Minister Alan Kelly TD Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government
BUILDING HOMES – REFORM, SUPPORT SUPPLY ■ Largest ever State investment in social housing with €3.8billion earmarked to 2020 ■ Eliminate waiting lists while creating 29,000 jobs ■ Return to direct house-building by local authorities. ■ First comprehensive social housing strategy since 1997 under the then Labour Ministers Brendan Howlin & Emmet Stagg. ■ Increased housing spend by 40% for 2015 TO €800million ■ Establishing the Dublin Social Housing Delivery Taskforce ■ Published a road map to accommodate everyone on the housing waiting lists by 2020 (90,000 households)
TACKLING HOMELESSNESS ■ €25 m Action Plan for Homelessness being implemented. Continuing to put in place the ‘Housing First’ Homelessness Implementation Plan with a view to eliminating involuntary homelessness by 2016. ■ Took on the issue of rough sleeping with 271 new beds provided, and a new Nite Café facility for those who choose it instead of emergency accommodation. ■ New social housing allocations policy to house 500 homeless and vulnerable people in Dublin by June. ■ Tenancy Protection Service extended preventing over 300 families from becoming homeless last year ■ 800 people taken from homelessness into housing in 2014 in Dublin ■ Increased spending on homelessness services by 20% to €55 million in 2015
PROTECTING THE VULNERABLE ■ Restored funding to over 30 organisations who assist those with disabilities, immigration groups and other vulnerable groups ■ Protected social inclusions services from privatisation ■ Secured the future of key groups previously dependent on social inclusions programmes – including the National Collective of Community Based Women’s Network, The National Traveller Partnership & social inclusion programmes for our islands
RURAL DEVELOPMENT ■ Working with Minister Ann Phelan and will shortly kick-start a new rural development programme. ■ Secured the future of many community development companies in partnership with local authorities ■ Will implement the Government’s CEDRA Report on Rural Development ■ Introducing a ‘Vacant site levy’ to stimulate activity in rural towns
REFORMING LOCAL GOVERNMENT & PLANNING SYSTEMS ■ New Part V requirements will oblige developers to build social housing ■ Published legislation to establish a permanent planning regulator as recommended by the Mahon Tribunal ■ Established the first ever independent review of An Bord Pleanala ■ Established Review Groups for boundary reviews in Cork & Galway ■ Established three new Regional Assemblies with an increased focus on local and regional economic and social development. ■ Reformed the expense claim system for local authority members as recommended by SIPO ■ Each local authority to publish yearly economic and community plans for social and economic development.
NO MORE ‘RACE TO THE BOTTOM’ IN WASTE ■ Introduced a new suite of reforms for the waste sector to prevent a ‘race to the bottom’ in standards ■ Graduated move towards a pay-by-weight system ■ New mandatory customer charters and a ban on below-cost selling of waste.
CLIMATE CHANGE ■ Introduced the first ever climate-specific legislation to the Oireachtas ■ Will establish an independent expert advisory group to advise Government on Climate Change policy ■ Negotiating new European and United Nations targets for emissions
AFFORDABLE WATER & INCREASED INVESTMENT ■ Took a firm hand over the management of Irish Water and introduction of domestic charges ■ Introduced certainty, clarity and affordability to household water bills ■ New charging structure means nobody will pay more than 1% of their income or benefits on water – well below the United Nations definition of water poverty ■ Increasing investment in water infrastructure which will remove many boil water notices, lead pipes and various other water issues ■ Removed possibility of future privatisation of water service
Alan Kelly TD Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government
Department of Environment, Community & Local Government Custom House, Dublin 2, Ireland Tel: 067 34190 Email: office@alankelly.ie