Results 4,841-4,860 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Irish Prison Service (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I apologise on behalf of the Tánaiste, who could not be here to take the debate. The Tánaiste wishes to emphasise that the provision of health care is a statutory obligation of the Irish Prison Service, as defined in the prison rules of 2007. She assures the Senator that the care and rehabilitation of persons in custody is a core aim of the Irish Prison Service. The IPS health...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Tenant Purchase Scheme (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I thank the Senator for raising the issue. I thought she wanted to concentrate on the exclusion of people on social welfare, but she raised other issues such as water charges and Part V properties, with which I will deal as far as I can. The new tenant (incremental) purchase scheme for existing local authority houses came into operation on 1 January 2016. It is not two years old but six...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Tenant Purchase Scheme (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I agree that there was no scheme for a number of years, but the Senator said this scheme was two years old and, for the record, I wanted to clarify that it is not. It is six months old. I spoke on this in the Dáil last week and I agreed that we needed to review it, but not six months into it. Our intention is to review it 12 months after it came into operation, which will be next...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Tenant Purchase Scheme (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I totally agree with Senator Murnane O'Connor that housing should be a priority area. We have said that very clearly in the debate in this House and in the Dáil. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, has said that the number one priority for the Government is to tackle the housing situation. In the next couple of weeks we will roll out the action plan for housing, which will probably have a...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Tenant Purchase Scheme (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: -----and I believe it has a couple more projects in the pipeline as well. The project on which I officiated involved ten houses, and I believe three or four other projects are due to start this year as well. The council there has been very proactive. I accept that there is a waiting list, but a plan is in place to address that and Carlow County Council is doing quite well in that regard....

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I will make some comment and observations from the Department. In response to Senator O'Donnell's comments, I think the Seanad is great and has a lot to offer. I totally agree with her about coming through education. I barely knew what local government was about when I was in school, never mind what the Seanad or Dáil were about. All of us are in the process when we become...

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I am talking about it here. Over the past number of years, much has been said and documented about Seanad reform. We have had a number of reports, from the O’Rourke committee report in 2004 to the Manning report in 2015, all proposing change. While we have consensus on the need for change, we still do not have broad consensus on the detail of that change. This is something the...

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: It was a major part of it. There were some concerns raised in that report. It is in the whole area of the postal ballot box. I am not just saying this for effect. It is a reality borne out by the experts in this area. We have to be sure about the security of the system as well. I have a final few comments to make. New systems do not come without a price, as I said earlier on,...

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: There is no point coming in here and not informing the Deputy. That is why I am here.

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I could make a speech and go home, but I wanted to inform the House of an issue that needs to be addressed.

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: That is why I flagged them.

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I want to clarify that is not the issue. I used my time as I always do to deal with the issues. Rather than making a flowery speech and coming back here in the weeks to come, I flagged the issues that need to be sorted out. If that causes people upset I am sorry, but it is the only way to move this on. We are talking about 30 or 40 years at this stage. It is a genuine attempt to put the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Issues (12 Jul 2016)

Damien English: The expert panel on concrete blocks has met on three occasions since it was established in April last and is review ing the information that has been made available to it in relation to the problems that have emerged in affected homes; this includes a number of technical reports provided by Mayo County Council on problems with in their social housing stock. Additional information has also...

Report of the Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Motion (7 Jul 2016)

Damien English: We will listen slowly.

Report of the Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Motion (7 Jul 2016)

Damien English: He had no choice.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Remediation Programme (7 Jul 2016)

Damien English: The , which was first published by the Pyrite Resolution Board in February of 2014, was developed having regard to the relevant provisions of the and the recommendations set out in the (June 2012). The full conditions for eligibility are set out in the scheme. It is a condition of eligibility under the scheme that an application to the Board must be accompanied by a Building Condition...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Remediation Programme (7 Jul 2016)

Damien English: The pyrite remediation scheme is a scheme of “last resort” and is limited in its application and scope. The full conditions for eligibility under the scheme are set out in the scheme which is available on the Board’s website (). 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 Environment, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Remediation Programme (7 Jul 2016)

Damien English: The Pyrite Resolution Board, with the support of the Housing Agency, is responsible for the implementation of the pyrite remediation scheme. In general terms, the cost of pyrite remediation is largely dependent on the dwelling type, the number of units in a project, the floor area of the dwellings, the depth of hardcore in the units and the presence or otherwise of under-floor heating...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Building Regulations Application (7 Jul 2016)

Damien English: The Building Regulations 1997 to 2014 set out the minimum statutory requirements applicable to the design and construction of new buildings, extensions to existing buildings as well as for material alterations and certain material changes of use to existing buildings and are divided in 12 parts (classified as Parts A to M). Technical Guidance Documents (TGDs) are published to accompany each...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Water Services Infrastructure (6 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I thank Senator Murnane O'Connor for raising this important issue which has slipped through all the negotiations over several years. I raised it when I joined the Department several weeks ago. The Department’s officials understand it and also wish to fix it. Several county councils are progressing solutions to it too. There is much work going on in trying to get this resolved....