Results 15,501-15,520 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Children's Rights (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: I refer the Deputy to my reply to his previous question on this issue, Parliamentary Question No. 461 of 17 January 2017. The Report refers to the work of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights which reviewed Ireland’s compliance with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights during 2015. The UN Committee had expressed concern at the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (23 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: Homelessness Strategy (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: My Department publishes a wide range of housing and homelessness related statistics on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis. The data are collected, validated and published following internal consideration. The datasets published derive from data collected from a wide range of different sources including administrative data sets shared by other Public Bodies, such as the Building Control...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Finance Agency Funding (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: Over the last 35 years, since its inception in 1982, the Housing Finance Agency has lent €9.046 billion to local authorities for housing related purposes. The following table details these loans by individual local authority, and the amounts outstanding as at 31 December 2016. House-build information in respect of these loan advances is not available, as such details are not provided...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme Administration (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: The 2016 Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) Mid-Year and 2015 End-of-Year reports, are available on the Pobal website at the following links: . These reports are compiled from the results of performance reviews carried out by the various Local Community Development Committees and the SICAP Programme Implementers on a twice yearly basis. In addition to these reviews,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Expenditure (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: Rapid build schemes completed and tendered to date compare favourably with the cost of standard social housing build units and acquisitions in the vicinity. I do not anticipate any significant departure from normal build costs.   While rapid build schemes have the potential to carry a construction cost premium for accelerated delivery, the experience to date indicates that this is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Rent Controls (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: I refer to the reply to Question No. 247 of 21 February 2017 which sets out the position on this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Funding (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: Funding under the Buy and Renew initiative for social housing will be provided by my Department to local authorities, in line with their advancement of projects. Accordingly, rather than a pre-set allocation of funding for this year, the level of funding to be provided to local authorities will be directly linked to the scale of delivery they achieve on their projects. Any projects to be...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: Section 96(3) of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, sets out six different options that may be considered when a Part V agreement is being made between a developer and a planning authority. My Department’s Guidelines on Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000, (January 2017), state that “the priority option which should be pursued by planning...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Data (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: 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 that this data set remains relevant and consistent over...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation Funding (23 Feb 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. My Department does not...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments Administration (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme is a form of social housing support. The scheme is underpinned by Part 4 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014. This is distinct from other forms of social housing support where the tenant may not always find their own accommodation and instead are allocated a dwelling in accordance with Section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Rents (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: The making and amending of rent schemes is the responsibility of local authorities as an integral part of their housing management functions, subject to broad principles laid down by my Department in Circular letter HRT 3/2002 of 6 March 2002. It is a matter for local authorities, when assessing individual households, to consider whether rents payable are in accordance with the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Alternative Energy Projects (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: There are no specific planning guidelines in place in respect of solar farms. Proposals for individual solar farm developments are subject to the statutory requirements of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, in the same manner as other proposed developments. Planning applications are made to the relevant local planning authority with a right of appeal to An Bord...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Motor Tax (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: To be taxed as a commercial vehicle, a vehicle must be constructed as a goods vehicle and must be used solely in the course of trade or business. Under section 2 of the Finance (Excise Duties) (Vehicles) Act 1952, if a vehicle is being used in a manner that would attract a higher rate of tax, the tax becomes payable at that rate. In other words, if a vehicle is also being used in a private...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Security of the Elderly (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: While the installation of house alarms is not funded, my Department is responsible for the Seniors Alert Scheme. This scheme encourages support for vulnerable older people in our communities by providing grant assistance towards the purchase and installation of personal monitored alarms to enable older persons, of limited means, to continue to live securely in their homes with confidence,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Funding (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: Action 2.4 of Rebuilding Ireland provides that the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) will work with the private sector to establish a funding vehicle capable of facilitating off-balance sheet investment in delivering social and private housing, through acquiring properties for onward long-term leasing to local authorities and approved housing bodies, and through activating new...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Data (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: Information on the number of dwellings directly provided by each local authority for social housing is set out in reports of the National Oversight and Audit Commission. The most recent report, ‘Performance Indicators in Local Authorities 2015’, is available at the following link: .

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Data (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: Under my Department’s Social Housing Capital Investment and Social Housing Current Expenditure Programmes, funding is provided to local authorities to deliver additional social housing stock through new construction projects and through the acquisition of new and previously owned houses/apartments. Details on the number of properties constructed, purchased and leased by all local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Data (23 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: Information on the number of dwellings vacant in each local authority area is set out in reports of the National Oversight and Audit Commission. The most recent report, ‘Performance Indicators in Local Authorities 2015’, is available at the following link: . The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including the implementation of planned maintenance...