Results 15,041-15,060 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Policy (6 Apr 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 48 and 68 together. The recent NERI report Ireland's Housing Emergency: Time for A Game Changer is to be welcomed as an important addition to the debate on housing in Ireland. I note that there is considerable common ground between the NERI report and the Government’s Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan and Strategy for the Rental Sector. For...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Repair and Leasing Scheme (6 Apr 2017)

Simon Coveney: The repair and leasing scheme, RLS, has been developed, under pillar 5 of Rebuilding Ireland, to assist private property owners and local authorities or approved housing bodies, AHBs, to harness the accommodation potential that exists in certain vacant properties across Ireland. The scheme is targeted at owners of vacant properties who cannot afford or access the funding needed to bring...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Data (6 Apr 2017)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy will be aware, under-supply of housing across all tenures is at the heart of the significant challenges which exist in the housing sector. The Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness of July 2016, which is available at the following link, ,  It is focused on increasing supply, to achieve total housing output of at...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Private Rented Accommodation Standards (6 Apr 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Strategy for the Rental Sector, published in December 2016, recognises that the quality of rental accommodation is critical to the success and sustainability of the residential rental sector and its attractiveness as a long-term accommodation option for households.  A key commitment in the Strategy was to review the regulations governing minimum standards in rented...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation Provision (6 Apr 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Nos. 54 and 69 together. The target set in Rebuilding Ireland, that by mid-2017 hotels will only be used in limited circumstances to provide emergency accommodation for families, is necessarily ambitious.  However, I believe that the significant efforts currently being made by local authorities and other key bodies, supported by my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Constitutional Amendments (6 Apr 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Government recently decided to hold a referendum to amend the Constitution to give the right to vote at presidential elections to Irish citizens resident outside the State, including Northern Ireland. In order to inform public discourse on the significant policy change proposed, I published an Options Paper on 22 March 2017, which is available on my Department's website at . The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Funding (6 Apr 2017)

Simon Coveney: To support the implementation of Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, I have secured €5.35 billion in exchequer investment to deliver 47,000 social housing units through build, refurbishment, acquisitions and leasing, over the period to 2021. The €5.35 billion investment comprises some  €4.5 billion funding in capital funding and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (6 Apr 2017)

Simon Coveney: I have published details of the 504 approved social housing construction schemes which were advancing nationwide as at end Quarter 4, 2016. This list can be accessed at the following link: . These schemes, when completed, will deliver circa 8,430 new social houses, some of which were completed in 2016, with others in the pipeline to be completed in 2017 and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation Provision (6 Apr 2017)

Simon Coveney: My Department continues to work closely with housing authorities in the areas most affected by deficits in housing supply to ensure that they are making every effort possible to meet the emergency accommodation needs of households presenting to them. My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Commercial Rates (6 Apr 2017)

Simon Coveney: The local authority funding model has changed considerably in recent years principally as a result both of the introduction of Local Property Tax (LPT) in 2013 and the establishment of Irish Water. The Local Government Fund, through General Purpose Grants (GPGs), historically provided local authorities with finance for funding some of their day-to-day activities,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Maintenance (6 Apr 2017)

Simon Coveney: Local authorities are currently undertaking an ambitious programme of insulation retrofitting, with the support of my Department, on the least energy efficient social homes. Funding of some €107 million has been provided from 2013 to end-2016 to improve energy efficiency and comfort levels in over 58,000 local authority homes, benefitting those at risk of fuel poverty and making a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: House Prices (6 Apr 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 64 and 70 together. I refer to the replies to Question No. 339 of 4 April 2017 and Question No. 5 on today's Order Paper. In addition, the Deputy may wish to note that the Central Bank is working to safeguard financial stability through its macro prudential instruments. The primary objective of the residential mortgage lending measures...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Policy (6 Apr 2017)

Simon Coveney: The long-term solution to homelessness is to increase the supply of homes.  A range of measures are being progressed in this regard under the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness which was launched in July 2016 and which provides a multi-stranded, action-oriented approach to achieving the Government’s key housing objectives, including tackling...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Policy (6 Apr 2017)

Simon Coveney: Pillar 5 of the Government’s Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, published in July 2016, is specifically focused on Utilising Existing Housing Stock, with a key objective of ensuring that the existing vacant housing stock throughout the country and across all forms of tenure, in both the public and private sectors, is used to the optimum degree...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (6 Apr 2017)

Simon Coveney: Louth County Council is working with My Department in order to achieve the social housing targets, as set out in Rebuilding Ireland. I understand that the council is considering proposals for the delivery of additional social housing  units including on lands owned by the council, and is due to submit proposals in the near future. A substantial pipeline of new social...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: EU Directives (6 Apr 2017)

Simon Coveney: My Department continually monitors Ireland's compliance with EU legislation on water policy and has engaged with the Attorney General's Office on this matter. In January, my Department provided the Special Oireachtas Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services with the most recent letter I received from EU Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Commissioner Vella...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Student Accommodation (6 Apr 2017)

Simon Coveney: Issues in relation to the affordability of purpose built student accommodation are a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills. The Residential Tenancies Act 2004 regulates the tenant-landlord relationship in the private rented residential sector.  The application of the act to student accommodation depends on the nature of the tenancy agreement in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Commercial Rates Valuation Process (6 Apr 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 73 and 167 together. I refer to the reply to Priority Question No. 3 on today's Order Paper.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Eligibility (6 Apr 2017)

Simon Coveney: As indicated in my replies to Questions No. 13 of 23 February 2017 and No. 146 of 9 March 2017, given the cost to the State of providing social housing, it is considered prudent and fair to direct resources to those most in need of social housing support. I am satisfied that the current income eligibility requirements generally achieve this. They provide for a fair and equitable system of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (6 Apr 2017)

Simon Coveney: The European Commission commenced formal infringement proceedings against Ireland regarding non-compliance with the requirements of the Urban Waste Water Directive in certain agglomerations in September 2013. Furthermore, in its role as environmental regulator the Environmental Protection Agency publishes annual reports on compliance with requirements for urban waste water...