Results 16,061-16,080 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Control of Dogs (17 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 511 and 513 together. Under the Control of Dogs Acts, local authorities have responsibility for operating and managing dog control and licensing services in their administrative areas, including the management of dog pounds or shelters and my Department has no involvement in this process. In this regard, section 15(2) of the Control of Dogs Act 1986 empowers...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Public Procurement Regulations (17 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Chief Executive of each local authority is responsible for managing and controlling the administration and business of the authority; this includes matters relating to procurement. I understand that all local authorities have a designated official who plays a key role in delivering strategic procurement objectives including ensuring that the local authority complies with Procurement...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Ministerial Correspondence (17 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: The correspondence referred to by the Deputy is in reply to a submission I received under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, which is being considered in my Department. A further reply will be issued in due course.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Development Contributions (17 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: I refer to the reply to Question No. 227 of 13 December 2016 which sets out the position in respect of development levies. The detailed information sought relating to development levies paid or payable in respect of houses at various price points is not available in my Department. The taxes element of the question is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Finance.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: NAMA Social Housing Provision (17 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Housing Agency recently published data up to the end of December 2016, in relation to cumulative delivery of social housing by NAMA. This information and associated breakdowns is available on the website of the Housing Agency at the following link: To date, NAMA has identified a total 6,944 units that could be potentially made available for social housing. The local authorities and the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Government Reform (17 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: The decision to replace town authorities with a new model of municipal governance under the Local Government Reform Act 2014 was designed primarily to strengthen local government within counties and to address widely acknowledged and long-standing weaknesses and anomalies in the previous system, including divided administration between town and county authorities, for example, in relation to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Rental Accommodation Standards (17 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: Minimum standards for rental accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2008, as amended by the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) (Amendment) Regulations 2009, made under section 18 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992. These regulations specify requirements in relation to a range of matters, such as structural repair, sanitary...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Eligibility (17 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: To qualify for social housing support a household must meet all of the eligibility criteria, which primarily relate to income and alternative accommodation. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Foreshore Licence Applications (17 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: There is no mechanism under the 1933 Foreshore Act by which a notification issues if a specific company applies for a foreshore licence. I can confirm that to date no application for a foreshore licence in respect of oil and gas exploration at Kish Bank has been submitted to my Department by the company concerned. Should an application be received it will be assessed for completeness,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Property Tax Exemptions (17 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: I have no plans at present to reassess the waivers in place for certain unfinished housing developments in the context of the operation of the Local Property Tax, which is a matter for the Department of Finance and the Revenue Commissioners. It should be also noted that the number of unfinished housing developments recorded in the National Housing Development Survey has been steadily and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Departmental Strategy Statements (17 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: In accordance with the Public Service Management Act 1997, my Department has recently published a Statement of Strategy for the period 2016-2019. The Statement was drawn up in accordance with guidelines issued by the Department of the Taoiseach including with regard to obligations under section 42 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Act 2014, to assess and report on human rights and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme Eligibility (17 Jan 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. To be eligible, tenants must meet certain criteria, including having a minimum reckonable income of €15,000 per annum and having been in receipt of social housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: North-South Interconnector (17 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: Decisions in relation to projects of the kind concerned are a matter for An Bord Pleanála. Under section 30 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, I am specifically precluded from exercising any power or control in relation to any particular case with which a planning authority or An Bord Pleanála is or may be concerned.

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (16 Dec 2016)

Simon Coveney: I thank, first and foremost, all the staff in the Houses of the Oireachtas for facilitating what has been a very demanding schedule in recent days. I particularly thank the Bills Office, which has agreed on multiple occasions today to stay on longer than was previously agreed. I take the opportunity on behalf of everybody to wish them a happy Christmas. I also thank the Opposition for...

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (16 Dec 2016)

Simon Coveney: I move amendment No. 100:In page 40, to delete lines 10 to 18.

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (16 Dec 2016)

Simon Coveney: I move amendment No. 110:In page 42, between lines 14 and 15, to insert the following: “Publication of certain statistics by Board 42. The Act of 2004 is amended by inserting the following new section after section 114:“114A.The Board shall publish statistics, including average waiting times and such other statistics as may be prescribed, in relation to the performance of its...

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (16 Dec 2016)

Simon Coveney: I move amendment No. 111:In page 42, between lines 14 and 15, to insert the following: “Amendment of section 115 (redress that may be granted on foot of determination) of Act of 2004 42.Section 115(2) of the Act of 2004 is amended in paragraph (b)—(a) by substituting “subsection (1) or (4) of section 19” for “section 19(1)” where it first occurs,...

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (16 Dec 2016)

Simon Coveney: I move amendment No. 113:In page 43, to delete lines 9 to 15 and substitute the following: “Amendment of section 151 (functions of Board) of Act of 2004 44. Section 151 of the Act of 2004 is amended by inserting the following paragraph after paragraph (c):“(ca) the making of reports to the Minister under section 24A, (cb) the publication of statistics under section...

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (16 Dec 2016)

Simon Coveney: I move amendment No. 115:In page 44, line 20, to delete “December 2016” and substitute “January 2017”.

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (16 Dec 2016)

Simon Coveney: I move amendment No. 116:In page 44, line 26, after “€420 million” to insert “in respct of the year ending 31 December 2016”.