Results 3,441-3,460 of 7,024 for speaker:Willie Penrose

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (6 Apr 2011)

Willie Penrose: Two of the key challenges for the housing sector at present are the oversupply of housing in certain areas, including in respect of unfinished estates, and the need sustainably to meet the increasing demand for social housing in the context of a severely restricted resource environment. There are clear linkages between the roles of my Department and the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA)...

Written Answers — Housing Policy: Housing Policy (6 Apr 2011)

Willie Penrose: The draft housing strategy for people with a disability sets out a framework for the proposed delivery of housing for people with disabilities through mainstream housing policy. The strategy has been developed in conjunction with a National Advisory Group, chaired by my Department and involving the Department of Health and Children, the HSE, local authorities, organisations representing...

Written Answers — Local Authority Services: Local Authority Services (6 Apr 2011)

Willie Penrose: My Department's Guidelines to Planning Authorities on the Planning System and Flood Risk Management , which were published on 30 November 2009, are aimed at ensuring a more consistent, rigorous and systematic approach to flood risk assessment and management in the planning system. The Guidelines which were issued under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, and to which...

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (6 Apr 2011)

Willie Penrose: The project in question is part of my Department's Remedial Works Programme 2009-2011. Approval issued in June 2010 with a preliminary budget of €6.61 million for the project, subject to specific terms and conditions. An ongoing series of meetings and other communications has taken place between my Department and Kildare County Council, including the recent Housing Action Plan meeting. An...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (6 Apr 2011)

Willie Penrose: The Residential Tenancies Act 2004 regulates the tenant-landlord relationship in the private rented residential sector. My Department conducted a review of the Act in 2009 with a specific emphasis on whether the Act best supports the PRTB's key functions and on whether legislative amendments would support either the achievement of additional operational efficiencies by the PRTB in the...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (6 Apr 2011)

Willie Penrose: It is the responsibility of each planning authority to provide for the proper planning and sustainable development of its area, to ensure that their statutory development plans and local area plans provide an adequate basis to guide the delivery of infrastructure and services, as well as future development, and to reflect national and regional policy priorities within these plans. The Dublin...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (6 Apr 2011)

Willie Penrose: Appropriate measures to ensure that waste, which includes wastewater from septic tanks and proprietary waste systems, is recovered or disposed of without endangering human health and without using processes that could harm the environment, have necessarily been taken by my Department in order to address a recent ECJ judgment (C188/08) which found that Ireland was in breach of Article 4 of the...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (7 Apr 2011)

Willie Penrose: The provision of special needs housing is mainly funded under the Capital Assistance Scheme for approved housing bodies. This scheme is specifically designed to meet the needs of older persons, homeless and people with a range of physical and intellectual disabilities. It is up to the bodies concerned, in conjunction with the relevant housing authorities, and in liaison with the Health...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (7 Apr 2011)

Willie Penrose: I refer to the reply to Question No. 64 of 23 March 2011 which sets out the position where an affordable house purchaser is selling their home and the clawback amount payable would reduce the proceeds of resale below the initial price. In relation to affordable house purchasers wishing to remortgage or top-up an existing mortgage, provision was made in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions)...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (12 Apr 2011)

Willie Penrose: Section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 provides for a new process of assessing the housing needs of households seeking social housing support. In addition, it provides for the standardisation of the approach by housing authorities to income limits. It is not possible to set out in a table the income limits that housing authorities applied up to now due to the wide...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (12 Apr 2011)

Willie Penrose: Under planning legislation, the decision as to whether to grant a planning application, with or without conditions, is a matter for the relevant planning authority in the first instance and for An Bord Pleanála in the case of an appeal. In making decisions on planning applications, planning authorities and the board must consider the proper planning and sustainable development of the area,...

Written Answers — Register of Electors: Register of Electors (12 Apr 2011)

Willie Penrose: My Department has been working for some time on the necessary statutory provisions to enable the tenant purchase scheme for local authority apartments under Part 4 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 to be given effect as soon as possible. I am committed to maximizing the potential for tenant purchase in the context of the implementation of sustainable communities' policies...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (12 Apr 2011)

Willie Penrose: My Department does not hold information on the number of households on a local authority's waiting list. This figure continuously fluctuates as households on the list are allocated housing and new households apply for housing support. A statutory assessment of housing need is carried out every three years by all housing authorities. The last assessment took place in 2008 and indicated that...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (13 Apr 2011)

Willie Penrose: Minimum standards for rental accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2008, made under section 18 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992. These Regulations were further amended by the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses)(Amendment) Regulations 2009 which expanded the definition of 'a proper state of structural repair' to allow for all...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (13 Apr 2011)

Willie Penrose: Decisions regarding the zoning of land are a reserved function of local authority elected members under the statutory development plan and local area plan processes. In accordance with Part II of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, the members of a planning authority are restricted to considering the proper planning and sustainable development of the area in question when...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (13 Apr 2011)

Willie Penrose: Housing authorities have scope to include an acquisitions programme within their Social Housing Investment Programme, which receives capital funding from my Department. The number of acquisitions in any particular area will depend on the total funding available to the authority and the priority it applies to the acquisition of new and second-hand units relative to other projects within its...

Written Answers — Port Development: Port Development (13 Apr 2011)

Willie Penrose: Under section 30 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, I am specifically precluded from exercising any power or control in relation to any particular case with which a planning authority or An Bord Pleanála is or may be concerned. An application for foreshore consent would be required for any such proposed development. The application would be processed in the usual manner in exercise of...

Written Answers — Rental Accommodation Scheme: Rental Accommodation Scheme (14 Apr 2011)

Willie Penrose: Households that are assessed by a housing authority to have a housing need have a range of housing supports available to satisfy their need regardless of whether or not they are in receipt of rent supplement. Included in these supports are availability arrangements, similar to rental accommodation scheme arrangements, under the social housing leasing initiative. As with the rental...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (14 Apr 2011)

Willie Penrose: The most recent tenant purchase scheme, provided for in the context of the 2011 budget, operates under the credit policy guidelines for local authority housing lending. These were made under the Housing (Local Authority Loans) Regulations 2009. Under this protocol, all applicants are assessed according to the same criteria, and their applications subjected to the same scrutiny. It is...

Building Regulations (19 Apr 2011)

Willie Penrose: I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter and giving us the benefit of his expertise in these matters. I am aware of the difficulties experienced by the many home owners affected by the pyrite problem I acknowledge the distress it has caused. The issue was first brought to the attention of my Department in mid-2007. Having consulted the Building Regulations Advisory Body, my...