Parliamentary questions

Flood Risk Assessments

Finian McGrath

1074. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views regarding the construction of a new sea wall along the coast road at Dollymount in Dublin 3, as it will disfigure our beautiful coastline and environment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37906/15]

Local Authority Housing

Dessie Ellis

1075. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his planned timeline for the delivery of 500 modular units for emergency accommodation; the number of persons these will accommodate; and the length of time while social housing is being made available. [37907/15]

Local Authority Housing

Dessie Ellis

1076. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the estimates for the delivery of the 500 modular units for emergency accommodation; and the ancillary services required in tabular form. [37908/15]

Waste Management

Maureen O'Sullivan

1077. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on the disposal of tyres, particularity in the Dublin area; that the abundance of tyres available for use in bonfires at Halloween is having a negative impact on the environment; if he will ensure that companies, such as mechanic garages dispose of tyres in a responsible way; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37909/15]

Local Authority Housing Eligibility

Paul Murphy

1078. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will legislate or issue a ministerial directive, as necessary, to the local authorities to permit persons (details supplied) who have surrendered their homes to the banks to join the housing allocation lists, which is currently a condition for making a successful application for rent supplement. [37911/15]

Septic Tank Grants

Jack Wall

1079. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if assistance is available to a person to upgrade and improve a septic tank; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37966/15]

Local Authority Funding

Colm Keaveney

1080. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will support an application from Galway County Council for funding from his Department for the refurbishment of local authority housing on Gilmartin Road in Tuam and in Tirboy, Tuam in County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37971/15]

Traveller Accommodation

Seán Ó Fearghaíl

1081. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount of funding sought and allocated to Kildare County Council in each of the years 2011 to 2014, inclusive, and to date in 2015, in respect of Traveller accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37972/15]

Waste Management Regulations

Michael Creed

1082. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 672 of 20 October 2015, if he will consider the appointment of an independent facilitator to broker a deal on the critical issues involved, given the current state of the negotiations and the lack of participation by the industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37973/15]

Local Authority Funding

Patrick O'Donovan

1083. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government for details of all allocations made by his Department to Limerick City and County Council for the completion of works in housing estates (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37981/15]

Water Conservation Grant

Sean Conlan

1084. Deputy Seán Conlan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if persons who own more than one property and have registered for Irish Water on each property are entitled to the water conservation grant in respect of each property; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37982/15]

Court Judgments

Pearse Doherty

1085. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the impact a court decision (details supplied) will have on the retrospective calculation of motor tax liabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37984/15]

Local Authority Housing

Tom Fleming

1086. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of qualified housing applicants who were moved from the housing lists to the rental accommodation scheme and whose housing applications were subsequently closed, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37987/15]

Environmental Protection Agency Investigations

Thomas P. Broughan

1087. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if the Environmental Protection Agency has noted any negative impacts in the Irish atmosphere and weather systems from out-of-control vegetation fires and industrial pollution in countries in the Far East, including Indonesia and China; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38015/15]

Waste Management

Michael Healy-Rae

1088. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding the proposed waste tyre levy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38029/15]

Private Rented Accommodation Costs

Thomas Pringle

1089. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the timeframe by which rent certainty proposals will be brought before the Cabinet; and consequentially before Dáil Éireann. [38110/15]

Election Management System

Éamon Ó Cuív

1090. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the offshore islands not connected to the mainland by bridge or causeway that had polling stations on them for the last general election, in tabular form; the opening times for each of these stations; whether the voting took place on these islands on the same date as polling elsewhere, and, if not, whether polling was one day or two days before; the number of persons on the electoral register at the time in each station; the turnout on polling day, excluding persons with postal votes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38174/15]

Motor Tax Rates

Brendan Griffin

1091. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will clarify a taxation issue (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38181/15]

Register of Electors Administration

Maureen O'Sullivan

1092. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will centralising checktheregister.ie, and having it run by his Department in place of local authorities, in light of concerns raised regarding inefficiencies in the voter registration process. [38192/15]

Fire Service

Seán Kenny

1093. Deputy Seán Kenny asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the budget allocation in 2014 for the fire services capital programme; the amount spent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38195/15]

Housing Assistance Payments Administration

Catherine Murphy

1094. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government how it is intended to qualify a family as being homeless in light of the new housing assistance payment regulations in respect of the Kildare County Council area, where many families are living in overcrowded family situations, but might not be formally registered as homeless; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38203/15]

Housing Assistance Payments Administration

Catherine Murphy

1095. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government how it is intended to administer controls on the issue of top-up rents, where the housing assistance payment system will underfund tenancies in Kildare by up to 50%, to assist families who are unable to cope with this situation; if it will impact on their future eligibility for housing supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38204/15]

Housing Assistance Payments Eligibility

Catherine Murphy

1096. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government how it is intended to proceed in cases of renewals or existing rentals where landlords indicate that they are happy to offer the housing assistance payment, but request market rent already paid; to accommodate the rights of current tenants receiving supports, where rents are above the maximum limits, as set out; what flexibility will be given to these tenants; what security of tenure they will be afforded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38205/15]

Housing Assistance Payments Eligibility

Catherine Murphy

1097. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he intends to offer the housing assistance payment to both rent supplement and privately renting households; how he intends to prioritise cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38206/15]

Housing Assistance Payments Eligibility

Catherine Murphy

1098. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government how he intends to manage the transfer of rent supplement applicants to the new housing assistance payment system, where applicants have been assessed by the Department of Social Protection under Article 38 of the Social Welfare (Supplementary Welfare Allowance) Regulations (Statutory Instrument No. 402 of 2007); if he intends to implement those maximum rent limits that are up to 50% lower in most cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38207/15]

