Results 14,761-14,780 of 20,884 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Election Management System (14 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: Under electoral law, returning officers are responsible for all matters in relation to the conduct of elections, including the provision of polling stations and polling booths within those stations. The Electoral Act 1992 provides that local authorities, in making polling schemes, shall endeavour to appoint polling places where at least one polling station is accessible to wheelchair users...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (14 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: The Housing Agency, in consultation with my Department and local authorities, is gathering data and developing a detailed database and GIS map of local authority owned lands, as well as the Land Aggregation Scheme lands, showing their location, size, boundaries and other information. Furthermore, my Department, in conjunction with local authority planning departments, carried out a national...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (14 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: The Social Housing Strategy 2020 includes targets and actions to increase the supply of social housing by 110,000 additional units, 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 put in place the means to overcome barriers that might have existed...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Funding (14 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: Dealing with vacancies that occur within existing social housing stock is a normal part of the management function of local authorities. My Department places no monetary limits on what a local authority spends on refurbishing such units. However, in 2014 my Department recognised that a backlog of such units had built up over several years and, accordingly, introduced a funding programme to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments Administration (14 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a major pillar of the Social Housing Strategy 2020. The HAP scheme removes a barrier to employment, by allowing recipients to remain in the scheme if they gain full-time employment, it improves regulation of the rented accommodation being supported and it provides certainty for landlords as regards their rental income. To be eligible for HAP, a person...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Properties (14 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: My Department is not a significant owner of property. However, the Housing Agency, in consultation with my Department and local authorities, is gathering data and developing a detailed database and GiS map of local authority owned lands, as well as the Land Aggregation Scheme lands, showing their location, size, boundaries and other information. The Office of Public Works has also developed a...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Services Funding (14 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: The Water Services Investment Programme was a multi-annual investment plan for the provision of major water and sewerage schemes including water mains rehabilitation. The first rolling 3-year Water Services Investment Programme was launched in July 2000 to meet identified water services needs. The Water Services Investment Programme 2010 – 2013 was the last such plan, and is...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges (14 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: With effect from 1 January 2014, Irish Water is responsible for public water services. The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides that Irish Water shall collect charges from its customers in receipt of water services provided by it. All dwellings connected to the public water or waste water systems are liable for domestic water charges. The Act also provides that responsibility for the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Funding (14 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: In April last year, I announced over €1.5 billion in funding allocations in respect of social housing to be provided by all local authorities via a combination of building, buying and leasing schemes. Those allocations and associated targets for each local authority, including Carlow and Kilkenny, are available on my Department’s website at the following link: . Following this...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Waste Disposal (14 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: Government waste policy is predicated on the waste hierarchy as set out in the EU’s Waste Framework Directive, which places the prevention of waste at the pinnacle of the hierarchy. A number of specific measures have been, and will continue to be, introduced to reduce the amount of waste generated in the State and to increase the segregation of waste which cannot be prevented, in line...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (14 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 798 and 811 together. In December 2013, my Department published proposed “draft” revisions to the noise, setback distance and shadow flicker aspects of the 2006 WindEnergy Development Guidelines. These draft revisions proposed: - the setting of a more stringent day and night noise limit of 40 decibels for future wind energy developments, - a...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Boundaries Review (14 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: I refer to the reply to Questions Nos. 735 and 786 of 6 April 2016 which sets out the position in this matter .

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Unfinished Housing Developments (14 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 800 and 801 together.800 and 801 together. Since 2010, an annual national housing survey of unfinished housing developments has been conducted during the summer months to monitor progress. In that period, the number of unfinished housing developments has decreased by approximately three-quarters, from nearly 3,000in 2010 to 668 in 2015. The detailed...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Data (14 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos 802 and 803 together. Information on social housing units constructed and acquired in respect of all local authorities and approved housing bodies and funded by direct capital investment by my Department, is published on my Department’s website at the following link: . Data up to the end of 2015 are currently published, including a breakdown across the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Data (14 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: Dealing with vacancies that occur within existing social housing stock is a normal part of the management function of local authorities. However, in 2014 my Department recognised that a backlog of such units had built up over several years and accordingly, we introduced a funding programme to support the efforts that local authorities make through their own resources in this regard. The...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Data (14 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 805, 806 and 807 together. The oversight and management of housing waiting lists, including the allocation and transfer of tenancies, is a matter for the relevant housing authority in accordance with the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated regulations. My Department does not collate the detailed data sought on an ongoing basis. The...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Private Rented Accommodation (14 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: The requirements for the valid termination of a tenancy by a landlord are set out in Parts 4 and 5 of the Residential Tenancies Act as amended. In the case of a tenancy of 8 years or more in duration, the Act provides that a landlord is required to give a tenant 224 days notice of termination of the tenancy.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Data (14 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: A full breakdown of 2015 output, by local authority, across each of the social housing funding programmes, is available on my Department’s website at the following link: Data relating to quarter one 2016 is in the process of being gathered from all local authorities and will be published on my Department’s website when available.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments Data (14 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a major pillar of the Social Housing Strategy 2020. The HAP scheme removes a barrier to employment, by allowing recipients to remain in the scheme if they gain full-time employment, it improves regulation of the rented accommodation being supported and it provides certainty for landlords as regards their rental income. To be eligible for HAP, a person...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Data (14 Apr 2016)

Alan Kelly: General statistics on local authority housing stock, including the total number of dwellings in each local authority area, is available on the website of the National Oversight and Audit Commission at the following link: The most recent published information (December 2015), covering all local authorities, is in respect of 2014.