Ceisteanna Parlaiminte

National Pensions Reserve Fund Investments

Lucinda Creighton

8. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if any of the borrowings Irish Water availed of from the National Pensions Reserve Fund were used to service contracts for water installation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51814/13]

Climate Change Negotiations

Barry Cowen

9. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide an update on the climate change talks recently concluded in Poland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51924/13]

Social and Affordable Housing Provision

Thomas P. Broughan

10. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his Department's work in addressing the ongoing social housing crisis; and if a more advanced level of a social housing building programme will be on his Department's agenda to address the crisis. [51810/13]

Wind Energy Guidelines

Denis Naughten

12. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to revise the planning regulations covering wind turbines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51807/13]

Water and Sewerage Schemes Status

David Stanton

13. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide an update on the progress with wastewater treatment projects in Youghal and Cobh in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51921/13]

Tenant Purchase Scheme Administration

Catherine Murphy

14. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if a new tenant purchase scheme is being considered for local authority housing other than apartments; if so, if he will provide information relating to his intentions regarding same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51815/13]

Hydraulic Fracturing Policy

Michael Colreavy

16. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he is concerned that after a period of sustained lobbying, by pro-fracking industry, the EU Parliament refused to support a motion calling for a mandatory environmental impact assessment to be applied to planning applications involving fracking. [44981/13]

National Pensions Reserve Fund Investments

Lucinda Creighton

17. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the uses that will be made of Exchequer funds provided to Irish Water; if any of the Exchequer funding will be used to repay National Pensions Reserve Fund borrowings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51813/13]

Rural Recreation Policy

Éamon Ó Cuív

18. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to ensure the potential of rural recreation is achieved, as a creator of wealth and jobs in rural Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51862/13]

Septic Tank Grants

Barry Cowen

19. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a county breakdown of the number of septic tank improvement grants distributed to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51926/13]

Social and Affordable Housing Provision

Richard Boyd Barrett

20. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 6 of 23 October 2013, if he will provide details of the 5000 new social housing units delivered in 2013, including a breakdown per local authority area; the number of these units that are new builds; the number that are voluntary housing units; the number delivered via leasing or other similar arrangements; the number acquired from the National Asset Management Agency; if he will provide the same information for the 5,000 expected units for 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51935/13]

Proposed Legislation

Denis Naughten

21. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to revise the planning legislation on the taking in charge of housing developments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51808/13]

Local and Community Development Programme Project Funding

Éamon Ó Cuív

22. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the special supports he has put in place to assist urban disadvantaged communities overcome the challenges they face; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51863/13]

Voluntary Housing Sector

Catherine Murphy

23. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if the capacity of tier 3 housing associations has been enhanced under his tenure; his plans for the sector; the quantity of housing delivered by tier 3 housing associations in each year from 2008 to 2012 and to date in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51816/13]

Housing Assistance Payments Implementation

Catherine Murphy

24. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if the pilot scheme for the housing assistance payment has commenced; if so in which areas; if not, the timeline for the pilot scheme; the dialogue he is having with the Department of Social Protection on this issue; if any extra staff will be deployed to local authorities to administer the scheme in the absence of staff being transferred from the Department of Social Protection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51909/13]

Local Authority Housing Provision

Bernard Durkan

26. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the extent to which contact has been made with the local authorities in the eastern region with a view to addressing as a matter of urgency the serious deficiency in available housing stock to meet the needs of those on the respective local authority housing lists; if the exact number of applicants in these local authorities has been accurately determined; if cognisance has been taken of the rapid increase in rental costs in the private rental sector with consequent hardship on those on the waiting lists; if a particular strategy has been identified to deal with the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51879/13]

Voluntary Housing Sector

Thomas P. Broughan

27. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount of his Department’s expenditure allocated to approved housing bodies through funding to local authorities; the number of social housing units managed by approved housing bodies; the managerial arrangements in place in relation to local authority housing which is managed by approved housing bodies but owned by the local authorities; and if there will be changes to the legislative framework relating to voluntary housing under the new Housing Bill. [51809/13]

