Results 501-520 of 3,358 for in 'Written Answers' speaker:Peter Burke

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (14 Sep 2022)

Peter Burke: My Department has a wide and diverse business agenda, covering a broad range of functions, including local authority housing, voluntary housing, homeless services, estate regeneration, energy efficiency retrofitting, housing grants, rural water schemes, urban renewal/regeneration, and fire services. My Department provides funding to local authorities on an ongoing basis as projects are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (14 Sep 2022)

Peter Burke: Section 34(4) of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the Act), provides for the attaching of conditions to planning permissions by planning authorities. Under section 34(5) of the Act, conditions may provide that points of detail relating to a grant of permission may subsequently be agreed between the planning authority and the person carrying out the development. If the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (14 Sep 2022)

Peter Burke: Under the Planning and Development Act, 2000, as amended (the Act), all development, unless specifically exempted under the Act or associated Regulations, requires planning permission. Section 4 of the Act and Schedule 2 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, as amended (the Regulations), set out various exemptions from the requirement to obtain planning permission. Any such...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (14 Sep 2022)

Peter Burke: Under the Planning and Development Act, 2000, as amended (the Act), all development, unless specifically exempted under the Act or associated Regulations, requires planning permission. Section 4 of the Act and Schedule 2 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, as amended (the Regulations), set out various exemptions from the requirement to obtain planning permission. Any such...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (14 Jul 2022)

Peter Burke: Section 7 of the Ombudsman (Amendment) Act 2012 places a statutory duty on public bodies (agencies) reviewable by the Ombudsman to put in place arrangements and resources for handling complaints. The Ombudsman gives guidance to service providers for developing systems for dealing with complaints - www.ombudsman.ie/guidance-for-service-providers/ Any person who is dissatisfied with...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Coastal Protection (14 Jul 2022)

Peter Burke: The Government established the Inter-Departmental Group on Managing Coastal Change to scope out an approach for the development of a national co-ordinated and integrated strategy to manage the projected impact of coastal change to our coastal communities. The purpose of the steering group is to set out a high level scoping report for tackling the issue of sea level change. The membership of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (14 Jul 2022)

Peter Burke: In January 2022, my Department communicated with local authorities outlining that it is increasing the funding made available since 2018 from €50,000 to €60,000 per annum from mid-2022 to support the work of a Vacant Homes Office, including a vacant homes officer (VHO) to support the commitment in Housing for All to ensure that vacant homes officers are full-time. The provision...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Reviews (14 Jul 2022)

Peter Burke: Housing for All sets out a number of objectives with the aim of improving the functioning of the planning system including the comprehensive review and consolidation of planning legislation. The review forms one of the actions in Housing for All and is set in the context of the broad policy outlined therein. The review is being overseen by the Attorney General and he has appointed a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Policies (14 Jul 2022)

Peter Burke: An Bord Pleanála’s Workforce Plan for 2021-2022 was approved by my Department in October 2021 and provided for 24 additional posts. This included an initial 8 staff for a new Marine/Climate Unit. Sanction was subsequently sought by An Bord Pleanála to fill 5 of these 8 Marine/Climate Unit positions, which my Department provided. The status of these 5 positions is detailed in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Foreshore Issues (14 Jul 2022)

Peter Burke: I propose to take Questions Nos. 386 and 387 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that An Bord Pleanála does not have any role in determining foreshore licence applications. My Department currently has responsibility for assessing applications for a foreshore licence under the Foreshore Act 1933 for site investigations within the foreshore area linked to the proposed development...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Commercial Rates (14 Jul 2022)

Peter Burke: Local authorities levy rates on property used for commercial purposes in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by the independent Commissioner of Valuation under the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2015. In order to support businesses and ratepayers, and in recognition of the impacts of COVID-19, the Government funded the cost of commercial rates waivers in recent...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Sites (13 Jul 2022)

Peter Burke: Under the vacant site levy provisions in the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015 (the Act), planning authorities were empowered to apply a vacant site levy of 3% of the market valuation of relevant properties which were listed on local authority vacant site registers in 2018, which relevant owners were liable to pay in January 2019. The rate of the levy increased to 7% for sites listed on...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (13 Jul 2022)

Peter Burke: Under section 50 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the Act), any person who considers that they have reason to question the validity of a decision made by a planning authority or An Bord Pleanála under the Act may apply to the High Court seeking a judicial review of that decision or act. It is a matter for the Courts to decide whether to grant leave for judicial...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Budget 2023 (12 Jul 2022)

Peter Burke: The closure of power plants in Offaly and Longford will have a negative impact on the commercial rates income of Offaly and Longford County Councils, an impact which has been fully recognised by my Department. To alleviate this negative impact, my Department provided Offaly County Council with €1.7m in 2021 and 2022 while Longford County Council have received €1.3m in each year....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Tax Collection (12 Jul 2022)

Peter Burke: Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by the independent Commissioner of Valuation pursuant to the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2015. The levying and collection of rates are matters for each individual local authority, as are the costs of collection. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Derelict Sites (12 Jul 2022)

Peter Burke: Addressing vacancy and dereliction, and maximising the use of the existing housing stock, is a priority objective of the Government, as evidenced by the recently published Housing for All - A New Housing Plan for Ireland where one of the four pathways in the plan is specifically dedicated to this area. My Department continues to liaise with local authorities on the implementation of the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (12 Jul 2022)

Peter Burke: I propose to take Questions Nos. 386 and 412 together. In January 2022, my Department communicated with local authorities outlining that it is increasing the funding made available since 2018 from €50,000 to €60,000 per annum from mid-2022 to support the work of a Vacant Homes Office including a vacant homes officer to support the commitment in Housing for All to ensure that...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (12 Jul 2022)

Peter Burke: Section 40 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended ('the Act') specifies that the appropriate period for the completion of a planning permission shall generally be 5 years, unless otherwise specified by the planning authority pursuant to Section 41. Section 42 of the Act enables the holder of a planning permission to apply to a planning authority for up to two extensions to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Commercial Rates (12 Jul 2022)

Peter Burke: Local authorities have a statutory obligation to levy rates on the occupiers of rateable property in accordance with the details in the valuation lists prepared by the Commissioner of Valuation under the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2015. Legislative provision is made for the refund of rates paid on vacant commercial properties in certain circumstances. The Local Government Reform Act 2014 allows...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Maternity Leave (12 Jul 2022)

Peter Burke: Further to my reply to Parliamentary Questions no. 216 and 231 of 5 July 2022, preparation of the general scheme to grant an entitlement of maternity leave to local authority elected members is being prioritised in my Department. Once approved by Government, the general scheme will be forwarded to the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel for drafting of the Bill and published when that process...