Results 17,301-17,320 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: The principal Planning and Development Regulations 2001 were amended in September 2011, by the Planning and Development (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2011, to provide that initial afforestation shall be exempted development. This activity is exempted from the requirement to obtain planning permission, as it is subject to a separate statutory development consent system under the European...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Policy (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: The Government’s Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessnessrecognises the important source of potential accommodation that vacant private properties present. A new Vacant Housing Repair and Leasing initiative is being developed by my Department to assist private property owners, local authorities or approved housing bodies to harness this potential and bring these...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Data (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: My Department has provided €60 million over the two year period 2014 to 2015 to support local authorities in returning over 5,000 vacant units to productive use. To date in 2016, €24 million has been allocated for the remediation of over 1,300 units. This funding, therefore, will bring the number of units remediated to well in excess of 6,000 between 2014 and 2016; these units...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Provision (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: Local authority housing construction projects require careful consideration and planning, and their advancement through the various phases of development is in the first instance a matter for the proposing local authority. With regard to the project referred to by the Deputy, my Department is working closely with Meath County Council on various aspects of the design of the project, with a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Provision (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: Of the 47,000 social housing units to be delivered under Rebuilding Ireland, an Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, approximately 26,000 will be constructed, while 11,000 will be purchased by local authorities and approved housing bodies, directly from the market or the Housing Agency, with a portion of these being newly built units. 10,000 units will be leased by local authorities and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Data (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: Of the 47,000 social housing units to be delivered under Rebuilding Ireland, an Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness,it is estimated at this stage that approximately 26,000 will be constructed, while 11,000 will be acquired by local authorities and AHBs directly from the market or the Housing Agency, with a portion of these being newly built units. 10,000 units will be leased by local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme Eligibility (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: The new 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. As the Deputy is aware, to be eligible, tenants must meet certain criteria, including having a minimum reckonable income of €15,000 per annum. In determining...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Issues (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: In publishing 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....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grant Funding (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: Funding for the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability has been increased in 2016 by some 10%, to an overall funding availability of €56.25m. Some 7,600 households benefitted under this Scheme in 2015 and with the additional funding, this should increase to 8,000 in 2016. I am conscious of the social benefit accruing from this scheme in terms of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: I am not aware that any local authority is postponing traditional build social housing projects in order to deliver rapid build housing units. Rebuilding Ireland: An Action Plan for Housing and Homelessnessprovides for the delivery of social housing units by both the traditional build method and through rapid build. All social housing construction project proposals, whether traditional or...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Data (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: Rebuilding Ireland; An Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness signals a significant increase to 47,000 in the number of social housing units to be provided by end-2021. Of these 47,000 social housing units , it is estimated at this stage that approximately 26,000 will be constructed, while 11,000 will be acquired by local authorities and AHBs directly from the market or the Housing Agency,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Provision (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: All social housing construction proposals, whether traditional or rapid-build housing proposals, are evaluated by my Department in terms of need, value for money, design quality and other key criteria in line with the Capital Works Management Framework. In relation to the Deputy’s specific query, a cost benefit analysis is required under the Public Spending Code only for those capital...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments Data (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: Some 13,600 households are currently being supported by the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme across the 19 local authority areas where the scheme is operational, including eligible homeless households under the Homeless HAP Pilot scheme managed by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) for all four local authorities in the Dublin region. Some 9,500 separate landlords and agents...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Nitrates Action Programme Implementation (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: I refer to the reply to Question No. 139 of 28 September 2016. The position is unchanged.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Emergency Accommodation Data (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: The official homelessness data reports provided by housing authorities are produced using the Pathway Accommodation & Support System (PASS), the single integrated national data information system on the State-funded emergency accommodation arrangements that are overseen by housing authorities. These reports are published on my Department's website as soon as they are available and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Emergency Accommodation Provision (5 Oct 2016)

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 accommodation to homeless...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Mortgage to Rent Scheme Applications (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: I refer to the reply to Questions Nos. 327 and 328 of 27 September 2016, which sets out the position with regard to the number of cases which have been completed under the two Mortgage to Rent (MTR) schemes funded by my Department. The number of cases completed is 220 under the Local Authority Mortgage to Rent (LAMTR) scheme and 164 under the MTR Scheme for borrowers of private commercial...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Public Sector Staff Retirements (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: The table sets out the details of lump sums paid on retirement by my Department in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Range of Lump Sum amounts Number in 2013 Number in 2014 Number in 2015 0-5000 1 5001-10000 2 2 10001-15000 1 2 15001-20000 2 2 1 20001-25000 2 25001-30000 1 30001-35000 3 35001-40000 1 40001-45000 1 1 1 45001-50000 1 50001-55000 3...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Private Residential Tenancies Board Data (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) is an independent statutory body established on 1 September 2004 under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 and I have no function in relation to the operational matters of the Board. Consequently, my Department does not hold or collate the information requested. The Clerk of the Dáil has requested that arrangements be put in place to facilitate the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments Data (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: Some 13,600 households are currently having their housing needs met through the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme. Some 4,800 (36%) of all households supported by the scheme have transferred from Rent Supplement. Due to the phased nature of the scheme’s roll out, the 19 local authorities providing HAP are at different stages of implementation. Accordingly, the number of...