Results 15,921-15,940 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: I take the point. It takes time to proceed from approval to the delivery and occupation of a social house. Obviously, the rapid build projects are an effort to try to make this happen faster. Some of the preparation and approval times in terms of Part 8 requirements for rapid build projects have been problematic. Once such a project moves to site, it moves a lot faster than a conventional...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: It is important to say we are ahead of target for 2016. The target for delivery across build, acquisition and long-term leasing for social housing in 2016 had been 4,240. The actual number was 1,000 more than that. This year, we obviously need to try to stay ahead of target as best we can. The Deputy, since he knows the local authority system, knows as well as I do that some local...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Homeless Persons Data (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: It is important to distinguish between numbers in emergency accommodation and support accommodation and the numbers who are officially homeless. Sometimes the numbers are not the same. Sometimes people need to be in temporary care, perhaps because of domestic violence or mental health issues. It is not necessarily the case that the number in State care is the same as the number of people...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to clarify the situation. Social housing projects approved continued apace in 2016, adding to the sizeable pipeline in place to deliver significant additional social housing in support of the objectives set out in the Rebuilding Ireland action plan. Through major announcements in May 2015, July 2015 and January 2016 almost €680 million has...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Deposit Protection Scheme Implementation (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015 provides for, among other things, the establishment of a tenancy deposit protection scheme to be operated by the Residential Tenancies Board. Indecon Consultants were originally appointed to carry out the research on the development of a deposit retention scheme and they reported in November 2012. The provisions in the 2015 Act were developed...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Waiting Lists (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: The results of the statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments carried out in 2016 were published last month and show that there were 91,600 households on local authority housing waiting lists as at 21 September 2016. This figure represents an increase of 1,728 households, or 1.9%, on the 89,872 households recorded in the last summary which was carried out in May 2013. The results of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Vacant Sites Levy (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015 introduced a new measure, the vacant site levy, which is aimed at 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation Provision (19 Jan 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. In accordance with section 37(2) of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless services,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Issues (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: In publishing the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, the Government has set out a practical and readily implementable set of actions to create a functioning and sustainable housing system. The Plan is available at the website www.rebuildingireland.ie.The Plan is divided into five pillars, with each targeting a specific area of the housing system for attention. On 13...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Provision (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: To support the implementation of the Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness,I have secured €5.35 billion in Exchequer investment to deliver 47,000 social housing units through build, refurbishment, acquisitions and leasing, over the period to 2021. This €5.35 billion investment comprises some €4.5 billion in capital funding and €844 million in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Administration (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: I understand that the Deputy is referring to individual domestic water supplies more commonly known as private wells. Funding is available under my Department’s Rural Water Programme towards the provision or necessary improvement of private wells. Local authorities were informed of the introduction of the grant scheme and the criteria to be met by way of Circular Letter L8/97 of April...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Ministerial Meetings (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: During the course of the occupation of Apollo House, my primary focus was the welfare of homeless individuals accommodated there and I sought to facilitate their transition to alternative accommodation where appropriate support services could be accessed to meet their short and long-term needs. Together with officials of my Department and Dublin City Council, I met with various individuals...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Data (19 Jan 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 and purchased by all local authorities,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Data (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 22 and 41 together. My Department is working closely with the four Dublin local authorities in relation to the Rapid Delivery Programme. At the end of 2016, a total of 350 rapid build homes were advancing through various stages of delivery, including construction, with 22 rapid build homes being delivered and occupied in 2016. A further 650 rapid build...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Rents (19 Jan 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: Housing Provision (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy will be aware, the root cause of the very challenging housing crisis lies in a chronic under-supply of housing across all tenures. The key objective of the Government's Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan forHousing and Homelessness, available at , is to increase and accelerate housing delivery, in general. Rebuilding Irelandrepresents a whole-of-Government response to the issues...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Domestic Violence Policy (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: In line with commitments in Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness(Action 1.8) and the National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence 2016-2021 (Action 2.300), my Department has issued guidance to all housing authorities in relation to assisting victims of domestic violence with emergency and long-term accommodation needs. The guidance can be accessed...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Alternative Energy Projects (19 Jan 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: Homeless Accommodation Provision (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: Rebuilding Ireland:Action Plan for Housing and Homelessnessfully recognises that the period of time that families spend in emergency hotel and bed and breakfast accommodation should be minimised. This is reflected in the commitment that, by mid-2017, hotels should only be used in limited circumstances as emergency accommodation for families. Full details and timeframes in relation to the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Library Services (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 28 and 33 together. I have no plans to cease the roll-out of the My Open Library service. My Open Library seeks to enhance the library services available and to secure a flexible, responsive and ground-breaking service for as wide a range of users as possible. To this end, the service allows library members the freedom to use the library at times that...