Results 15,361-15,380 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Regeneration (1 Mar 2017)

Simon Coveney: Pillar 5 of the Government's Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness 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 possible. In this regard, Action 5.1 of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Private Rented Accommodation Deposits (1 Mar 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Residential Tenancies Act 2004 regulates the landlord-tenant relationship in the private rented residential 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.` ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Data (1 Mar 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 195 and 196 together. Detailed and complete data on the total number of households removed from all housing authority lists as part of the process for the Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA) 2016, and the reasons for such removal, is not yet available. Once compiled, the data will be published on my Department’s website, . However, provisional...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Rents (1 Mar 2017)

Simon Coveney: Section 58(3) of the Housing Act 1966 provides that subject to such Regulations as may be made by the Minister under the section, a housing authority may charge such rent or other payment, as they may determine from time to time, in respect of a dwelling of which they are the owner. The making and amending of rent schemes is accordingly the responsibility of housing authorities as an...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Fire Stations Provision (1 Mar 2017)

Simon Coveney: The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs, the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Service Act, 1981. My Department supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central training...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Water and Sewerage Schemes Grants (1 Mar 2017)

Simon Coveney: To ensure equity of treatment with households on public water supplies the subsidy rates for group water schemes were adjusted down in 2015 to reflect the new domestic water charging regime introduced on 1 January 2015. In line with the suspension of domestic water charges for a period of nine months from 1 July 2016, as set out in the Water Services (Amendment) Act 2016, and to ensure equity...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (1 Mar 2017)

Simon Coveney: Provision has been made for an investment with a capital value of €300 million in social housing through the public private partnership or PPP model. In total, the programme is expected to deliver 1,500 social housing units. The first bundle, comprising six PPP sites which is to provide over 500 units in the greater Dublin area, is being developed at these sites in co-operation...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Earcaíocht san Earnáil Phoiblí (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: Tá sé i gceist agam Ceisteanna Uimhir 346 agus 347a thógáil le chéile. Bailíonn mo Roinn eolas go ráithiúil ar líon na bhfoirne sna húdaráis áitiúla. Ní soláthraíonn an t-eolas sin mionsonraí maidir le hoifigigh Gaeilge atá fostaithe sna húdaráis áitiúla ar fud na tíre....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Tribunals of Inquiry Recommendations (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: Following the publication of the Moriarty Tribunal Report in March 2011, my Department examined and considered the recommendations in the Report in relation to political funding. The Tribunal recommended that the income of political parties be disclosed and that political donations, apart from those under a modest threshold, be reported. The Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Act...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: In December 2013, my Department published proposed draft revisions to the noise, setback distance and shadow flicker aspects of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines. These draft revisions proposed: - the setting of a more stringent day and night-time noise limit of 40 decibels for future wind energy developments, - a mandatory minimum setback distance of 500 metres between a wind...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: In December 2013, my Department published proposed draft revisions to the noise, setback distance and shadow flicker aspects of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines. These draft revisions proposed: - the setting of a more stringent day and night-time noise limit of 40 decibels for future wind energy developments, - a mandatory minimum setback distance of 500 metres between a wind...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Burial Grounds (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: Under the Local Government (Sanitary Services) Acts, 1878 to 2001, local authorities are deemed to be burial boards for their respective functional areas. Acting in their capacity as burial boards, local authorities are responsible for the management, regulation and control of burial grounds in their functional area. However, that said, in late 2016, having consulted with the relevant Local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Foreshore Licence Applications (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: The reports for the application in question were completed by my Department’s Water and Marine Advisory Engineer. As the Minister with responsibility for making the decision on this application under the 1933 Foreshore Act, I am satisfied that all aspects of the application and its supporting documentation together with any issues raised during the consultation period were fully...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: The information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Remit (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: The National Taking in Charge Initiative (NTICI) for residential estates announced in April 2016 was aimed at accelerating the taking-in-charge process of housing estates, including estates with developer provided water services infrastructure (DPI). Survey data gathered from each of the 31 local authorities was collated in December 2015 and the information provided by this survey indicated...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Private Rented Accommodation Price Controls (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: On 24 January 2017, in accordance with Section 24A of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 (as amended), the Housing Agency proposed that 15 Local Electoral Areas should be considered for designation as rent pressure zones. On foot of the proposal from the Housing Agency, again in accordance with the Act, I requested the Director of the RTB to make a report to me as to whether these...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Data (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 356 and 382 together. My Department receives detailed monthly data from the ESB on the number of connections to the electricity grid; these data have for many years been used as a proxy for house completions as units are normally connected at the point at which the unit is ready for occupation. My Department maintains regular contact with the ESB to ensure...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Freedom of Information Data (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: My Department did not incur any legal fees on Freedom of Information (F OI ) requests in 2014, 2015 or 2016. The following table gives details of the number of FOI requests received in each of the past three years: Year Number of FOI Requests 2016 393 2015 395 2014 180 The processing of FOI requests in my Department forms part of the usual duties of officials and the time spent...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments Eligibility (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: Under Part 4 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014, which provides for the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme, a household in receipt of another form of social housing support, such as accommodation provided under the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS), will not generally be eligible for HAP. The legislation does allow for the provision of HAP where a housing authority is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Public Relations Contracts Expenditure (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: A key part of the successful implementation of the Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness programme is ensuring that all stakeholders and the wider public are fully aware of the commitments, understand the range of initiatives and actions being rolled out and can access relevant and up-to-date information on progress. In this context, the overall cost to date of the...