Results 16,541-16,560 of 20,884 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 473 and 483 together. While my Department collates and publishes a wide range o f housing and planning statistics, it does not collect information on the number of planning applications for new nursing homes nor applications for extensions to existing nursing homes.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homelessness Strategy (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 475 and 476 together. The Government’s Homelessness Policy Statement, which was published in February 2013, outlines the Government's aim to end long-term homelessness by the end of 2016. The Statement also emphasises a housing-led approach which is about accessing permanent housing as the primary response to homelessness. Such an approach to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Data (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 477 to 479, inclusive, together. On 5 May 2015, I announced a major social housing construction investment programme of €312 million, covering all 31 local authorities and with over 1,700 housing units to be built across some 100 separate projects. That announcement followed proposals made by local authorities on their planned delivery of new social...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 480 and 481 together. The Social Housing Strategy 2020, published in November 2014, sets out clear, measureable actions and targets to increase the supply of social housing, reform delivery arrangements and meet the housing needs of all households on the housing list. Under this Strategy a target of 3,000 units has been set for delivery in 2015 under the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Finance Agency (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: In November 2014 the Government approved the Social Housing Strategy 2020 which sets out a strategic framework for meeting the State’s social housing needs to the end of the decade.The Strategy includes acommitment tocommence work on a financial vehicle, to be known as the Strategic Housing Fund, to raise funding for the social housing sector. Work on the development of this new...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Flood Relief Schemes Expenditure (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: On 28 June 2012, severe flooding, as a result of heavy rain, affected the Cork area and caused damage to homes and businesses in a number of areas. While my Department co-ordinates the national level response to several types of severe weather emergencies, including flooding, it has no role in relation to the development, establishment or operation of any flood relief fund for households...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: Since the publication of the Social Housing Strategy, and indeed beforehand, my Department has engaged with local authorities, with a view to ensuring their capacity and preparedness for delivery of the ambitious targets to 2020. My Department works closely with all local authorities and all have been invited to submit staffing sanction requests to facilitate the delivery of the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Expenditure (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: My Department’s support to local authorities for their programmes of insulation retrofitting applies to local authority owned houses only and is not available in respect of private houses.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Services Provision (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: With effect from 1 January 2014, Irish Water is responsible for public water services. The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides that Irish Water shall collect charges from its customers in receipt of water services provided by it in accordance with a water charges plan to be approved by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER). Section 22(5) of the Act provides that a water charges plan...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Electoral Reform (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: The categories of persons who may vote by post at elections and referendums has evolved incrementally in the context of electoral amendment legislation. As outlined in response to Parliamentary Question No. 587 of 12 May 2015, the Government, in responding to the recommendation of the Constitution on the Convention in their fourth report that there should be greater access to postal voting,...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Mortgage Arrears Proposals (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: Under the Approved Housing Body (AHB) Mortgage to Rent Scheme (AHB-mortgage-to-rent) an AHB can acquire ownership of a property with an unsustainable private mortgage, enabling the household to remain in their home as a social housing tenant. To be eligible for the Approved Housing Body (AHB) mortgage-to-rent scheme a household must have had their mortgage position deemed unsustainable under...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: My Department has not received an application from Monaghan County Council, or the former Castleblayney Town Council, for funding for the Court House/Market House, Castleblayney, County Monaghan since 2009.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Exemptions (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: A new water charging regime was announced by the Government on 19 November 2014. The capped annual charges will be €160 for single adult households and €260 for all other households until the end of 2018. All households will know what their capped bills will be until the end of 2018, which is particularly important for larger households or those with high usage due to medical...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Exemptions (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: Under the European Union (Drinking Water) Regulations 2014, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas Library, suppliers of drinking water are required to ensure that the water supplied complies with the chemical and microbiological parameters set out in the Regulations. Details of monitoring requirements along with the procedures to be followed and the roles of water suppliers, the EPA...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Environmental Protection Agency Funding (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a statutory role for the co-ordination of environmental research in Ireland, and receives an annual allocation from the Environment Fund for this purpose. The decision on the budget to be provided is made each year on the basis of balancing the indicative research requirements of the Agency, and the availability of funding.  For example, in...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments Implementation (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: The implementation of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a key Government priority and a major pillar of the Social Housing Strategy 2020, which I published on 26 November 2014. The HAP scheme will bring all social housing supports provided by the State under the aegis of local authorities. The scheme will remove a barrier to employment by allowing recipients to remain in the scheme if...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Administration (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: With effect from 1 January 2014, Irish Water is responsible for public water services. The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides that Irish Water can collect charges from its customers in receipt of water services provided by it. The Act defines the customer as the occupier of the premises in respect of which the water services are provided.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Urban Renewal Schemes (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: A number of initiatives aimed at contributing to the renewal of urban centres have been taken by my Department in recent years, as follows: local authorities were requested to exercise restraint, or where possible, to reduce commercial rates and local charges to assist local businesses in the current economic climate – the vast majority of local authorities have responded positively to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Legal Costs (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: My Department has not incurred any expenditure in appealing decisions taken by the High Court for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Consultancy Contracts Data (14 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: The information requested on expenditure and the number of consultants engaged by my Department is set out in the following table. The information relates to the current configuration of my Department (i.e. Heritage consultancies are excluded and Community consultancies are included from 2011). - 2011 2012 2013 2014 Consultancy Expenditure €1.826m €3.251m...