Results 3,501-3,520 of 7,024 for speaker:Willie Penrose

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (10 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: I have no function in the operational matters of the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB), an independent statutory body established under the Residential Tenancies Act, 2004, and cannot therefore comment on the specifics of any individual case. However, the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 makes provision for enforcement by the Courts of Determination Orders made by the PRTB. If the...

Written Answers — Foreshore Licences: Foreshore Licences (10 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: As indicated in the reply to Question No. 211 of 19 April 2011, this application was referred to the Chief State Solicitor's Office for legal advice in February 2011 following a challenge to the State's ownership of the foreshore concerned; the applicant was advised of this referral at the time. The position is unchanged

Written Answers — Local Authority Funding: Local Authority Funding (10 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: My Department is providing a capital allocation of €2 million to Sligo Borough Council in 2011 in respect of proposals for the regeneration of the Eastern Quadrant of Sligo. This includes a provision of €500,000 in respect of improvement works to facilitate the pedestrianisation of O'Connell Street. My Department understands the Borough Council is at present preparing a programme of...

Written Answers — Unfinished Housing Developments: Unfinished Housing Developments (10 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: The Unfinished Housing Developments Interim Report, published on 17 February 2011, is available to download from my Department's website at www.environ.ie. I received the final Report of the Advisory Group on Unfinished Housing Developments on 6 May 2011; I will consider its findings and recommendations as a matter of urgency and will bring proposed actions and recommendations to Government...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (10 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: I propose to take Questions Nos. 252 to 254, inclusive, together. The allocations notified to Sligo County Council and Sligo Borough Council under the various measures contained in my Department's Social Housing Investment Programme (SHIP) for 2011 are set out in the table. The allocations for next year will be determined in the light of the budgetary provision for the SHIP in 2012. ...

Written Answers — Unfinished Housing Developments: Unfinished Housing Developments (10 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: It is a matter for owners of unfinished housing developments to ensure that such properties in their possession within these developments are adequately insured. I have no role in the matter.

Written Answers — Foreshore Licences: Foreshore Licences (10 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: Since the transfer of certain foreshore functions into my Department on 15 January 2010, significant work has been undertaken to improve the throughput of foreshore applications and to modernise the consent process involved. There are now 300 active applications for a lease or licence currently on hand. These applications vary in terms of size of project, level of complexity and state of...

Written Answers — Local Authority Funding: Local Authority Funding (10 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: A submission requesting funding approval in the amount of €3.512 million in respect of Stage 3 of the Mullaghmatt Remedial Works Scheme was received in my Department from Monaghan Town Council on 14 January, 2011. The cost plan has been examined and the Council has been asked to revise the proposal to facilitate the phased implementation of this scheme. My Department understands the...

Written Answers — Forestry Sector: Forestry Sector (10 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: Section 4(1) of the Planning and Development Act 2000 sets out development which is exempted from the requirement to obtain planning permission, including "development consisting of the thinning, felling and replanting of trees, forests and woodlands, the construction, maintenance and improvement of non-public roads serving forests and woodlands and works ancillary to that development, not...

Written Answers — Local Authority Services: Local Authority Services (11 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: The Housing Finance Agency does not issue loans to homeowners but provides loan finance to local authorities who on-lend to low income households. Information regarding the number and types of loans issued by local authorities has been collected by my Department as part of the statistical quarterly returns since 1994. However, I have no plans to collect information on loans issued prior to...

Written Answers — Local Authority Services: Local Authority Services (11 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: My Department issued comprehensive guidance to local authorities on the treatment of mortgage arrears in March 2010. That guidance was closely based on the Central Bank's first statutory Code of Conduct on Mortgage Arrears. To reflect the content of the Central Bank's revised Code of Conduct – which replaced the previous code from 1 January 2011 and was informed by the deliberations of the...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (11 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: My Department does not collect data on either the number or value of income related loans that remain outstanding. Mortgage Protection Insurance (MPI) was introduced in July 1986 as a means of protecting housing loan borrowers in the event of death or disability. It was mandatory for new borrowers but excluded existing borrowers at that date. The majority of income related loans were...

Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (11 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: My Department's involvement with the Housing Adaptation Grant Schemes for Older People and People with a Disability relates primarily to the recoupment of a proportion of local authority expenditure on the payment of individual grants. The grant schemes, introduced in November 2007, are funded by 80% recoupment available from my Department together with a 20% contribution from the resources...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (12 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: My Department currently supports an ambitious programme of regeneration projects to deliver integrated physical, social and economic regeneration, ranging from large-scale urban regeneration projects such as those in Ballymun and Limerick City to smaller estate-wide regeneration projects in Dublin City and in a number of regional towns around the country. This year, my Department is...

Written Answers — Unfinished Housing Estates: Unfinished Housing Estates (12 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: The high-level Advisory Group on Unfinished Housing Developments, established in October 2010 following the publication of my Department's National Housing Development Survey database, is identifying practical and policy solutions to address the difficulties associated with unfinished housing developments effectively and promptly. On foot of the interim analysis and findings of the Expert...

Homelessness Strategy (17 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: The commitment in the programme for Government to review and update the existing homelessness strategy is timely as Departments and agencies, together with community and voluntary service providers, are midway through the implementation of The Way Home - A Strategy to Address Adult Homelessness 2008-2013. From my initial discussions with representatives of the sector, the appropriate...

Homelessness Strategy (17 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: I have already had preliminary discussions with the main service providers and relevant stakeholders, who believe the overall strategy is reasonably sound. What they are eager to see is an acceleration of the implementation of the targets that have been set. I will certainly be working towards this. I intend to complete the homelessness strategy review and introduce an updated strategy...

Homelessness Strategy (17 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: As I stated, I am prepared to consider every suggestion to ensure that the Government's objective will be achieved while maintaining funding at its existing level, that there will be no reduction in the provision of essential front line services in 2011, and that the reconfiguration of services currently under way in Dublin can be completed. That is an extremely important objective in...

Housing Advice Services (17 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: The high-level advisory group on unfinished housing developments, established in October 2010 following the publication of my Department's national housing development survey database, is identifying practical and policy solutions to address the difficulties associated with unfinished housing developments effectively and promptly. On foot of the interim analysis and findings of the advisory...

Housing Advice Services (17 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: I agree with Deputy Stanley and I have the commitment in this area. The €5 million is an initial amount and it is provided by the State to the local authorities. Most people in the House know that it is the developers and the owners of unfinished housing developments, or the receivers when they are appointed, who have the primary legal obligation to address outstanding problems associated...