Results 6,241-6,260 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Topical Issue Debate: Coastal Erosion (8 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy stated earlier that he is primarily addressing this issue to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. I will convey his concerns to the Minister, Deputy Coveney. By way of clarification, I am responsible for foreshore licence applications. There is a specific application for a foreshore licence to construct a flood defence system at Burrow Beach in Portrane. On the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Domestic Violence Refuges (8 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department is responsible for providing funding for accommodation and related expenses for homeless persons which in some cases involves the provision of funding towards the operational costs of domestic violence refuges. Statutory responsibility for policy on developing and providing services aimed at tackling domestic violence rests with the Department of Health and is delivered...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Charges (8 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: The information sought in the question is not available in my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Unfinished Housing Developments (8 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: As part of the process of preparing the National Housing Development Survey 2011, published by my Department in October 2011, local authorities provided details of all unfinished housing developments in their areas. Unfinished housing developments were divided into four categories as follows: - Category one, where the development is still being actively completed by the developer, or where...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Maintenance (8 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: TheImprovement Works in Lieu (IWIL) scheme allows local authorities to improve or extend privately owned accommodation which is occupied or intended to be occupied by an applicant approved for social housing as an alternative to the provision of social housing. Under my Department’s Social Housing Investment Programme for 2012 , funding of €6 million was allocated to housing...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 436 and 436 together. I have no plans to extend the deadline for the tenant purchase scheme. Under the current arrangements, applicants may submit an application up to 31 December 2012 to purchase their home and housing authorities will have until 31 December 2013 to finalise sales under the scheme. It is my intention to replace the tenant purchase scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Alternative Energy Projects (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: I have not had any such meetings. However, my Department met with Element Power in February 2012 regarding consent required under the Foreshore Act 1933 for work associated with a proposed project.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Unfinished Housing Developments (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: I am chairing the National Co-ordination Committee on Unfinished Housing Developments to oversee implementation of the Report of the Advisory Group on Unfinished Housing Developments, together with the Government’s response to the recommendations. The Committee includes representatives from the Irish Banking Federation, local authorities, the Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency,...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Special Areas of Conservation (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: Under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, an appropriate assessment is required to be carried out by a planning authority or An Bord Pleanála, as the case may be, in an application for permission or substitute consent, in a case where it cannot be excluded, on the basis of objective information, that the development, individually or in combination with other plans or...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: I join the Minister in congratulating the Chairman and thank the committee for the opportunity to engage with it. I will concentrate particularly on the housing programme. The significant challenges faced in the housing area within the current budgetary climate are clear to all. Therefore, in allocating the resources likely to be available to me in 2013, I intend to continue to focus the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: First, I am in regular discussion with the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, on the issue of the transfer of rent supplement from her Department to the local authorities. We have brought two memos to Government. The full roll-out of it will not happen next year. We intend to begin with a pilot phase sometime next year. It is obviously a major change to which the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: We have not yet determined exactly how we will do that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: We are working on guidelines on all of these matters, especially the rents.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: Deputy Cowen asked about the capital budget for housing. Unfortunately, because of the state of the country, we only have what is in hand. The capital budget contained €1.8 million in 2009; €1.4 in 2010; just over €1 million in 2011; €895,000 in 2012 and a further reduction for next year. We have to provide housing within that budget. We are concentrating on...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: The unfortunate fact is that we have to live within the bounds of the situation in which we find ourselves-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: -----as a country. The Deputy well knows the reasons for that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: Local authority debt is a serious issue, as the Deputy will know, and the HFA is working with the local authorities to find the most efficient way of dealing with these issues. It is generally a matter between the local authorities and the HFA; the Department does not engage directly in this regard.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: As I said, the HFA engages on a case-by-case basis with the local authorities concerned to address those issues, but there are issues around debt.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: Deputy McLoughlin asked me questions on three areas. On the unfinished housing estates, €5 million was allocated nationally this year in regard to public safety issues, and this has not all been drawn down yet. I chair an ongoing committee on unfinished estates and we have required the local authorities to have site resolution plans for the estates in their various areas. NAMA...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: Those questions are nearly all for me. I thank Deputy Ó Fearghaíl for the constructive suggestions he made which we will examine. He referred to grants and the possibility of a fair deal-type approach to them. There is merit in such an approach. He also inquired about a tenant purchase scheme for the voluntary sector. We will introduce an incremental purchase scheme in the near...