Results 14,541-14,560 of 20,798 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Irish Water: Statements (27 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: I thought I had seen it all, but if the media are reporting what I believe is probably accurate, we are heading back to the past. If that is the case, politics is failing. The issue of water charges has been a consistent blight on the political system for many years. We have to recognise that it has recently divided society because it followed a period of horrendous austerity during which...

Irish Water: Statements (27 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: Then there was the "Prime Time" programme on 1 March. It is my view that if the suspension or abolition goes ahead, it will cost us more in the long run. There is one vital question: are Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael acting within the law? Does the decision to suspend water charges run contrary to EU law and, in particular, Article 9 of the water framework directive? Ireland did have...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Waste Management (27 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: My Department has met with groups who represent persons with special needs and have 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 Assistance Payments (27 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 97, 99 and 102 together. The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme is being rolled out across the country on a phased basis and is currently operational in 19 local authority areas. 7 local authorities were included in the first phase of roll out for the statutory scheme in late 2014, with a further 11 authorities being added in 2015, and the scheme being...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (27 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: The number of households that transferred from Rent Supplement to the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) in 2015 was 1,836, representing almost 92% of the target delivery of 2,000 new RAS transfers. Further information in relation to social housing output in 2015 is available on my Department’s website at: .

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments Eligibility (27 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 100 and 101 together. 100 and 101 together. My Department does not fund any homeless service directly but provides funding to housing authorities towards operational costs under Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988. My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: NAMA Portfolio (27 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: The National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) does not own or manage properties. NAMA’s role in relation to properties is that of a secured lender. Properties securing NAMA’s loans continue to be managed by their legal owners, or in the case of enforcement, on their behalf by duly appointed insolvency practitioners. While my Department is working closely with NAMA to ensure that...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme Eligibility (26 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 420 and 443 together. The new incremental tenant purchase scheme for existing local authority houses came into operation on 1 January 2016 in accordance with the provisions of the Housing Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2014 and the Housing (Sale of Local Authority Houses) Regulations 2015. The scheme will apply to all local authority houses, other than...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (26 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: The Social Housing Strategy 2020is a target-driven plan of action to increase the supply of social housing by 110,000 additional units in the period to 2020, with 35,000 new units to be delivered by local authorities and approved housing bodies and 75,000 households to be supported mainly through the Housing Assistance Payment Scheme. The Strategy has been supported by two successive...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Bituminous Fuel Ban (26 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 423, 424 and 427 together. The ban on the marketing, sale and distribution of bituminous fuel (or ‘smoky coal ban’ as it is commonly known) was first introduced in Dublin in 1990 in response to severe episodes of winter smog that resulted from the wide spread use of smoky coal for residential heating. The ban proved very effective in...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (26 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: Funding has been made available to all local authorities, including Sligo County Council, towards the programme for adaptations and extensions to the social housing stock to meet the needs of local authority tenants with a disability or to address serious overcrowding. The detailed administration of the programme, including the advancement of priority cases, is the responsibility of the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Noise Pollution (26 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: Airports can be a significant source of environmental noise, both from aircraft take-offs and landings, and ground running operations, where aircraft engines are tested as part of their maintenance regime. Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) has responsibility for management of Dublin Airport, including flight tracking and noise monitoring, and Fingal County Council is the Noise Action Planning...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Mayoral Election (26 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: The Local Government Reform Act 2014 provided for a wide-ranging programme of reform to local government structures, functions and governance, including a process for the holding of a plebiscite on the possible introduction of an office of directly elected mayor for a Dublin metropolitan authority. This procedure was based on achievement of political consensus across the four Dublin local...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Control of Horses (26 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: Under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he or she is responsible. My Department works closely with all local authorities and will continue to do so, in relation to overall staffing requirements. All staffing requests are...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation Funding (26 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: My Department does not fund any homeless services directly, but provides funding to housing authorities towards the operational costs of homeless accommodation and related services under section 10 of the Housing Act 1988. Under section 10 funding arrangements, housing authorities must provide at least 10% of the cost of such services from their own resources. Furthermore, housing...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Maintenance (26 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: I understand from enquiries made with Kerry County Council that cavity wall insulation works have, in fact, been carried out on the houses in question, and that further inspections will be undertaken to identify any additional works required. The works on these houses arose from the ambitious programme of insulation retrofitting on the least energy efficient social houses, under which my...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Motor Tax Yield (26 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: Motor tax receipts for each licensing authority from January 2011 to the end of March 2016 are set out in the following tables. 2016 ( to 31 March) Licensing Authority MTO receipts (€) Online receipts (€) Total (€) Carlow 1,950,222 2,296,026 4,246,248 Cavan 1,660,303 2,833,301 4,493,604 Clare 2,891,977 4,919,090 7,811,067 Cork 9,468,326 25,504,984 34,973,310...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Property Tax Yield (26 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: Local Property Tax (LPT) is collected and administered by the Revenue Commissioners and is remitted to the Central Fund. The Revenue Commissioners publish LPT inform ation including details of LPT collected in all local authority areas on their website at the following link: . I am advised by the Minister for Finance that the amount of LPT received by the Exchequer in 2013 was €318...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (26 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: Co-operative Housing Ireland (formerly NABCO) is among the 212 Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) who have signed up on a voluntary basis for regulation by the interim Regulation Office at the Housing Agency and it therefore comes under the remit of that office. It is a matter for the interim Regulator to focus on individual AHBs and it would not be appropriate for me to comment on individual...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Domestic Violence Policy (26 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 437 to 439, inclusive, together. Responsibility for the development and provision of services to support victims of domestic violence rests with the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and the delivery of such services is managed through the Child and Family Agency, Tusla. In addition, Cosc, the National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and...