Results 3,561-3,580 of 7,024 for speaker:Willie Penrose

Written Answers — Private Residential Tenancies: Private Residential Tenancies (17 May 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 — Local Authority Funding: Local Authority Funding (17 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: Provisions governing mortgage lending by local authorities are set out under the Housing (Local Authority Loans) Regulations 2009 and associated credit policy. To ensure effective targeting of resources, loan finance continues to be available to first time buyers only. Income limits are also in place, distinguishing between single and dual income households and a maximum loan limit is...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (17 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: The decision whether to grant planning permission with or without conditions is a matter for the relevant planning authority and, in the event of an appeal, for An Bord Pleanála, having regard to the provisions of the Planning and Development Acts and associated Regulations and, where relevant, the Habitats Regulations 1997. I have no role in the matter and under section 30 of the Act, I am...

Written Answers — Local Authority Funding: Local Authority Funding (17 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: I refer to the reply to Question No 248 of 10 May, 2011 which sets out the position in relation to funding for regeneration in Sligo. It will be a matter for Sligo Borough Council, in the context of the development of a masterplan for the regeneration project, to determine the areas to be included for regeneration.

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (17 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: Importantly, where the clawback amount payable on the resale of affordable housing would reduce the proceeds of re-sale below the initial price paid, legislation provides for the amount of clawback payable to be reduced to the extent necessary to avoid that result. I do not therefore intend to introduce changes to the clawback provision.

Written Answers — Special Housing Needs: Special Housing Needs (18 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: Under my Department's Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS) funding of up to 100% of the approved cost of accommodation is provided for accommodation by approved housing bodies for people with special housing needs. My Department's involvement with the voluntary and co-operative housing schemes relates primarily to the provision of funds for individual projects. Funding of €292,039 was provided...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (18 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: Data in relation to social housing starts and completions are published in my Department's Quarterly Housing Statistics Bulletins while data in relation to lettings are set out in Annual Statistics Bulletins. Copies of each are available in the Oireachtas library and on my Department's website, www.environ.ie. Data in respect of 2010 and 2011 are not yet available. Notwithstanding the very...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (18 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: My Department's involvement with voluntary and co-operative housing schemes relates primarily to the provision of funds for individual projects. The detailed administration of the schemes, and the certification that projects comply with the terms and conditions of the funding schemes, are the responsibility of the local authority. Approved housing bodies are responsible for the proper...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (18 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: My Department does not collect information in relation to the number of legal actions taken by local authorities on foot of cases of mortgage arrears. However, information regarding repossession of houses on foot of loan arrears is available. Repossession figures are extremely low for local authority borrowers with only 128 repossessions across all local authority areas carried out in the...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (18 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: The Government is acutely conscious of the difficulties many households are facing in terms of mortgage arrears and our Programme for Government sets out a range of credible and meaningful measures that will help households challenged to meet mortgage commitments. However, it is important to note, particularly for households worried about possible repossession, that the level of...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (18 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: I refer to the reply to Question No 208 of 19 April, 2011, which sets out the position in relation to this matter.

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (18 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: To be eligible for social housing support, a person must have a long-term right to reside in the State, decisions on which are a matter within the responsibility of the Minister for Justice and Equality. My Department has given guidance to authorities on how to assess whether an applicant for housing support has such a long-term right to reside in the State. The latest guidance to local...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (18 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: I refer to the reply to Question No 96 of 12 May, 2011. In terms of the €7 million capital allocation to the former PPP regeneration projects, this funding will be used to support a diverse range of activities and investments reflective of the different stages of each of the projects ranging from planning/design, demolition works, site enabling works and construction as well as property...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (18 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: Section 254 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 provides for a licensing system for the placement of various structures and appliances on, under, over or along a public road, including maps for indicating directions or places. This licensing system enables a local authority to exercise control over the placing of structures on roads to prevent traffic hazards arising. The Planning and...

Written Answers — Unfinished Housing Developments: Unfinished Housing Developments (18 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: Section 180 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) provides that, where estates have not been completed to the satisfaction of the planning authority and enforcement proceedings have not been commenced within the relevant period, the planning authority must, if requested to do so by the majority of owners, initiate the procedures for taking the estate in charge. A further...

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (18 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: Under my Department's Social Housing Investment Programme, local authorities are allocated capital funding each year in respect of a range of measures to improve the standard and overall quality of their social housing stock. The programme includes a retrofitting measure aimed at improving the energy efficiency of older apartments and houses. My Department requested local authorities...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (24 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: Planning permission was granted on 5 May 2011 for a mixed use development with 253 residential units, offices, retail units, restaurants, community sports facilities and a cinema at this location. It is envisaged that some 139 of the residential units will be used for social housing with a significant number being set aside as replacement units for current residents. This planning decision...

Written Answers — Unfinished Housing Developments: Unfinished Housing Developments (24 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: Sections 34(4)(g) and 180(2)(b) of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, enable planning authorities to attach conditions to grants of planning permission for development requiring the provision of financial securities sufficient to safeguard the satisfactory completion of essential infrastructure and amenities in those developments, and, if a development is not subsequently...

Written Answers — Special Housing Needs: Special Housing Needs (24 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: I refer to the reply to Question No. 130 of 18 May, 2011. It is a matter for the local authority concerned to ensure that housing bodies manage and maintain capital funded projects in accordance with the terms of the capital funding schemes. My Department will ask Kildare County Council to review the matters raised and report on compliance, by the housing body in question, with the terms and...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (24 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: A new tenant purchase scheme under the provisions of section 90 of the Housing Act, 1966, the 2011 Tenant Purchase Scheme, was introduced recently to allow local authority tenants to avail of a discount of 3% per year of reckonable tenancy, up to a maximum discount of 45%, on the market price of a house they are eligible to purchase under the scheme. This scheme applies only to tenants of 10...