Results 15,281-15,300 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (8 Mar 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Social Housing PPP programme provides for an investment with a capital value of €300 million and is expected to deliver 1,500 social housing units in total, via three bundles. The first bundle, comprising six PPP sites providing for over 500 units in the greater Dublin area, is being developed in co-operation with the local authorities concerned. Two of the sites are located in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Data Sharing Arrangements (8 Mar 2017)

Simon Coveney: My Department is part of the Public Bodies Working Group, PBWG, on Open Data and contributed to the development of an Open Data Strategy, and an Open Data Framework which underpins the publication of datasets on the Government Open Data portal (data.gov.ie.) in line with agreed standards thus facilitating re-use and interoperability. Work is underway between my Department and the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (8 Mar 2017)

Simon Coveney: The need to increase and accelerate the delivery of social housing for those on the waiting list is a key focus of the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, which provides for an ambitious social housing programme of 47,000 units to 2021 with funding of €5.35 billion. The delivery against this target has already been well advanced and in 2016, we saw 18,380...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Archival Material (7 Mar 2017)

Simon Coveney: I refer to the reply to Question No. 249 of 29 November 2016 which sets out the position in this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Library Services (7 Mar 2017)

Simon Coveney: My Department has no role in relation to the procurement of book-stock for public libraries. The provision of public library services, including the procurement of books, is a matter for each local authority in its capacity as a library authority under the Local Government Act 2001. A national tender for book- stock procurement was run recently by the Local Government Management Agency...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Turf Cutting (7 Mar 2017)

Simon Coveney: 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 examination of licence applications for existing and new peat extraction...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grant Expenditure (7 Mar 2017)

Simon Coveney: Information on the exchequer funding provided by my Department to each local authority for the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability is available on my Department’s website at the following link: . These figures were supplemented by a 20% contribution in each case from the resources of the local authority. The total funding allocation announced for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments Eligibility (7 Mar 2017)

Simon Coveney: Under section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, a household is defined as a person living alone, or two or more persons, who in the opinion of the local authority concerned, have a reasonable requirement to live together. Under the 2009 Act, it is also a matter for each housing authority to decide on the type of social housing support to be allocated or provided to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Water and Sewerage Schemes (7 Mar 2017)

Simon Coveney: My Department’s new Multi-annual Rural Water Programme 2016-2018 includes funding for group sewerage schemes, through Measure 4(d), where clustering of households on individual septic tanks is not a viable option, particularly from an environmental perspective. Local authorities were invited in January 2016 to submit bids under the programme. The invitation envisaged no more than two...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme Administration (7 Mar 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme came into operation on 1 January 2016. The Scheme is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the Scheme. The Housing (Sale of Local Authority Houses) Regulations 2015 governing the Scheme provides for a number of specified classes of houses to be excluded from sale, including...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Staff (7 Mar 2017)

Simon Coveney: Irish Water has entered into service level agreements (SLA) with each of the 31 authorities for the provision of water services. Staff in local authorities working under these arrangements remain local authority employees. The SLA reflects the transformation agenda required for the water sector and makes provision for annual service plans to be agreed between Irish Water and the relevant...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Tenancy Protection Scheme (7 Mar 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Residential Tenancies Act 2004 regulates the tenant-landlord relationship in the private rented residential sector. The Act applies to every dwelling that is the subject of a tenancy, subject to a limited number of exceptions. The dwellings to which the Act does not apply are set out in section 3(2) of the Act. Where the owner of a dwelling, residing in that dwelling, lets a room, that...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation Provision (7 Mar 2017)

Simon Coveney: 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 homeless services, including accommodation, rests with individual housing authorities, in the first instance....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (7 Mar 2017)

Simon Coveney: In light of the commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Governmentto finalise the review of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelinesand on-going policy and legal developments in this area, my Department is continuing to advance work on the proposed revisions to the Guidelines and related matters in conjunction with the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Administration (7 Mar 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme came into operation on 1 January 2016. The Scheme is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the Scheme. Under Section 3(A)(9) of the Water Services Act 2014 (inserted by Section 48 of the Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2015), a person who is a tenant of a dwelling let...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: National Planning Framework (7 Mar 2017)

Simon Coveney: The development of theIreland 2040 - Our Plan: National Planning Framework (NPF), one of the most strategically important public policy exercises currently underway by the Government, must be collaborative in nature, given that its ultimate success will depend on the degree to which all citizens and stakeholders have the opportunity to have their say on how Ireland should develop over the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Data (7 Mar 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 261 and 262 together. Details on the number of properties constructed by all local authorities, including Donegal County Council, for letting to those on their social housing waiting lists are available on my Department’s website at the following link: . Information on quarter four of 2016 is currently being finalised and will be published shortly. A...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Provision (7 Mar 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. At an overall level, 25,000 new homes per year are targeted to meet demand nationally. The key objective of the Government's Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness is to increase and accelerate housing delivery, across...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Departmental Expenditure (7 Mar 2017)

Simon Coveney: There was no expenditure on public relations consultants by my Department in 2016 with PR services provided by my Department’s Press Office. The engagement of external expertise is generally only considered where the issues involved require expert skills or capabilities that are not readily available within my Department. On occasion, photographers will be hired to support the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (7 Mar 2017)

Simon Coveney: Planning statistics are submitted by planning authorities on an annual basis for collation and publication on my Department’s website at the following link: . These statistics include data in respect of each planning authority on the number and percentage of decisions to grant or to refuse permission, but not the detailed information sought by the Deputy in respect of single houses in...