Results 15,401-15,420 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

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

Simon Coveney: Section 41 of the Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 provides for the repeal of section 42 of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 and therefore abolishes the right of a landlord, during the first 6 months of a further Part 4 tenancy, to terminate that tenancy for no stated ground. This provision came into effect on 17 January 2017.

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

Simon Coveney: Sheltered housing to meet the needs of persons with specific categories of housing need, including the elderly, is provided by approved housing bodies and local authorities with funding support under my Department. In the case of the approved housing bodies, funding is provided under my Department’s Capital Assistance Scheme and the housing is managed by the approved housing...

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

Simon Coveney: Cork County Council are in the process of engaging external advice to undertake an initial feasibility study in conjunction with my Department to ascertain the suitability or otherwise of this property for acquisition for social housing purposes. The matter will be considered further in light of the outcome of the feasibility study.

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

Simon Coveney: The Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015 introduced a new measure, the vacant site levy, with a view to incentivising the development of vacant or under-utilised sites in urban areas. Under the Act, planning authorities are required to establish a register of vacant sites in their areas, beginning on 1 January 2017, and to issue annual notices to owners of vacant sites by 1 June 2018 in...

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

Simon Coveney: Neither the State, nor I as Minister, is a party to any current Court case involving a judicial review relating to peat extraction and planning legislation. I am not, therefore, in a position to indicate the present status of any specific such case.

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

Simon Coveney: The Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments (otherwise known as the Mahon Tribunal), concluded its public hearings on 29 October 2008 and its deliberations in 2012. The Final Report was published on 22 March 2012, with Volume V (Chapter 19 - The Carrickmines Module) of the Final Report published on 31 July 2013. Copies of both documents are available to download at...

Other Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Eligibility (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy gives the example of an apprentice whose partner is on social welfare. If they are not qualifying, I would like to see the detail of that. I am not saying I do not believe the Deputy. Of course, I believe him but that does not seem to be the target market we are looking to try to support here. People on low incomes who are making the effort to get out and work need to be...

Other Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Eligibility (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: There are zones and bands in different areas.

Other Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Eligibility (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: I will take a look at it and come back to the Deputy.

Other Questions: Homeless Persons Supports (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: I would like to read the following positive response into the record. I recognise that transport costs can be an additional burden upon homeless families residing in hotel accommodation in lieu of an alternative form of emergency accommodation. Accordingly, the Rebuilding Ireland action plan on housing and Homelessness outlined an initiative to provide access to free public transport for...

Other Questions: Homeless Persons Supports (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: I am not.

Other Questions: Homeless Persons Supports (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy strikes me as a pragmatist in terms of trying to put solutions in place. There are 91,000 people on housing lists across the country. We cannot simply build 91,000 social houses. We are building as many social houses as we can build at a pace that is increasing significantly relative to recent years. A total of 8,500 social houses at various different stages to be constructed...

Other Questions: Private Rented Accommodation Standards (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Strategy for the Rental Sector, published last December, 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 accommodation to bring...

Other Questions: Private Rented Accommodation Standards (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: As I said, we have just put new regulations in place in this area and there are time commitments we have committed to in the rental strategy. We cannot simply ramp up the level of inspections overnight because, as the Deputy said, in some local authorities either the systems or the staff simply are not in place. We are trying to put a realistic timeframe in place whereby we can put systems,...

Other Questions: Private Rented Accommodation Standards (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: I do not disagree with that.

Other Questions: Private Rented Accommodation Standards (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: We will look at any sensible suggestions people have and we will test them. If they make sense, we will try to incorporate them into the housing plan. That is why we are looking at affordable rental models in Dublin at the moment, and we will do it in other parts of the country as well if it makes sense. We have to do it case by case and it is not a question of opening up a new category...

Other Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Eligibility (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011 prescribe maximum net income limits for each housing authority, in different bands according to the area, with income being defined and assessed according to a standard household means policy. The income bands and the authority area assigned to each band were based on an assessment of the income needed to provide for a household's basic needs...

Other Questions: Homelessness Strategy (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: Deputy Boyd Barrett seems to think that it is possible to provide housing solutions overnight for everyone on the housing list by building houses for everyone in some kind of fantasy world. That is not the way it works.

Other Questions: Homelessness Strategy (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: No. We are now committing to building 26,000 social houses throughout the State with approved housing bodies, AHBs, and with local authorities. We are putting long-term tenancies in place for many other people and we are making a significant number of acquisitions. If we bring voids - vacant properties that are not being used - back into use and if they become used, then that is an...

Other Questions: Homelessness Strategy (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: People are voting with their feet with regard to HAP tenancies. I believe an extra 12,000 or 13,000 people came in to HAP tenancies last year-----