Results 14,601-14,620 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Nitrates Action Programme Implementation (23 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: The European Union (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations 2014, as amended, give legal effect in Ireland to the Nitrates Directive and to our Nitrates Action Programme (NAP). The Directive requires all member states to define set periods when the land application of fertiliser, including slurry, is not allowed and in Ireland the closed season commences on 15...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Bord na Móna (23 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 278 and 281 together. My Department is currently progressing draft Regulations under the European Communities Act 1972 that will establish a new regulatory regime in respect of large-scale peat extraction.  Under the new regime, the Environmental Protection Agency will be required to carry out an environmental impact assessment as part of its...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (23 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Affordable Housing Schemes helped qualifying applicants, who would not have otherwise been in a position to purchase a home, to become home owners through the purchase of designated affordable units. Houses sold to first time buyers under the various affordable housing schemes were priced at a significant discount from their market value. Buyers are free to sell their...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (23 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: Article 10(4) of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001-2015, dealing with change of use exemptions for planning purposes, provides that development consisting of the use of not more than four bedrooms in a house, where each bedroom is used for the accommodation of not more than four persons as overnight guest accommodation, shall be exempted from the requirement to obtain planning...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Commercial Rates Valuation Process (23 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: 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 under the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2015. The Valuation Acts 2001 to 2015 provide for global valuations of public utility undertakings to be carried out by the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grant Funding (23 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: Information on the Exchequer funding provided by my Department to each local authority under the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability is available on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/statistics/social-and-affo rdble/other-local-authority-housing-scheme-statistics.  On top of the exchequer...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Provision (23 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: The recording and reporting of statistics on housing activity is a complex matter that involves tracking a range of different indicators – including planning permissions, commencement notices, ESB connections and several others - from various sources, each of which measures different aspects of housing market activity.  Each dataset presents part of the overall housing activity...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Information and Communications Technology (23 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: My Department’s Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) is the largest social Inclusion intervention of its kind in the State. It was rolled out in April 2015 and will run until 31 December 2017. Its aim is to tackle poverty, social exclusion and long-term unemployment through local engagement and partnership between disadvantaged individuals, community...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Provision (23 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: Local authority house purchase loan finance continues to be made available to first time buyers only.  The Housing (Local Authority Loans) Regulations 2012 are kept under on-going review and there are no plans, at this time, to alter the scope of the Regulations to include non-first time buyers. The option currently available for non-first time buyers is to seek home loan...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Administration (23 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. Customer communications and information are matters for the utility and ones in which I have no function. Section 26 of the Water Services Act 2013 provided powers to Ervia and Irish Water to request information...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Services (23 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: I have no direct role in this matter. The provision of public toilet facilities is an operational matter for local authorities. My Department has, therefore, not costed such a scheme as that proposed.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Refunds (23 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: Domestic water charges are currently suspended. Under the ‘Confidence and Supply’ arrangement agreed in the context of Fianna Fáil supporting a minority government, the Oireachtas established a Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services. It was tasked with examining the recommendations of the Expert Commission on Domestic Public Water...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Data (23 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 293 and 301 together. The Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness provides for early solutions to address the high number of households in emergency accommodation. These include the delivery of increased social housing supply through new-build, acquisition and refurbishment schemes and independent tenancies for homeless households in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments Data (23 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a flexible and immediate housing support that is now available to all eligible households throughout the State. There are currently more than 21,500 households in receipt of HAP, including 7,000 households that were previously supported by Rent Supplement. There are currently more than 17,000 separate landlords and agents providing accommodation...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Deposit Protection Scheme Establishment (23 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015 provides for, among other things, the establishment of a tenancy deposit protection scheme to be operated by the Residential Tenancies Board. Indecon Consultants were originally appointed to carry out the research on the development of a deposit retention scheme and they reported in November 2012.  The provisions in the 2015 Act were...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Policy (23 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Residential Tenancies Act 2004 regulates the landlord-tenant relationship in the private rented sector and sets out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants. The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Act to operate a national tenancy registration system and to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants. The Housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (23 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: Under the European Union (Drinking Water) Regulations 2014, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas library, suppliers of drinking water are required to ensure that the water supplied is wholesome and clean. Water which is wholesome and clean is defined as water which is free from any micro-organisms and parasites and from any substances which, in numbers or concentrations, constitute...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Health and Safety Regulations (23 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: My Department commenced an internal review process on the issue of safety at funfairs/ fairground equipment earlier this year. Section 239 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 places a statutory duty on organisers of funfairs and owners of fairground equipment to take such care as is reasonable for ensuring that persons at a funfair do not suffer injury or damage by reason of dangers...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Protected Disclosures (23 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: There is an important obligation under section 16 of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 to protect the identity of individuals who make disclosures of information with reference to the Act. In this instance, I can however confirm that I recently received a copy of a submission made with reference to the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 to the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (23 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: All local authorities were notified earlier this year to continue the funding of projects under the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability up to the level of their 2016 allocation.  This has allowed local authorities to continue the seamless implementation of this programme of grants. In relation to 2017 funding, I have secured a further 6% increase...