Results 16,781-16,800 of 20,884 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Administration (16 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. In November 2014 I announced a package of measures to ensure that domestic water charges are certain, affordable and clear. If a customer does not pay their water charges, late payment provisions shall automatically...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Reports (16 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: MacCabe Durney Barnes Consultants were appointed in February 2014 to carry out an independent planning review on the performance of planning functions in six selected planning authorities (Carlow, Cork, Galway and Meath County Councils and Cork and Dublin City Councils) in accordance with section 255 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended.  The review is expected to cost...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Investigations (16 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: I have considered what next steps need to be taken in respect of certain Donegal County Council planning matters taking account of advice from the Office of the Attorney General. My Department will be shortly appointing a Senior Counsel nominated by the Attorney General to prepare a report in relation to these matters and I expect that the timeframe for this appointment will be finalised shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Fuel Laundering (16 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: As I outlined in the reply to Question No. 260 of 5 March 2015, I have written to my counterpart in the Northern Ireland Executive, Minister Mark Durkan, to highlight again the problems being faced by border counties exposed to the consequences of environmental crime. Minister Durkan shares my abhorrence of the criminality which underpins this problem and the reckless and dangerous practice...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Motor Tax Collection (15 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: Motor tax is payable on an annual, half-yearly or quarterly basis. The rates applicable for the half-yearly and quarterly options are 55.5% and 28.25% of the annual charge, respectively. These relativities have remained generally consistent since the 1960s. The differential takes account of the extra workload for staff in motor tax offices and the Driver and Vehicle Computer Services...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Motor Tax Exemptions (15 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: I refer to the reply to Question No. 540 of 3 March 2015 which sets out the position in this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Vehicle Registration (15 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: I understand that the question is intended to refer to motor tax, rather than Vehicle Registration Tax. I have no plans to introduce an exemption from motor tax in circumstances where the owners of tractors become incapacitated. An application for a refund of motor tax may be made where the owner of a vehicle has ceased to use that vehicle due to illness, injury or other physical...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments Implementation (15 Apr 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: Constitutional Convention Recommendations (15 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: The Convention on the Constitution addressed reform of the Dáil electoral system in its Fourth Report. On 18 December 2014, in the Dáil, the Government provided its response to the recommendations in that report. The Government has accepted the two main recommendations of the Report - to retain the current PRSTV system for elections and to establish an Electoral Commission. I...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: House Purchase Schemes (15 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 752 and 755 together. I have no plans to reintroduce a first time buyer's grant. I am fully aware of the many challenges facing both the private and public housing sectors. Increasing housing supply is recognised by Government as a critical issue, reflected in the publication, in May 2014, of Construction 2020 - A Strategy for a Renewed Construction Sector....

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (15 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: The provisional funding allocations that were identified as part of the social housing targets for local authorities to 2017 which I announced recently with Minister of State Coffey, will be made available to those authorities in line with the advancement of projects by the authorities. The Social Housing Strategy 2020 sets out details of targets and timelines for delivery of social housing...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Litter Pollution Fines (15 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: The Litter Pollution Acts 1997 to 2009 provide the statutory framework to combat littering and include provisions relating to dog fouling. Under the Acts, the primary management and enforcement response to littering (including dog fouling) is a matter for local authorities. It is a matter for each local authority to determine the most appropriate course of action to tackle litter pollution...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Fire Service Staff (15 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: Retained firefighters are part-time firefighters who are paid an annual retainer by the relevant local authority and are then paid an hourly rate for call-outs/training. Many retained firefighters have other full time or part time employment. In 2008, retained fire-fighters were given the option of joining the Local Government Superannuation Scheme (LGSS) and receiving a pension and...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Motor Tax Rates (15 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: Motor tax public offices are administered through the local authority system, with the online motor tax facility being administered by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. The annual cost of running the online facility is some €12.5m. The cost incurred by the local authority system in administering the motor tax service varies from authority to authority, depending on the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Motor Tax Collection (15 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: I have no plans currently to introduce a system of direct debit or standing order payments for motor tax. Any such proposal would require to be underpinned by robust legislation to ensure that there is a system in place to recoup income lost to the taxpayer where there are insufficient funds in personal accounts to meet the payment or where a direct debit or standing order option is...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Capital Assistance Scheme (15 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: I assume that the Deputy is referring to funding available under my Department’s Communal Facilities Grant Scheme , which supports additional facilities provided as part of social housing projects under my Department’s Capital Assistance Scheme. An approved housing body that is advancing a project under the Capital Assistance Scheme may apply for support under the Communal...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme Administration (15 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 764 and 777 together. The Government’s Social Housing Strategy 2020includes a commitment to make, in the second quarter of 2015, the Regulations necessary to introduce a new tenant purchase scheme for existing local authority houses under Part 3 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014. The scheme will operate along the lines of the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Provision (15 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: Social housing is a key priority for Government, as evidenced by the additional €2.2 billion in funding announced in Budget 2015 and the publication of the Social Housing Strategy 2020in November, 2014. The targeted social housing provision of over 110,000 social housing units, through the delivery of 35,000 new social housing units and meeting the housing needs of some 75,000...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Freedom of Information Requests (15 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: My Department received fifty Freedom of Information requests relating to Irish Water in the period 1 January 2014 to 10 April 2015. Of those requests, twenty three were answered within the statutory timeframe. A further ten were completed within an extended period, which was required for additional consideration of the request and which was notified to the requestor. Fourteen requests were...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Motor Tax Collection (15 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: Motor tax offices in Donegal are under the remit of Donegal County Council, and I have no function in relation to specific offices within the functional area of the Council.