Local Government Fund

David Stanton

28. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 426 of 19 November 2013, with regard to payment of 2014 local property tax receipts into the local government fund, if he has, or intends to issue guidelines or regulations to local authorities as to the services the 2014 local government fund general purpose grants can be used to fund; if so, if he will provide a list of these services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51920/13]

Philanthropy Initiatives

Micheál Martin

30. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his policy on philanthropy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50122/13]

Local Government Fund

Richard Boyd Barrett

32. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans for funding local authorities in 2014, in view of the news that the local property tax money for 2014 will fund Irish Water; if he will confirm that thereafter the local property tax will be retained by the local authorities and if the local government fund will be reduced by the same amount; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51934/13]

Local and Community Development Programme Planning

Maureen O'Sullivan

33. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans for Dublin north inner city under the local government Bill due to the fact that there is no partnership in the area; and if he intends to establish a local development company for the area. [51957/13]

Water Services Provision

Bernard Durkan

34. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will set out the priorities in respect of meeting current and future requirements of domestic drinking water with particular reference to storage, treatment and transmission in all regions throughout the country; the extent to which adequate sources have been identified and a timetable established to access such sources; the extent to which the domestic and industrial sector requirements have been identified in respect of water supplies in the short, medium and long term; the degree to which targets can be met in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51880/13]

Wind Energy Guidelines

Catherine Murphy

35. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he has recommended or otherwise pursued with wind industry representatives on the matter of an index linked bond relating to wind farm developments to ensure responsible management, decommissioning, where necessary, and possible restoration of obsolescent sites in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45219/13]

Land Issues

Terence Flanagan

148. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the tax penalities for developers hoarding up land banks around Dublin; his plans to introduce a new policy to ensure land is made available for residential housing in Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52354/13]

Climate Change Negotiations

Barry Cowen

149. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the position regarding the climate change talks that recently concluded in Poland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52066/13]

Rental Accommodation Standards

Maureen O'Sullivan

150. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views regarding Threshold's latest 2012 annual report which states that families are being forced to live in substandard accommodation due to rising demand and prices in the rental market, and that there is a failure on the part of local authorities to enforce minimum standards legislation; the way he will address the lack of enforcement by local authorities; the way he will counteract the trend of substandard accommodation as appropriate accommodation is in increasingly short supply and as low income families become increasingly vulnerable to substandard accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52158/13]

Waste Management

Robert Troy

151. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the additional green charges being proposed by him; and if his attention has been drawn to the fact that indirect taxes have disproportionate effects on those least able to pay. [52232/13]

Housing Adaptation Grant Funding

Sandra McLellan

152. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will request local authorities in County Cork to provide in tabular form the amount they each spent on housing adaptations for their own tenants in the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52243/13]

Local Authority Staff Recruitment

Thomas P. Broughan

153. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if a competition will be held to appoint a new county manager for Fingal County Council; the manner in which this competition might operate; and the timeline of the competition. [52287/13]

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Thomas P. Broughan

154. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the audits or examinations that have taken place to determine the impact the implementation of carbon tax has had on improving air quality here. [52292/13]

Foreshore Licence Applications

Joan Collins

155. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Sligo County Council intends to carry out dredging at the channel to Sligo Harbour; if his Department has received an application from Sligo County Council for a foreshore licence for these dredging works; the date on which the application for the foreshore licence was received by his Department; when he expects his Department to make a decision to grant the licence; if it has been drawn to his attention that Sligo County Council cannot proceed to seek grant aid for the dredging works until such time as the foreshore licence is granted by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52302/13]

Local Elections Expenditure

Éamon Ó Cuív

156. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the spending limits in place for candidates in the 2009 local elections; the rebate paid to candidates and the conditions that applied to these rebates; the period before the election to which these spending limits applied; the spending limits, rebates, conditions and period that will apply for the 2014 local elections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52314/13]

Local Elections Expenditure

Éamon Ó Cuív

157. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when he will announce the spending limits, details of candidates' rebates, the period to which the expenditure will apply for the 2014 local elections; the reason for the delay in announcing same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52315/13]

