Results 14,541-14,560 of 20,884 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Waste Management (4 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: My Department has met with groups who represent persons with special needs and has also been in contact with the HSE and the waste management industry to discuss the issue and to try to find a workable and fair solution to this important matter. Notwithstanding the complexity of the issues involved, I am satisfied that a number of possible solutions are being explored as a matter of urgency.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Estates (4 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: All provisions of the Planning and Development Act 2000 came into operation over the period 1 November 2000 to 28 April 2004, inclusive. Section 180 of the 2000 Act relating to the taking in charge of estates by planning authorities came into operation on 21 January 2002 by way of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 (Commencement) (No. 3) Order 2001 which was signed by the then Minister...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (4 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: Procurement in relation to social housing build developments, from pre-planning through to construction, arises primarily in relation to procurement of consultants and procurement of contractors. These follow either national or EU procurement requirements, depending on the cost involved, as required by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. Carrying out procurement as part of...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation Provision (4 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 304 and 305 together. My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation for homeless persons rests with...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments (4 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme continues to be rolled out across the country on a phased basis and is now operational in 19 local authority areas. A detailed breakdown of the Quarter 1 2016 data is currently being prepared, including the number of households transferring from the Rent Supplement scheme in this period. This detailed breakdown will be published on my...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: NAMA Property Sales (4 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: Since December 2011, my Department together with the Housing Agency, local authorities, and approved housing bodies have been working with the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) in order to facilitate the provision of residential properties for social housing use. The properties under consideration are part of the security for loans that NAMA has acquired. In the majority of cases,...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Data (4 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 308 and 309 together. The Social Housing Strategy 2020targets the provision of over 110,000 social housing units, through the delivery of 35,000 new social housing units and meeting the housing needs of some 75,000 households mainly through the Housing Assistance Payment. Social housing targets have been set for each local authority out to 2017 and are...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Student Accommodation (4 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: Rent-a-room relief was introduced with the aim of increasing the availability of rented residential accommodation. Under the scheme, rooms rented in a person’s sole or main residence as residential accommodation, including rooms let to students for the academic year are exempt from tax, PRSI and USC since 1 January 2015. The annual limit on exempt income is €12,000. The...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (4 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 314 and 315 together. For each year between 2013 and 2020, Ireland has a greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction target under the 2009 Effort Sharing Decision (ESD) No. 406/2009/EC. For the year 2020 itself, the target set for Ireland is that emissions should be 20 per cent below their value in 2005. This is jointly the most demanding 2020 reduction...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Traveller Accommodation (4 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: Section 8.14 of the Guidelines for Traveller Accommodation - Basic Services and Facilities for Caravans Pending the Provision of Permanent Accommodation (1998), as provided for under section 29 of the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, sets out that, generally, there should be a minimum separation distance of 6m between caravans and 9m between a caravan and a building or other...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Data (4 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: Irish Water's customer billing and collection levels are a matter for the utility. Irish Water has published information on bill payment levels for the first three billing cycles on its website at. The €110.8m collected in respect of domestic water charges is the amount of cash (net of rebates) collected as at 11 January 2016. The number of customers who had made a payment to 11...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Insurance Coverage (4 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: Issues relating to flood insurance are a matter for my colleague the Minister for Finance who is responsible for the legislative framework for insurance regulation and development of the insurance sector. I have no role in relation to this matter.

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (28 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: I will go through the statement in full, if that is okay, Chairman, because there is so much in it and I might emphasise some points as I go along. I might also come back to some issues later on if that is okay. First, I thank the committee for the invitation to address it and for inviting me and my officials to today's proceedings. Second, as the Chairman is aware, because there was some...

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (28 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: The Chairman would never do that.

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (28 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: I have no issue with a future Minister for housing. It may well be a good idea and I am open to it. I am being totally frank and honest. If we want a Minister for housing who will drive all of this and be the tsar at the top of it, he or she would need to have control of the levers or be the person answerable for all the levers at the very least. In recent years the former Minister of...

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (28 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: I am in a new-found space for the next week.

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (28 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: I can take them in a group. I do not mind either way.

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (28 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: Yes.

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (28 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: Yes, probably, but we need to condition that statement. As it would depend on what was changed in the Constitution, one cannot give a definitive answer but I would say “Yes”. On certain topics, I believe we need to amend the Constitution. I would also be a bit careful because sometimes one can make matters worse. It would depend on how one does it but we need an open...

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (28 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: If there had been a favourable generic amendment to the Constitution on the area in question, I believe it would have it made easier. On Deputy Coppinger’s question on the target of 35,000 new housing units, 22,300 units will be built or acquired, 50:50 through capital funding through local authorities and through the European Investment Bank, EIB. On top of that, 11,000 units will...