Results 4,741-4,760 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Building Energy Rating Compliance (16 Sep 2016)

Damien English: Directive 2010/31/EU on the energy performance of buildings (recast) requires Member States to ensure all new buildings will be nearly zero-energy by 31 December 2020 and all new buildings occupied and owned by public authorities will be nearly zero-energy by 31 December 2018. The Directive broadly defines a nearly zero-energy building as a building with a high energy performance where the...

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

Damien English: Part L (Conservation of Fuel and Energy) of the Building Regulations and the accompanying Technical Guidance Document for dwellings specifies the calculation procedure called the Dwelling Energy Assessment Procedure (also known as DEAP) as the methodology to be used to calculate the energy and carbon dioxide emissions performance for dwellings. The DEAP methodology has been designed to be in...

Government Appeal of European Commission Decision on State Aid to Apple: Motion (7 Sep 2016)

Damien English: I thank the Acting Chairman for the opportunity to address this motion. I support the Government's decision to appeal the Commission's ruling that Ireland provided unlawful State aid to Apple, which was not the case and is untrue. There was no proof in the ruling, yet the position taken was damaging. As such, it was imperative that the Government made its decision in a strong, considered...

Topical Issue Debate: Homeless Accommodation Provision (21 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I thank Deputy Pringle for raising this issue and I apologise for being late. As the Deputy will be aware, the housing action plan, Rebuilding Ireland, which was launched this week sets out what we are trying to do in this area. We are trying to end the type of situations highlighted by the Deputy. I understand that the Deputy wants an urgent solution to the issue he highlighted but...

Topical Issue Debate: Homeless Accommodation Provision (21 Jul 2016)

Damien English: As I said, I will do what I can and I will report back to the Deputy tomorrow. I will check whether what he has proposed is an option. This issue has been flagged for some time and it should have been resolved before now. I know that Dublin City Council is trying to negotiate directly. We are still expecting a solution in that regard. I will update the Deputy in that regard tomorrow too.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Constitutional Convention Recommendations (21 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I thank the Senator for raising this important issue. It is important that we discuss the implications around it. In its fifth report, the Constitutional Convention recommended that voting rights be extended in presidential elections to Irish citizens resident outside the State. The then-Government considered this recommendation last year and decided that it would be necessary to analyse...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Constitutional Convention Recommendations (21 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I agree that if at all possible, we should try to get a timeframe on it. It is difficult to do. It might be a case of coming back with recommendations to do this step by step. There are easier paths to doing this. Extending it to the full option of 70 million people when we do not even know how many of them could be citizens would be an awkward process to develop. It is about coming back...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Library Services Provision (21 Jul 2016)

Damien English: Yes.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Library Services Provision (21 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I like to stay when I am here.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Library Services Provision (21 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I thank the Senator for raising this important issue. It is one I have debated several times, as there is some confusion about what lies in store for libraries. My Department has been in discussions with the Local Government Management Agency, LGMA, and local authorities' chief executives on the introduction of a new library management model as outlined in the report, Managing the Delivery...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Library Services Provision (21 Jul 2016)

Damien English: To be clear, the Department has constantly stated it is open to discussing with chief executives and the LGMA the changes we want to introduce in some places. These changes should not and will not affect front-line services. If members of Sligo County Council decide to close a library for a week or two owing to their existing budget, that is not something we are asking them to do. The...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Library Services Provision (21 Jul 2016)

Damien English: Yes.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Building Regulations (21 Jul 2016)

Damien English: Local authorities have extensive powers of inspection and enforcement under the Planning and Development Acts. These powers of inspection and enforcement are separate and distinct from the provisions of the Building Control Acts 1990 to 2014 and in particular the Building Control Regulations 1997-2015 which put in place the administrative arrangements by which owners, designers and builders...

Housing Strategy: Statements (Resumed) (20 Jul 2016)

Damien English: 9 o’clock Most Members' contributions were to the effect that the plans are reasonable, they contain targets but can it happen. The difference between this plan and other plans is that it involves a whole-of-Government approach involving many Departments. It involves consultation with stakeholders, agencies and all the different players. That is the same process we followed in...

Housing Strategy: Statements (Resumed) (20 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I am going through these figures. Does the Deputy not trust me? I spent a few hours on them to make sure I am right. The €5.35 billion investment proposed for the social housing area over the 2016-21 period comprises some €4.5 billion in capital funding and €844 million in support of programmes funded from current expenditure. In terms of capital funding, the...

Housing Strategy: Statements (Resumed) (20 Jul 2016)

Damien English: -----I will say it three times if I have to - of the available €5 billion capital fiscal space over the 2017-21 period.

Housing Strategy: Statements (Resumed) (20 Jul 2016)

Damien English: A total of €2 billion of this funding is being assigned to support the delivery of social housing. I am confident of those figures and have no doubt about them. I understand where there might be confusion, but the figure is right. It is new money. It is taxpayers' money. It is not my money or the Government's money but taxpayers' money being invested in a key way. The €200...

Housing Strategy: Statements (Resumed) (20 Jul 2016)

Damien English: ----the Members will soon see action on the field next door. I believe this can work. I will not read the rest of the speech into the record but it is available if anyone wants to read it.

Housing Strategy: Statements (Resumed) (20 Jul 2016)

Damien English: This plan will work and, with the support of this House, it can get even better. I thank the Members.

Housing Strategy: Statements (Resumed) (20 Jul 2016)

Damien English: Perhaps I might let them in if they turn up. I thank everyone for his or her contribution today and yesterday and in the couple of months since the Government was formed. There is lot of good work going on in the housing sector and there had been a lot of discussion about homelessness, even before the general election. It became a major issue which focused people's minds. The quality...