Results 17,761-17,780 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Motor Tax (19 Jul 2016)

Simon Coveney: 1,393 electric cars were either taxed or declared off the road as of 30 June 2016. Based on the annual motor tax rate of €120, the current cost of abolishing motor tax for electric vehicles is just over €167,000. In order to incentivise the use of electric cars, the annual rate for electric cars taxed on the basis of engine capacity was reduced from €157 to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (19 Jul 2016)

Simon Coveney: Amendments to the Planning and Development Acts in 2015 enable statutory guidelines to expressly state “Specific Planning Policy Requirements” to be applied by planning authorities, or An Bord Pleanála as appropriate, in the exercise of their planning functions and where any conflict arises between such guidelines and local authority development plans, the requirements of...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (19 Jul 2016)

Simon Coveney: Today, the Government published its Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, which sets out a practical and readily implementable set of actions that aim to increase annual housing supply to 25,000 units per annum by 2020, thereby creating a functioning and sustainable housing system. The plan is available at the website www.rebuildingireland.ie. The plan is divided into...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Library Services (19 Jul 2016)

Simon Coveney: My Department is in discussions with the Local Government Management Agency and local authority Chief Executives regarding the introduction of a new library management model, as outlined in Managing the Delivery of Effective Library Services. The areas being considered for the new approach include Carlow and Kilkenny among others. The proposed operating model seeks to put planning and...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Traveller Accommodation (19 Jul 2016)

Simon Coveney: A Report on the Programme to Review and Enhance Fire Safety in local authority provided Traveller Accommodation is in the final stages of preparation by my Department’s Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management. The programme was initiated in the aftermath of the fire tragedy in Carrickmines, Dublin on 10 October, 2015. All local authorities completed and returned their...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Government Fund (19 Jul 2016)

Simon Coveney: I assume that the Question refers to general purpose grants (GPG) from the Local Government Fund. G PGs we re my Department’s contribution towards meeting the cost to local authorities of providing a reasonable level of services to their customers. GPGs were replaced by Local Property Tax allocations in 2015. The tables below detail the general purpose grant allocations from the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (19 Jul 2016)

Simon Coveney: My Department provides funding support to local authorities to acquire suitable new and second-hand housing for social housing use. The selection of housing for acquisition, and the tenant to whom it is allocated, are matters for local authorities as the housing authorities for their areas, with the clear expectation that such acquisitions meet priority housing need. Otherwise, the guidance...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Provision (19 Jul 2016)

Simon Coveney: My Department provides funding support to local authorities to acquire suitable new and second-hand housing for social housing use. The selection of such housing for acquisition is a matter for local authorities as the housing authorities for their areas, with the clear expectation that such acquisitions meet priority housing need, are suitable, good quality, value for money and sustain...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Government Reform (19 Jul 2016)

Simon Coveney: The Local Government (Performance of Reserved Functions in Respect of Municipal District Members) Regulations 2014 and Ministerial Guidelines under section 131A of the Local Government Act 2001 (as inserted by section 21 of the Local Government Reform Act 2014), relating to the reserved functions of municipal district members, were issued to local authorities with circular LG 10/2014 of 29...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Services (19 Jul 2016)

Simon Coveney: €10m has been made available in 2016 to fund a new National Taking in Charge Initiative (NTICI) that will assist local authorities in developing new approaches to addressing housing estates, including those with developer-provided water services infrastructure that, for various reasons, have not been taken in charge to date. The initiative has been guided by the results of a survey...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Library Services (19 Jul 2016)

Simon Coveney: The provision of public library services is a matter for each local authority in its capacity as a library authority under the Local Government Act 2001. This includes the procurement of books and other library related services. My Department has no direct role in these matters. Local authorities must adhere, however, to national and EU requirements when undertaking procurement processes...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Wind Energy Generation (19 Jul 2016)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 360 and 388 together. As provided for by the Oireachtas under Section 31 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government can direct a planning authority on their development plan up to four weeks after the plan has been adopted, where the provisional opinion has been formed, firstly,...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (19 Jul 2016)

Simon Coveney: My Department provides funding support to local authorities to acquire suitable new and second-hand housing for social housing use. The selection of such housing is a matter for local authorities as the housing authorities for their areas. The guidance from my Department to local authorities in this regard is that such acquisitions meet priority housing need and that the authorities satisfy...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Voluntary Housing Sector (19 Jul 2016)

Simon Coveney: Section 6(6) of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992 makes provision to grant approved housing body (AHB) status to housing associations. AHBs consist mainly of voluntary or co-operative housing organisations limited by guarantee and registered under the Companies Acts; societies registered under the Industrial & Provident Societies Acts; and/or Trusts incorporated under...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Policy (19 Jul 2016)

Simon Coveney: I agree that current housing supply problems require a closer alignment between land availability and development capability. The Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, however, generally prohibits State Aid, unless it is justified by reasons of general economic development. No funding scheme to assist developers to buy land is either in place or under consideration in my...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Waste Disposal (19 Jul 2016)

Simon Coveney: Waste collection in Ireland is subject to compliance with applicable environmental and other relevant legislation, primarily the Waste Management Act 1996 (as amended) and conditions attached to each waste collector’s collection permit issued under the Waste Management (Collection Permit) Regulations 2007 (as amended). Where a permit holder collects household kerb side waste, the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (19 Jul 2016)

Simon Coveney: In the course of preparing the Government’s “Action Plan for Housing”, many housing providers emphasised that the length of time taken to obtain planning permission on residentially zoned sites could be an issue to consider and address in the context of accelerating the delivery of housing. In general, almost all larger housing applications tend to be appealed to An...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: End of Life Vehicles Disposal (19 Jul 2016)

Simon Coveney: My Department’s primary responsibility is to ensure the correct environmental treatment of all end-of-life vehicles, abandoned or otherwise, as required under the End-of-Life Vehicles Directive. Enforcement measures relating to the European Union (End-of-Life Vehicles) Regulations 2014 are the responsibility of both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the local authorities....

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Environmental Regulations (19 Jul 2016)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 367 and 368 together. In areas for which my Department has responsibility, the European Commission is currently in correspondence in respect of four infringement cases relating to transposition and implementation of EU environmental legislation. The following table lists the directives involved and indicates the stage of proceedings in respect of these cases....

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Data (19 Jul 2016)

Simon Coveney: 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 including the delivery of water services capital infrastructure. Irish Water is a regulated utility and its operating and capital plans are reviewed by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) in accordance with Section 39...