Results 14,481-14,500 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Insurance Data (1 Jun 2017)

Simon Coveney: Normal policy, as advised in the Public Financial Procedures, is that the State is its own insurer and as such covers its own costs. State indemnity for personal injury and third party property damage was legislated for in the National Treasury Management Agency (Amendment) Act 2000 where the management of personal injury and third party property damage claims against certain State...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Bord na Móna (1 Jun 2017)

Simon Coveney: As I indicated to the Deputy in my reply to Question Nos. 278 and 281 of 23 May 2017, under the proposed new consent system for large-scale peat extraction, the Environmental Protection Agency will be required to carry out an environmental impact assessment as part of its examination of applications for licences to commence peat extraction of 30 hectares or more on or...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Policy (1 Jun 2017)

Simon Coveney: Ireland’s third-level student population is projected to grow by around 20,000 students (or 15%) to 193,000 students by 2024. The 2015 Report on Student Accommodation: Demand & Supply by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) estimates an existing level of unmet demand of about 25,000 student bed spaces nationally.  Measures to support greater provision of student...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Homeless Persons Data (1 Jun 2017)

Simon Coveney: Official homeless reports are published on my Department's website and can be accessed using the following link: . These reports are based on data provided by housing authorities and produced through the Pathway Accommodation & Support System (PASS), the single integrated national data information system on State-funded emergency accommodation arrangements overseen by housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Labour Activation Programmes (1 Jun 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Electoral (Amendment) (Voting at 16) Bill 2016 provides for amendments to sections 9 and 10 of the Electoral Act 1992 in order to reduce to sixteen years, the age at which a person would be entitled to register to vote at local and European elections. A debate on this Private Members Bill was held in the Seanad on 29 March last and the Seanad passed a motion to defer the conclusion of...

Questions on Promised Legislation (31 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: To be helpful to the House, tomorrow or possibly later on this evening, we will publish the updated quarterly report on the delivery of the Rebuilding Ireland plan. We publish where we are on each of the five pillars from homelessness to social housing to increased housing supply to the rent market to vacant properties every quarter. Within the next two weeks, there will be a specific...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Policy (31 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: As you are aware, the State has a significant land bank and given the current acute housing shortage, with the associated problems of access and affordability facing households, it is crucial that much needed housing is delivered from these sites in the shortest possible timeframe and with the maximum social dividend. In order to promote the development of these sites, on...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Provision (31 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: The allocation of social housing support is a matter for the relevant housing authority in accordance with the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated regulations. Section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 requires all housing authorities, as a reserved function, to make an allocation scheme determining the order of priority to be accorded in the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Staff Data (31 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 157 and 158 together. My Department gathers quarterly data on staff numbers in local authorities. The data gathered does not provide detail in respect of the number of permanent employees that ceased working with Galway County Council and accordingly the information requested is not available in my Department. Broad staffing numbers for the local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Staff Data (31 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: My Department is responsible for workforce planning for the local government sector, including monitoring of local government sector employment levels. Staffing numbers for the local authority sector, broken down by individual local authority, are available on the Public Service Numbers Databank which is hosted and maintained by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Staff Data (31 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 160 and 161 together. There is currently one vacancy for Director of Services in Galway County Council. A competition to fill this vacancy is currently underway, through the Public Appointments Service. There are currently no vacancies at Director of Services level in Galway City Council. Under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Staff Data (31 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 162 to 164, inclusive, together. My Department gathers quarterly data on staff numbers in local authorities. The data gathered does not provide detail in respect of the number of full time engineers, senior engineers, full time employees and seasonal employees of Galway County Council that are engaged in the road maintenance programme in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Development Contributions (30 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: Development contributions provide critical resources to facilitate the provision of essential public infrastructure and facilities that support the implementation of local authority development plans. My role as Minister with regard to development contributions is to provide the necessary statutory and policy framework within which individual development contribution schemes are adopted...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (30 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: Since May 2016, I have been liaising closely with my colleague Minister Naughten, having regard to his responsibility for renewable energy policy, on the review of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines relating to noise, setback distance and shadow flicker, recognising the need to bring the review to a close and provide certainty on the matter to all stakeholders, local authorities, the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Property Tax Administration (30 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: Local retention of Local Property Tax (LPT) began in 2015 and is now established as an alternative and essential source of funding for the local government sector, which reduces reliance on central funding. The Government decided that 80% of the estimated LPT liability in each local authority area for a given year is retained in that area to fund public services, notwithstanding any local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Eligibility (30 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: With the commencement of the provisions in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014, the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is considered to be a social housing support and consequently, households in receipt of HAP are not eligible to remain on the main housing waiting list. Acknowledging that households on the waiting list who avail of HAP might have expectations that they would...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Issues (30 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 218 and 219 together. The Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011 prescribe maximum net income limits for each housing authority, in different bands according to the area, with income being defined and assessed according to a standard Household Means Policy. The income bands and the authority area assigned to each band were based on an assessment of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Fire Service Staff (30 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: The role of responding to incidents of fire is assigned to fire authorities in the Fire Services Act, 1981 to 2003. The information requested is not available in my Department but may be sought from individual fire authorities directly.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Construction Regulations (30 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: Arising from the 2013 Judgement of the European Court of Justice referred to, my Department is currently engaged in consultations with planning authorities regarding potential modifications required to the 2005 Planning Guidelines on Sustainable Rural Housing, with a view to ensuring that rural housing policies and objectives contained in county development plans comply with...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments Eligibility (30 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: The nationwide roll-out of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme scheme was completed on 1 March 2017, meaning that eligible households in all 31 local authority areas can now avail of the HAP Scheme.  In order to be eligible for HAP support, a household must first qualify for social housing support and be placed on a housing list.  A...