Results 15,541-15,560 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

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

Simon Coveney: No decision on the detailed content or approach to be contained within the new National Planning Framework has been taken by me or the Government at this stage. Indeed, I intend that the development of the Framework, one of the most strategically important public policy exercises currently underway by the Government, will be a collaborative exercise, the ultimate success of which will depend...

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

Simon Coveney: Detailed data on the total number of households removed from all housing authority lists and the reasons for such removal, as part of the process for the Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA) 2016, is not yet available. Once compiled, the data will be published on my Department’s website, www.housing.gov.ie. Under the SSHA 2016 process, all housing authorities were required to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Emergency Accommodation Data (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. Therefore the issue...

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

Simon Coveney: The management of the stalled Naas town centre development is primarily a matter for Kildare County Council in the first instance, and I have no function in the matter. I understand that the securing of a satisfactory conclusion to the development of the site in question, which is of significant strategic importance to the town of Naas, has been a particular focus of the Council’s...

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

Simon Coveney: My Department is committed to the accelerated delivery of social housing to address homelessness and local authority waiting lists. As part of this commitment, my Department has worked closely with the Office of Government Procurement to establish a framework for the procurement of design and construction work to assist with meeting demand, efficient procurement and value for money in...

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

Simon Coveney: Assessing a household’s eligibility for social housing support is a matter for each local authority in accordance with the provisions of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated regulations. I am aware of the difficulties experienced by some households in purchasing their own home where they are not eligible for social housing support on income grounds, and where...

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

Simon Coveney: The 2005 Planning Guidelines on Sustainable Rural Housing, issued by my Department, set out the national policy framework for planning authorities in drawing up their statutory development plans in relation to rural housing, taking into account local circumstances and the type of area involved, including areas near large cities and towns which need careful management of development pressures...

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

Simon Coveney: I refer to the reply to Question No. 55 on today’s Order Paper, which sets out the position on this matter.

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

Simon Coveney: There are currently no employees in my Department who are suspended from work without prejudice and on full pay pending the outcome of an investigation. The Department does not hold this type of information in relation to staff of local authorities or bodies under the aegis of my Department.

Questions on Promised Legislation (22 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: In view of the latitude the Ceann Comhairle has shown to many on the Opposition benches today, perhaps I will take a little bit of time on this. The answer to the Deputy's question is "Yes". It takes time to build houses. We have huge demand today, next week and next month for social housing and more housing in the private rental market. That is why tomorrow we will launch the...

Questions on Promised Legislation (22 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: I will check the issue of credit unions for the Deputy and come back to him, but my understanding is that the relaunch and revamp of the mortgage-to-rent scheme, which I think he and many others have welcomed, needs to extend across all the financial institutions.

Questions on Promised Legislation (22 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy knows, the Government puts a lot of store on this new developing national plan. The technical term is the national planning framework. We attempted to do this only once before as a country with the national spatial strategy which did not work out too well. We are in a consultation process at the moment. I have already been to Sligo. I was in Ballymun yesterday. I will be...

Questions on Promised Legislation (22 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: We are, as the Deputy knows, doing a number of things. The main focus has been on increasing the supply of emergency accommodation dramatically in recent months so that people do not feel they are forced to find accommodation in totally unsuitable circumstances, whether that is in Internet cafés or elsewhere. On the overcrowding within the private rental market, the focus has been on a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Water Pollution (22 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (Council Directive 91/271/EEC) mandates waste water collection and treatment requirements for urban agglomerations. There are various deadlines for meeting the requirements of the Directive, one of which was the requirement for secondary treatment to be provided for all agglomerations which discharge to freshwaters and estuaries and have a population...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Noise Pollution (22 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: Under the provisions of section 25 of the Control of Dogs Act 1986, the District Court may act on a complaint by any person where a nuisance has been created by excessive barking by a dog. A copy of the form used for complaints to the Courts regarding barking is available from local authorities. The Court may make an order, requiring the occupier of the premises in which the dog is kept to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme (22 Feb 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 provide for a number of specified classes of houses to be excluded from sale, including units...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Government Reform (22 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: The last meeting of the Local Government Forum, which was appointed by my predecessor for engagement with local authority elected members as part of an operational review of the 2014 local government reforms, was held in January 2016. The Forum has not been reconstituted since the current Government came into office and is not currently operational. I will be consulting with all relevant...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments Data (22 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: There are currently more than 18,000 households supported by the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) in 28 local authority areas, including homeless households being supported by the DRHE operated scheme for the Dublin Region. Since the commencement of the phased statutory roll-out of HAP in September 2014, the following numbers of additional households have been supported in each year of the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (22 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: The allocation of social housing support to qualified households is a matter for the housing authority concerned in accordance with the authority’s allocation scheme made under Section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated Social Housing Allocation Regulations 2011. While the development and implementation of an allocation scheme is a matter for the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Data (22 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Question Nos. 119 and 121 together. 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...