Results 6,641-6,660 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (21 Feb 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Planning Review Report I published, on 12 June 2012, contained 12 actions which entail legislative change and consolidation, revised guidelines and improved management systems in planning authorities. I committed to having the Report assessed by an independent planning expert and, following my approval, Mr. Hendrik van der Kamp was appointed on 18 October 2012 to undertake an independent...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Rental Accommodation Scheme Expenditure (26 Feb 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 428 and 469 together. Since 2008 and up to the end of December 2012 expenditure on the Rental Accommodation Scheme [RAS] came to just over €477 million. Since the scheme commenced in 2005 expenditure has totalled €512.3 million. This following table sets out the annual expenditure from 2008 to 2012: RAS expenditure 2008-2012 Year € ...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Disadvantaged Status (26 Feb 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department’s National Regeneration Programme targets the country’s most disadvantaged communities; those defined by the most extreme social exclusion, unemployment and anti-social behaviour. Regeneration seeks to rebuild these communities by addressing not just the physical environment in which they live but also by investing in the social and economic life of the areas. ...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Unfinished Housing Developments (26 Feb 2013)

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 , including South Tipperary County Council, 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...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Rents (26 Feb 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department collates and publishes a wide range of housing and planning statistics that inform the preparation and evaluation of policy, and those data are available on my Department’s website . Data on rent arrears owing to local authorities are included within this range. However, these data are not broken down by the number of households or by the length of time in arrears....

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Employee Code of Conduct (26 Feb 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Code of Conduct for employees of local authorities was published in June 2004 under Part 15 of the Local Government Act 2001. It is an integral part of the ethical framework for the local government service. The Code includes disclosure requirements concerning employment outside the local government sector and addresses situations concerning a conflict of personal and public interest....

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: National Spatial Strategy (26 Feb 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 449 , 450 and 453 together. The 2002 National Spatial Strategy (NSS) is Ireland’s first national strategic spatial planning framework providing the spatial vision and principles to achieve a better balance of social, economic and physical development and population growth between regions. It serve s as a strategic context for spatial planning in...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Light Pollution (26 Feb 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I refer to the reply to Question No.180 of 20 February 2013 which outlines the position in this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (26 Feb 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: A review of the implementation of the Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011 has been initiated under the overall programme for social housing reform and this process is on-going. It is intended that revised regulations and guidance will issue to housing authorities once the process is complete. In this context consideration will be given to what wider discretion might be given to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (26 Feb 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 464 and 465 together. The property in question was acquired by Dublin City Council in 2007 with a purchase price of €6.7 million. The cost of the acquisition was subsequently recouped to Dublin City Council under my Department’s Social Housing Investment Programme. When the property was purchased the City Council’s intention was to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Regeneration (26 Feb 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department supports a broad range of measures aimed at improving the standard and quality of the social housing stock, including the regeneration of large estates and flat complexes in urban areas, estate-wide remedial works and the retrofitting of older houses and apartments. Over the period 2008 – 2012, some €953 million was recouped to local authorities in respect of...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Provision (26 Feb 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Seventh Annual Report on Service Indicators, published by the Local Government Management Services Board in August 2012, which details service indicators in local authorities in 2010, provides a range of information in relation to the social housing stock in each local authority. Specific information is provided with regard to vacant housing units and on the average number of weeks taken...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme Eligibility (26 Feb 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The 1995 tenant purchase scheme for existing local authority houses close d for new applications on 31 December 2012. I intend to replace that scheme with a new scheme based on the incremental purchase model, involving discounts for tenants linked to household income and a discount-related charge on the property that will dwindle away over a period unless the house is resold or the purchaser...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (26 Feb 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The making, amending and varying of a development plan or local area plan is a reserved function of the elected members of the planning authority for its functional area, in this case Galway County Council who made both the Galway County Development Plan 2009-2015 and the Barna Local Area Plan 2007-2017. In addition Ministerial Guidelines (which are available on my Department’s...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Repossessions (27 Feb 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: Repossession remains extremely rare for local authority borrowers, with only 128 repossessions across all local authority areas carried out between 2005 and 2010. Where repossession does occur it is only as a last resort. Data on local authority mortgage repossessions broken down by local authorities are provided in tabular format below for 2011. Data in relation to 2012 are currently being...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Expenditure (27 Feb 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: Expenditure on the Social Housing Leasing Initiative since it was introduced in 2009 came to just over €47.45 million to the end of January 2013. This includes an amount of €8.35 million, under the Capital Advance Leasing Facility, in repayable advances to Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs ). I have detailed below the cost per year to date. The estimated cost of leased units in 2013...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (27 Feb 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: While under Section 255 of the Planning and Development Acts 2000 – 2012 I may initiate a review of procedures and systems employed by a planning authority in the performance of its functions under the Acts I am precluded , under section 30 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, from involvement in relation to any particular case, including an enforcement matter, with which a...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (27 Feb 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The adoption of individual development contribution schemes is a reserved function of the locally elected members of each planning authority. It is a matter for the members to determine the level of contribution and the types of development to which they will apply. It is my understanding that Dublin City Council’s development contribution scheme was adopted before the final...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Schools Building Programme Applications (27 Feb 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I am responding to this Adjournment debate on behalf of the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn. I hope to clarify some issues for the Senator and I thank her for raising it as it provides me with the opportunity to clarify the current position of the application for alternative accommodation in respect of Kilcolgan Educate Together national school. To ensure that every...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Schools Building Programme Applications (27 Feb 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I will most certainly do that. The public procurement guidelines obviously have to be followed. I am not certain whether a temporary facility would need planning permission because I do not know the details but I will certainly pass on the Senator's concerns to the Minister and ask him to contact her directly.