Local Authority Housing Provision

Terence Flanagan

158. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the measures he is taking to increase the supply of housing in Dublin and to reduce house prices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52353/13]

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Bernard Durkan

159. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the extent if any of fines or penalties imposed on this country to date arising from failure to meet carbon emission reduction targets; the extent of any such potential penalties in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52393/13]

Waste Management Regulations

Bernard Durkan

160. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the Environmental Protection Agency propose to ban the burning of hedge cuttings on farmland throughout the country from 31 December next; the basis for such a decision in view of the fact that woodcuttings are carbon neutral and that disposal by mechanical means is not; if it is intended to reverse any such decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52394/13]

Water Services Provision

Bernard Durkan

161. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the extent to which precise requirements in respect of domestic drinking water supplies or water of a similar quality have been determined in the event of substantial economic growth over the next ten years; the plans in hand to meet such requirements in the short and medium term; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52395/13]

Water Services Provision

Bernard Durkan

162. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the extent to which storage and treatment facilities in respect of domestic drinking water are likely to be increased annually over the next ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52396/13]

Local Authority Housing Provision

Bernard Durkan

163. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the extent to which the seriousness of the housing crisis in respect of local authority housing is appreciated as it affects Dublin and adjoining counties including Kildare; if it is expected to take any specific action to address this issue to the extent of meeting the accommodation needs of a sizable number of those of the local authority waiting lists in these areas in the short and medium term in view of the hardship caused by escalating rents, a shortage of available accommodation and increased numbers coming onto the housing lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52397/13]

Local Authority Housing Provision

Bernard Durkan

164. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the steps to be taken in the short term to address the ever increasing local authority housing emergency affecting County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52398/13]

Water Services Provision

Bernard Durkan

165. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the extent to which adequate sources of domestic drinking water have been identified for the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52400/13]

Local Authority Housing Waiting Lists

Bernard Durkan

166. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the extent to which contact has been made with the various local authorities with a view to identification of the number of families currently on their housing waiting lists; the action taken or proposed to address the issues of those local authorities particularly affected in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52401/13]

Housing Adaptation Grant Expenditure

Bernard Durkan

167. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the extent to which the housing adaptation grant requirements in respect of older persons or persons with specific health needs continue to be met by the various local authorities; the total expenditure in this regard in each of the past five years to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52402/13]

Waste Disposal

Róisín Shortall

168. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if the fixed price plan to which former waiver customers of a waste management company (details supplied) have recently been moved is in keeping with Ireland’s obligations under European law and the polluter pays principle; if his Department will amend the Waste Management Act 1996 to allow for greater regulation of the behaviour of waste management companies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52430/13]

Leader Programmes Applications

Michael Healy-Rae

169. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the position regarding funding in respect of a project (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52457/13]

Traveller Accommodation

Richard Boyd Barrett

104. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government with regard to the acknowledged need for the redevelopment of Labre Park Traveller accommodation in Ballyfermot, which has been included in the past three Traveller accommodation programmes but never advanced, if he will meet all of the stakeholders to ensure the delivery of this long awaited redevelopment. [51984/13]

Fire Safety

Helen McEntee

105. Deputy Helen McEntee asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government following the evacuation of apartments in Navan due to fire safety issues, and in view of the fact that there have been other similar incidents in recent months, the measures being taken to ensure that other apartment blocks are inspected with regard to fire safety; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51992/13]

Social and Affordable Housing Eligibility

Sandra McLellan

106. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will review the procedure whereby persons applying for social housing must receive proof from the land registry from any country that they previously lived in that they do not own land or property there because, in many cases, it is just not possible depending on the country (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52005/13]

Seniors Alert Scheme

Michael McCarthy

107. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the position regarding a number of applications in respect of an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52013/13]

Homeless Accommodation Funding

Seán Ó Fearghaíl

108. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if will set out, in tabular form, the funds allocated by his Department to county councils (details supplied) for the purpose of combatting homelessness in each year since 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52037/13]