Results 18,721-18,740 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water and Sewerage Schemes (17 May 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. Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. The team can be contacted via email to oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on a dedicated number, 1890...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Expenditure (17 May 2016)

Simon Coveney: Office accommodation for Irish Water is an operational matter for the utility and one in which I have no function. Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. The team can be contacted via email to oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on a dedicated number, 1890 578 578.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Staff (17 May 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 staffing arrangements. The Managing Director of Irish Water was appointed by the Board of Bord Gáis Éireannn (now Ervia), and his remuneration was approved by the then Minister for the Environment,...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (17 May 2016)

Simon Coveney: As outlined in the reply to Question Number 129 of 21 April 2016, my Department does not fund any homeless services directly, but provides funding to housing authorities, on a regional basis, towards the operational costs of homeless accommodation and related services in accordance with Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988. Under these funding arrangements, housing authorities must provide at...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: An Bord Pleanála Review (17 May 2016)

Simon Coveney: The Report of the Independent Review Group on the operations of An Bord Pleanála, which was commissioned by the previous Minister in July 2015, was published on 14 March 2016. The review was undertaken to ensure that An Bord Pleanála was appropriately positioned and fit for purpose from an organisational perspective to fulfil its legislative mandate, taking account of...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Seirbhísí Uisce (17 May 2016)

Simon Coveney: Tá gealltanas tugtha ag an Rialtas reachtaíocht a thabhairt isteach lastigh de sé seachtaine chun muirir uisce tí a chur ar fionraí ar feadh tréimhse naoi mhí ó deireadh na sraithe bhille reatha. Beidh sonraí an fionraí leagtha amach sa reachtaíocht ag am foilsithe. Ag an am chéanna, chun cothromas cóireála a...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water and Sewerage Schemes Provision (17 May 2016)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 401 and 403 together. 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. The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 requires Irish Water to put in place a Water Services Strategic Plan...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water and Sewerage Schemes Provision (17 May 2016)

Simon Coveney: In January 2016, my Department wrote to local authorities advising them of the new approach to the funding of group water and sewerage schemes for 2016 and beyond under the Rural Water Programme. This will ultimately lead to the development of appropriate prioritised lists of schemes for funding and a series of demonstration projects which will assist in further evolving the programme of...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Government Fund (17 May 2016)

Simon Coveney: The Local Government Act 2001 (Section 237A) Regulations 2003 set out statutory provisions for local authorities and their dealings with members of the Houses of the Oireachtas. The Regulations provide,inter alia, for the supply of specified documentation by the local authority to local Oireachtas members, including notice, agenda and minutes of local authority meetings as well as the local...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Constitutional Convention Recommendations (17 May 2016)

Simon Coveney: The Eighth Report of the Convention on the Constitution: Economic, Social and Cultural (ESC) Rights, available at the link below, recommended that the State progressively realise economic, social and cultural rights subject to maximum available resources, that this duty be recognisable by the courts and that specific additional rights, including the right to housing, be inserted into the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (17 May 2016)

Simon Coveney: The allocation of social housing support to qualified households is, in the first instance, a matter for the local authority concerned, in accordance with the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated Regulations. Information on the number of social housing units delivered in 2015 can be found in the Social Housing Output in 2015report. The report, which was published on 26...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Commercial Rates (17 May 2016)

Simon Coveney: 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 Act 2001. The levying and collection of rates are matters for each individual local authority. As with all local charges, the invoicing and...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Data (17 May 2016)

Simon Coveney: Irish Water's customer billing and collection levels are a matter for the utility. Irish Water has published information on bill payment levels for the first three billing cycles on its website at www.water.ie. The €110.8m collected in respect of domestic water charges is the amount of cash (net of rebates) collected as at 11 January 2016. The number of customers who had made a...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges (17 May 2016)

Simon Coveney: Under the confidence and supply arrangement agreed in the context of facilitating a minority government, the Government is committed to introducing and supporting legislation in the Oireachtas, within six weeks of its appointment, to suspend domestic water charges for a period of nine months from the end of the current bill cycle. This is to allow for the Oireachtas to decide on the enduring...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: National Spatial Strategy (17 May 2016)

Simon Coveney: The 2002 National Spatial Strategy(NSS) was Ireland’s first national strategic spatial planning framework and outlined policies and objectives to secure a better balance of social, economic and physical development and population growth between regions. The Strategy set out a broad framework for use in spatial planning by regional and local authorities as well as the planning of...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Traveller Accommodation (17 May 2016)

Simon Coveney: In accordance with the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of multi-annual Traveller Accommodation Programmes (TAPs) in their areas. My Department’s role is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (17 May 2016)

Simon Coveney: In December 2011, the National Assets Management Agency (NAMA) announced that it would facilitate the provision of accommodation for social housing. In the period since, a Steering Group, comprising my Department, NAMA and the Housing Agency, has been working with housing authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) towards achieving this objective. The properties under consideration...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Eligibility (17 May 2016)

Simon Coveney: The allocation of social housing support to qualified households is a matter for the local authority concerned, under its allocation scheme, made in accordance with Section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated Social Housing Allocation Regulations 2011. This legislation requires all housing authorities, as a reserved function, to make an allocation...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Data (17 May 2016)

Simon Coveney: The decision as to whether a household qualifies for social housing support and can be placed on a housing list is solely a matter for the housing authority concerned in accordance with Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated regulations. My Department does not hold information on the number of applicant households for social housing support or the number of households...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Foreshore Issues (17 May 2016)

Simon Coveney: While the advices referred to have not yet been received in my Department, it is understood that they are imminent. My Department will on receipt of the advices, in consultation with the State’s legal services, determine the appropriate next steps.