Results 641-660 of 2,386 for speaker:Michael Finneran

Written Answers — Housing Aid for the Elderly: Housing Aid for the Elderly (10 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: The allocations to the Health Service Executive under the Special Housing Aid for the Elderly (SHAE) Scheme are determined by a Task Force, which operates under the aegis of my Department. While the scheme has been closed to new applications since 1 August 2008, having been replaced by the Housing Aid for Older People Scheme, the HSE is continuing to process applications on hands at that...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (10 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: The Residential Tenancies Act 2004 provides for the supply, by the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB), of tenancy registration details to the Revenue Commissioners, on a case by case basis. The Public Accounts Committee 2nd Interim Report on the Taxation of Rental Income Receipts, published in September 2008, recommended that the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 should be amended to...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (10 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: No meeting was scheduled between my Department and representatives from Liberty House. However, my Department recently had a meeting with officials from Dublin City Council at which proposals for the redevelopment of Liberty House were formally submitted. My Department will now consider these proposals and will respond to the Council in due course.

Written Answers — Public Private Partnerships: Public Private Partnerships (10 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: Since the announcement in May 2008 that a number of housing regeneration Public-Private Partnership projects would not be proceeding as planned, my Department has worked closely with Dublin City Council to ensure that all possible avenues for moving these projects forward are examined. Although I am aware that the multi-disciplinary team, established within the Council to identify the next...

Written Answers — Traveller Accommodation: Traveller Accommodation (10 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: Since the enactment of the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, each local authority has adopted two successive Traveller Accommodation Programmes. In the course of the first programmes, covering the four-year period 2000 to 2004, some 1,371 additional Traveller families were provided with permanent, secure accommodation. Over the same period, there was a 50% reduction in the number of...

Written Answers — Local Authority Mortgages: Local Authority Mortgages (10 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: As stated in the reply to Question No 220 of 26 November, in general, following consideration by the Board, the rates charged to local authority borrowers are normally adjusted by the Board of the Housing Finance Agency (HFA) in line with movements in European Central Bank (ECB) rates. However, given that the correlation between ECB rates and interbank rates (i.e. the rates at which the...

Written Answers — Local Authority Funding: Local Authority Funding (10 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: I refer to the reply to Question No. 359 of 9 December 2008.

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report and Final Stages (10 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: These amendments all deal with the subject of homeless action plans and in so doing return to an issue that was raised by a number of Senators on Second Stage and Committee Stage. It is an issue about which I, as Minister of State with responsibility for housing, am concerned also and that is why I published The Way Home in August 2008. As I have indicated to Senators previously, The Way...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report and Final Stages (10 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: As I stated, the implementation plan is being worked on as we speak and I hope to have it in place before Christmas. It would be inappropriate to put the cart before the horse. I stated on Second Stage and Committee Stage, and I reiterate on Report Stage, that I intend to bring forward the parts of the implementation plan that require legislative underpinning. As stated, the House will...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report and Final Stages (10 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: Amendments in the names of a number of Senators on the issue of tenancy support services were tabled and discussed on Committee Stage. The amendments sought to make provision for housing authorities to undertake to offer tenancy services in the sense of providing support to tenants to sustain and continue with their tenancies. As promised on Committee Stage, I have examined this matter with...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report and Final Stages (10 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: These amendments generally seek to expand the list of bodies and persons with which the housing authority formally consults on housing service plans. I do not consider the combination of amendments adds to the provision. I am satisfied the list in paragraph (f) is sufficiently broad to cover the groups referred to in the proposed amendments. When work is completed on the homeless action...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report and Final Stages (10 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: I indicated to the House on the Committee Stage debate on section 16, dealing with the preparation and making of a housing services plan, that I would examine this amendment, which proposed to extend the timeframe from six week to eight weeks within which the bodies or persons notified in accordance with section 16(1) must make their observations on the housing services plan. I have carried...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report and Final Stages (10 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: As I indicated on Committee Stage, I am satisfied that the word "social" in its normal use, that is, pertaining to human society and its members, is sufficiently broad to encompass economic, cultural, ethnic and other issues. Therefore, I do not propose to accept the amendment.

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report and Final Stages (10 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: As I stated, I prefer to use the broader encompassing term, "social". This is how I wish it to remain, which is the reason I do not propose to accept the amendment.

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report and Final Stages (10 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: This amendment is not necessary. Subsection (3) will allow housing authorities, where they consider it necessary, to assess households which have been receiving rent supplement for a specified period which have not applied for local authority housing. These would generally be households which become known to the housing authority by virtue of them being potential clients of the rental...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report and Final Stages (10 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: A very accommodating Minister of State.

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report and Final Stages (10 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: The intention of section 20(5) is to underline the seriousness of actions such as the breach of tenancy agreement or non-payment of rent. The consequence of these actions is that they are to be taken into consideration by a housing authority in determining the household's eligibility for further support. The subsection, as amended on Committee Stage, provides that a household that was...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report and Final Stages (10 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: This amendment seeks to require a Minister to regulate, whereas the Bill uses the normal drafting convention that a Minister may make regulations. The amendment is unnecessary. It is the intention of the provisions that the Minister will make the necessary regulations. Drafting convention is that the power to make regulations is an enabling power in that it permits the Minister to do so...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report and Final Stages (10 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: Subsection (6) provides that the Minister may make regulations providing for the description and classification of household need. It is intended that these regulations would include a revised classification system for housing needs centred on severity and persistence of need. It is proposed to base the revised classification system, in as much as is possible, on the model developed by...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report and Final Stages (10 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: I appreciate the Senator's concern to ensure that there are timely assessments of need. However, this is adequately covered by section 20 which deals with individual assessments and section 21, which deals with the summary of assessments. My intention is to have more regular reporting on summary of assessments of needs. The whole intention of changing the current regime is to provide more...