Results 15,361-15,380 of 20,884 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Mortgages (10 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: The local authority mortgage protection insurance (MPI) scheme is overseen by the Mortgage Protection Committee which is a sub-committee of the County and City Management Association (CCMA) and is representative of the CCMA, local authorities, the Housing Finance Agency and my Department. One of the conditions of the scheme, which is a group policy, is that it is obligatory for all local...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Environmental Regulations (10 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: The Oslo Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping from Ships and Aircraft 1972, now the OSPAR Convention, deals with the dumping of munitions in the sea. The OSPAR Convention applies to the waters of the north east Atlantic and Ireland is a party to the Convention. The 2010 report contains a map of historic dumpsites as reported to OSPAR by contracting parties in the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Investigations (10 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: I understand that Cavan County Council has carried out investigations at this location on a number of occasions and they have concluded that the discharge is gypsum, a naturally occurring substance, and that there is no threat to health or the environment arising.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Exemptions (10 Nov 2015)

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. The Act also provides that responsibility for the independent economic regulation of the water sector is assigned to the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER)...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Register of Electors Administration (10 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: I have no immediate plans to introduce automatic registration of voters at 18 years of age. However, one of the issues being considered in the context of the establishment of an Electoral Commission is the role that the Commission might play in respect of the register of electors. I await the report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht following their...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Waste Disposal (10 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: During the period in which local authorities were directly involved in the collection of household waste, a minority of individual Councils offered different levels of discount to selected households, based on different qualification criteria. As local authorities exited the waste collection market, some required the private operators which took on the Councils’ customers to provide a...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Functions (10 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: Local authorities are, subject to law, independent in the performance of their functions. In this connection, section 28 of the Pl anning and Development Act 2000 requires planning authorities to have regard , in discharging their functions, to Development Management Guidelines issued by the Minister . The Guidelines are intended to assist authorities in adhering to statutory requirements...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Motor Tax Collection (10 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: While the operation of the motor tax system is kept under regular review, I have no plans currently to raise the threshold below which vehicles must be taxed annually. The current threshold is €119.

Other Questions: Wind Energy Guidelines (5 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: They have to come through Government. They cannot unilaterally come through me, they have to come through Government. In relation to that mix, we have to ensure that every sector is covered and protected going into the future from an energy and a climate change point of view. In particular, I accept that the Deputy has a keen interest, as I have, in what is called agriculture.

Other Questions: NAMA Social Housing Provision (5 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: I am aware of Deputy Mulherin's question.

Other Questions: Water and Sewerage Schemes Funding (5 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: This question concerns the CLÁR areas. I have taken up this issue on numerous occasions in respect of former CLÁR funding in these areas. I have written to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to try to get some progress and finality on it and I await a reply. I expect to have a reply, which I hope will be favourable, in the coming days.

Other Questions: Water and Sewerage Schemes Funding (5 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: I concur. These are the people we need to support actively and look at ways in which this can be done. There is a working group in place. If we can make some changes in order to help facilitate those people, about whom the Deputy is quite rightly passionate, I will do so. I think we have made progress on it. The issue has been referred from my Department to the Department of Public...

Other Questions: Homelessness Strategy (5 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: We are putting together measures across a whole range of areas.

Other Questions: Homelessness Strategy (5 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: I have firm conversations with all local authorities on a regular basis. I met with them only a couple of weeks ago and a couple of weeks prior to that. I met with all of the CEOs and, where necessary, their directors of housing. The Minister of State, Deputy Coffey, and, where necessary, the Minister of State, Deputy Ann Phelan, and I have met with the local authorities, to whom we...

Other Questions: Wind Energy Guidelines (5 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: I responded earlier to a similar question. In December 2013, my Department published proposed draft revisions to the noise, setbacks and shadow flicker aspects of the 2006 wind energy development guidelines. The draft revisions proposed the setting of a more stringent day and night noise limit of 40 decibels for future wind energy developments, a mandatory minimum setback of 500 m between a...

Other Questions: Wind Energy Guidelines (5 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: I thank the Deputy for his supplementary question. This is an important issue and one in which I have taken a direct interest. The Minister of State, Deputy Coffey, and I have done a great deal of work on the matter. It is a technical area. I can assure the Deputy that virtually all of the work has been completed. Further work on the setback distance from a technical point of view...

Other Questions: Wind Energy Guidelines (5 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: It is a matter for Government when the guidelines will be published. The Deputy may want to refer that issue to his party leader and Taoiseach. When I talk about getting the mix right, I ask the Deputy to trust me, I have executed all my work in relation to this topic. The majority of it is all done but there is a little technical issue that needs to be dealt with. When we speak about...

Other Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Data (5 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: Correct.

Other Questions: Homelessness Strategy (5 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: I am fully committed to dealing with homelessness, it is my top priority. I do not say that in any kind of glib way; I genuinely mean it. There is a necessity to focus on providing suitable emergency accommodation for families. The greatest concern is in respect of rough sleepers, which is particularly an issue in Dublin and other cities. Yesterday, I launched the Be Winter Ready...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Private Rented Accommodation Costs and Controls (5 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: The Deputy would know more about them than I would.