Housing Assistance Payments Eligibility

Catherine Murphy

1099. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the processing time guidelines he plans to implement for housing assistance payment applications; the intended lead-time for landlords awaiting acceptance decisions, and the proposed application to payment times to manage the expectations of applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38208/15]

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Thomas P. Broughan

1100. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the status in respect of achieving targets set at EU level for climate change management, in particular under the EU climate and energy framework 2030; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31689/15]

National Lottery Funding Disbursement

Maureen O'Sullivan

1101. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he has engaged with the Irish Environment Network on the progress made on the provision of funding to the natural environment, specifically from the national lottery; if he will support this network to be included in funding as it is entitled to be, as set out in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38234/15]

Planning Issues

Lucinda Creighton

1102. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government in light of the extraordinarily high planning fees paid in securing permission to change the use of land from commercial to residential, if he intends to curtail the power of local authorities in this regard; if he believes that such onerous fees are appropriate, given that they act as a disincentive to the development of residential property at a time when the country is faced with a severe housing crisis; and are consistent with the objectives of the Living City initiative. [38235/15]

Water Quality

Finian McGrath

1103. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the options available for householders who are experiencing high levels of lead in their water pipes in Marino, Dublin 3 and in Raheny, Dublin 5; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38239/15]

Departmental Funding

Terence Flanagan

1104. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will allocate funding to provide a community resource centre (details supplied) in Dublin 5; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38244/15]

Register of Electors Administration

Catherine Murphy

1105. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if there is potential to allow applications for inclusion on the supplementary registers of electors to be signed by a Peace Commissioner or by another official in good standing, in order to alleviate workloads placed upon An Garda Síochána; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38258/15]

Commencement of Legislation

Eric J. Byrne

1106. Deputy Eric Byrne asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 570 of 3 February 2015, when the relevant sections of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act will be enacted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38260/15]

Water Services Provision

Michael Lowry

1107. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he is aware of a large number of houses in County Tipperary with possible lead piping and the potential cost of removing lead piping from these homes; the number of homes in County Tipperary which Irish Water suspects to have lead piping or has confirmed contain lead piping, in tabular form; when the grant for homeowners affected with lead piping will be launched; the proposed income thresholds for such a grant; the proposed monetary amounts which will be made available to applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38274/15]

Farm Waste Management

Dominic Hannigan

1108. Deputy Dominic Hannigan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on the spreading of human waste as slurry or fertilizer on Irish farmlands; the measures that are in place to protect the environment and human health in relation to this matter and to ensure that there is no negative impact or nuisance caused to the persons living close to where the human waste is being spread; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38288/15]

Pyrite Remediation Programme Expenditure

Clare Daly

1109. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the moneys allocated in budget 2016 for the pyrite remediation scheme in 2016. [38310/15]

Harbours and Piers Development

Seán Kyne

1110. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the plans for investment in Inis Oírr pier; and Ros a'Mhíl harbour, as part of the capital investment plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34201/15]

EU Regulations

Áine Collins

1111. Deputy Áine Collins asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government why it is necessary to confine the period for bush burning to such a limited timespan. [38334/15]

Social and Affordable Housing Data

Seán Crowe

1112. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of affordable homes that are rented out in each local authority area. [38341/15]

Mortgage Arrears Proposals

Seán Crowe

1113. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the supports available for persons who are currently working on repaying arrears with their local authorities through the mortgage arrears resolution process; the number of persons who have never missed a payment; who, after three years, have not cleared their arrears; and who are in an affordable home, not a shared-ownership home. [38342/15]

Social and Affordable Housing Provision

Seán Crowe

1114. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the options for families in affordable homes if they cannot live in these homes due to overcrowding. [38343/15]

Mortgage Arrears Proposals

Seán Crowe

1115. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if local authorities may add arrears to principal amounts and extend loan times. [38344/15]

Dumping at Sea

Terence Flanagan

1116. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he is aware of the application lodged by the Dublin Port Company to dump dredged material at sea, off the coast of Howth Head in County Dublin; if he is satisfied that there will be no impact on the Dublin Bay environment when the material is dumped; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34015/15]

Public Sector Staff Career Breaks

Finian McGrath

1117. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of civil servants under his remit who have been reinstated in recent years after taking a career break; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38725/15]

Inland Fisheries

Robert Troy

1118. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he is aware that there is an invasion of the Asian clam species in the Shannon river which has the potential to harm and eradicate the fish there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37432/15]

Inland Fisheries Ireland Funding

Noel Coonan

1119. Deputy Noel Coonan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if budget 2016 will provide additional funding to Inland Fisheries Ireland; if the 34% reduction in staffing over recent years will be reversed under budget 2016; if the 32 staff who are on temporary contracts can be moved to full-time contracts under this allocation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37561/15]

Energy Resources

Sandra McLellan

1120. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he is concerned that the Phillips 66 company has commenced a process to sell Whitegate Oil Refinery in Cork; the steps he is taking to ensure that we maintain a refining capacity on the island of Ireland, due to its strategic importance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38295/15]

Departmental Expenditure

Pearse Doherty

1121. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the estimated expenditure of his Department in 2015, in tabular form; the budget for expenditure agreed at the start of the year for 2015; the extra expenditure or savings in this budget during the year to date; when and under what process this expenditure and these savings were approved; and his Department's budget for expenditure in 2016. [37258/15]

Departmental Expenditure

Pearse Doherty

1122. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the allocation for his Department in 2016 which covers the Lansdowne Road agreement; and the demographic or other inflationary pressures. [37274/15]

Appointments to State Boards

Catherine Murphy

1123. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will indicate, in respect of State boards under his Department's remit, the name of each appointee made from 7 March 2011 to date in 2015; the date of appointment; whether or not each appointee came through an advertised public application process; the number of vacancies which presently exist on State boards under his remit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37358/15]