Results 17,461-17,480 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: The reason we are putting in place initiatives, incentives and legal changes is to change that. I accept that the vast majority of houses currently being built and sold in Dublin, where there is a margin for developers, are high-value properties. We need to change that. That is the reason we are driving strategic development zones, SDZs, and the reason we need pathfinder projects. We need...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: We are responding to the increases in rent with an increase in HAP and rent supplement payments. The increase varies throughout the country depending on the extent of the rent increase. Obviously, it was much higher in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway than it would have been in other rural areas. Deputy Ellis asked about accommodation for older people. At the ploughing championships...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: I never got to mention the legislation per sebut the members have my speaking notes on it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: I welcome the opportunity to discuss with the committee progress to date in 2016 on expenditure and outputs relating to my Department's programmes. The plan was that I was to be accompanied by the Ministers of State, Deputies English and Catherine Byrne, but I am sure they are on call if we need them. The Revised Estimate for 2016 for my Department was initially published in December....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: The figures we have circulated are current. They cover a period up to the last couple of weeks.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: On the road tax issue, if we use that purely for roads we will have to find other funding streams for the many other areas it funds. The Department of Finance is very strong on not ring-fencing funding from any given tax for any given purpose unless there is a direct relation between the polluter pays principle or an incentive around conservation. The provision of water services is an...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: -----in terms of a major financial problem arising. I take the Senator's point, but I am making the principal point in that regard. What is encouraging is that the LPT issue is settling down. We have gone from having 15 or 16 local authorities reducing it to 11 for this year, and I hope we will have even fewer next year. I hope we will start to see a small number of local authorities...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: For next year, in terms of the reallocation, we have said that of the balancing fund or the redistribution fund, whatever one wants to call it, the decisions we have made will ensure that, effectively, no local authority will get less than they got last year. However, there is still an opportunity for local authorities. Some have made the decision; others will make it in the next few days...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: I wish to clarify a point raised by Senator Coffey. I do not want to let it go. We think the €13 million will probably be accommodated through a reduction in the overall amount of money going back to the Exchequer. It is something that must be negotiated with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. I would not like to give the impression that local services are being cut...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: That is a very fair question and Senator Boyhan made the point earlier. We are asking councils to sign off on local property tax decisions now - whether they go up or down - but they are not passing their budgets for another couple of months. This happens because the Revenue Commissioners insist on getting earlier decisions around the local property tax. It poses real problems for both the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: Local authorities are not on their own and there is ongoing conversation between the finance team in my Department and the financial teams within local authorities. They meet almost on a monthly basis and there is a structure for discussion around that. Nothing should be coming as a surprise here. Some local authorities have real financial difficulties, although I will not name them...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: If they cannot-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: I was a local authority member for a number of years and passed budgets. Therefore, I have a reasonable idea as to how the system works. I acknowledge the funding structures have changed somewhat since then. The legal position is that if a local authority will not or cannot make a vote through a budget, the Minister must put a commission in place to run its finances. I really do not want...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: I do not expect that I will. Even through the very difficult years, namely, over the past seven or eight years, that has not happened. My Department will work with everybody, from chief executives and party leaders to councils and financial officials, to try to get the numbers into shape for the passing of a budget. I do not expect we will have to use any other emergency powers or any...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: Absolutely. That is what the Senator is there for.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: Senator Coffey asked a question I did not answer. When we decided to do away with the water conservation grant, we needed to make a consequential decision to increase funding for the rural water programme in respect of the capital support programmes that were needed. Effectively, as a result of the decision, the conservation grant was not going to many people in rural areas who would...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Rates (16 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 539 and 540 together. Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by the independent Commissioner of Valuation under the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2015. The Commissioner for Valuation has sole responsibility for all...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Non-Principal Private Residence Charge Data (16 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: The Local Government (Charges) Act 2009, as amended, provides the legislative basis for the Non-Principal Private Residence Charge. The NPPR Charge, which has since been discontinued, applied in the years 2009 to 2013 to any residential property in which the owner did not reside as their normal place of residence. The self-assessed charge is set at €200 per annum and liability for it...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Regeneration Projects Funding (16 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: Under the Limerick Hinterland Study commissioned last year to examine the impact of Limerick Regeneration on its hinterland, the three local authorities concerned submitted proposals to my Department to be considered for funding. A total of 16 projects were submitted, including a proposal from Tipperary County Council for a new town park and related facilities at Newport with a funding...