a spade. There is no point in saying Irish Water is the main issue. It is important that we have another discussion. Many of...

Water Charges: Motion [Private Members] (28 Sep 2016)

Damien English: I again ask Sinn Féin to deal in facts. I have acknowledged that Sinn Féin Deputies have opinions but I ask them to deal with facts.

Topical Issue Debate: Library Services (28 Sep 2016)

Damien English: It is weird to claim that we are isolating people by increasing service hours. Nobody is being isolated or missing out. In fact, we are increasing the opening hours of libraries. If people use the service and have concerns that need to be addressed or require help from staff, that may give us the evidence we need to have more staff working increased hours. I see that as a positive. To...

Topical Issue Debate: Library Services (28 Sep 2016)

Damien English: I am thankful for the opportunity to engage in this discussion and bring some clarity to the matter. I am disappointed with the way the initiative has been portrayed in some places but I understand information can take off in that way. I attended the launch of the initiative in July with a Fianna Fáil colleague of the Deputy from Tullamore, the new mayor or chairperson. There was...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Issues (28 Sep 2016)

Damien English: It is estimated that from the aggregation of factors arising from measures taken to reduce housing input costs, including the package of interim measures on housing supply, entitled Stabilising Rents – Boosting Supplywhich wasapproved by the Government in November 2015, a decrease in the cost of building new residential units by between €20,000 and €40,000 can be...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Building Regulations Compliance (28 Sep 2016)

Damien English: Part B of the Building Regulations sets out the statutory standards of fire safety that apply when a new building is constructed in order to ensure the safety of persons in and about the building. Compliance with the building regulations is first and foremost the responsibility of the owners, designers and builders of the building concerned. Nevertheless, in the interests of supporting...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Departmental Bodies Reports (27 Sep 2016)

Damien English: The Programme for a Partnership Government, published in May 2016, sets out the ambitious priority attached to urban regeneration by the Government, incorporating a series of specific actions aimed at facilitating the regeneration of our urban centres, many of which have been adversely impacted by our recent economic difficulties. The Government’s Action Plan for Housing and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Departmental Bodies (27 Sep 2016)

Damien English: The expert panel on concrete blocks has met on four occasions since it was established in April 2016, and is continuing to receive and review the information that has been made available to it in relation to the problems that have emerged in affected homes in Donegal and Mayo. A substantial volume of information has now been provided by affected homeowners in both counties, as well as from...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Data (27 Sep 2016)

Damien English: The cost for the capital-funded construction of a new social housing unit varies widely, depending on the type of housing unit and the location, but in the current market, a reasonable average for the per unit cost for a two-bedroom, three-bedroom and four-bedroom house would be €185,000, €205,000 and €225,000, respectively.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Remediation Programme (27 Sep 2016)

Damien English: The latest figures available from the Pyrite Resolution Board indicate that 1,315 applications have been received under the pyrite remediation scheme, of which 985 have been approved for inclusion in the scheme as follows: - 286 are at remedial works planning stage, - 209 are at tender/tender analysis, - 2 are at tender decision, - 87 are under remediation, and - 401 are complete....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Issues (16 Sep 2016)

Damien English: I propose to take Questions Nos. 544 to 546, inclusive together. One of the key recommendations of the (June 2012) was the development of a protocol which would facilitate the testing and categorisation of dwellings in order to establish if there is reactive pyrite in sub-floor hardcore material and whether it has caused pyritic heave. In response to this recommendation, I.S. 398-1:2013 -...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Remediation Programme (16 Sep 2016)

Damien English: The independent Pyrite Panel, which was established in September 2011, undertook a desktop study, in conjunction with a stakeholder consultation, to establish certain facts in relation to the potential exposure of pyrite in dwellings. The information was gathered from a number of sources including local authorities, structural guarantee providers, representatives of homeowners, private...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Remediation Programme (16 Sep 2016)

Damien English: The provides for the making of a by the Pyrite Resolution Board for certain dwellings affected by significant pyrite damage. The pyrite remediation scheme is a scheme of “last resort” and is limited in its application and scope. The scheme is applicable to dwellings which are subject to significant damage attributable to pyritic heave established in accordance with I.S....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Remediation Programme (16 Sep 2016)

Damien English: I propose to take Questions Nos. 564 and 618 together. The provides the statutory framework for the and while the Act provides that the scheme can be amended, replaced or revoked, this can only be done in accordance with the scope of the Act. In this regard, any proposal to revise the pyrite remediation scheme is ultimately a matter for the Pyrite Resolution Board and would require detailed...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Remediation Programme (16 Sep 2016)

Damien English: The latest figures available from the Pyrite Resolution Board indicate that approximately 1,315 applications have been received under the pyrite remediation scheme, of which 985 have been approved for inclusion in the scheme as follows: - 286 are at remedial works planning stage, - 209 are at tender/tender analysis, - 2 are at tender decision, - 87 are under remediation, and - 401 are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Fire Safety (16 Sep 2016)

Damien English: Neither I nor my Department has any role in relation to the issuing of Fire Safety Certificates. The issue of such certificates is a matter for the relevant building control authority, which in this case is Fingal County Council. The legal position in relation to Fire Safety Certificates is set out in the Building Control Act 1990, as amended by Part 2 of the , and in regulations made...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (16 Sep 2016)

Damien English: While my Department has no direct role in reviewing the living conditions of elderly persons in private homes, the provision of social housing to meet the accommodation needs of older people, and other people with specific categories of need, is a particular focus of my Department and is funded for the most part under the Department’s Capital Assistance Scheme. Projects are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Issues (16 Sep 2016)

Damien English: The expert panel on concrete blocks has met on four occasions since it was established in April 2016 and is continuing to receive and review the information that has been made available to it in relation to the problems that have emerged in affected homes in Donegal and Mayo. A substantial volume of information has now been provided by affected homeowners in both counties, as well as from...