Results 7,161-7,180 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Issues (18 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: A copy of the resolution referred to was received in my Department on 11 June. The inclusion of a household by a housing authority on its list of qualified households is a matter for the housing authority concerned under the provisions of section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, regulation s made under that section, and having regard to the particular circumstances of...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Fire Service Issues (18 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I have recently published Keeping Communities Safe (KCS) as national policy for the future direction of fire services in Ireland. The document was prepared by the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management in my Department through a collaborative process, which included consultation with stakeholders. The intention is to ensure that Ireland continues to manage its fire risk...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments Implementation (18 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Government's legislative programme for the Summer 2013 Parliamentary session includes a Housing Bill expected to be published later this year providing, among other matters, for the new Housing Assistance Payment Scheme to replace rent supplement in the case of households with a long-term housing need . The relevant Heads are currently being developed in tandem with the business...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Issues (18 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: Tenancy problems experienced by social housing tenants should be referred to the relevant local authority in the first instance, and addressed through the authority’s complaints procedure. Should a social housing tenant feel s/he was unfairly treated, or not be satisfied with the local authority’s handling of the problem, it is open to the tenant to contact the Office of the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Issues (18 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Government’s Housing Policy Statement, published in June 2011, identifies approved housing bodies (AHBs) as key partners in the delivery of social housing. This recognises both the constrained funding levels available for local authority construction programmes and the capacity and track-record of the voluntary and cooperative housing sector. AHBs are uniquely placed to help...

Seanad: Housing (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (18 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Housing (Amendment) Bill 2013 makes technical changes to section 31 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 relating to the charging of local authority rents, which is an important element in the social housing framework. The Bill is necessary because the Parliamentary Counsel has advised that text in section 31(5) of the 2009 Act precludes the enactment from being commenced...

Seanad: Housing (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I thank all of the Senators on all sides of the House who participated in the debate. I thank them for their support for the Bill. A number of issues were raised. Generally, there was a positive response to a few developments, one being the move towards harmonisation. Senator Aideen Hayden described the 40 shades of the differential rent scheme across the country. We are trying to move...

Seanad: Housing (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: That type of discretion was heretofore the remit of local authority managers, but elected members will now have a function in this regard. We have yet to draft the regulations on exactly what their role will be, but they will be able to exercise an element of discretion. At the same time, however, we intend to retain the concept of harmonisation so that tenants across the country will be...

Seanad: Housing (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: Certainly.

Seanad: Housing (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The intention is that 80% of income from the property tax will be retained within the local authority to which it is paid, with an equalisation thereafter to ensure smaller councils do not lose out. In other words, local authorities will be paying most of the moneys raised to themselves. I do not intend to be prescriptive in terms of how they should pay for the element of it that relates to...

An Bille um an Dara Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Deireadh a Chur le Seanad Éireann) 2013: An Dara Céim (Atógáil) - Thirty-second Amendment of the Constitution (Abolition of Seanad Éireann) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (19 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: There is much more to it than that.

An Bille um an Dara Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Deireadh a Chur le Seanad Éireann) 2013: An Dara Céim (Atógáil) - Thirty-second Amendment of the Constitution (Abolition of Seanad Éireann) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (19 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: That is a bit of an exaggeration.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (19 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: Data in respect of enforcement action taken by local authorities, generally, are available on my Department's website. However, the specific information sought is not available to my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grants Funding (19 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The requirement to reduce public expenditure to sustainable levels is impacting on capital programmes all across the public service, including my Department’s housing capital programme. The level of capital funding available has declined significantly in recent years along the lines highlighted in the Medium Term Exchequer Framework for Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2012-2016....

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (19 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The enforcement of the conditions attached to a planning permission is a matter for the relevant planning authority and I have no role in that regard. Under section 30 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, I am specifically precluded from exercising any power or control in relation to any particular case with which a planning authority or An Bord Pleanála is or may be concerned,...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Finance Agency Issues (19 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Board of the ECB announced decisions to reduce the main refinancing rate by 0.25% in July 2012 and again in May 2013. The Housing Finance Agency's rates are not predicated on base rates afforded by the ECB, as its funding is sourced through the EU/IMF programme of financial support and dictated by EURIBOR. Independently of the ECB rate cuts, the Agency has reduced the rate it charges to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Maintenance (19 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: Over the course of 2011 and 2012 my Department focussed almost exclusively on refurbishing vacant properties with the objective of bringing as many as possible of these back into productive use. Over that period some 4,7 00 units were improved at a cost of over €52 million. Some 2,659 units were refurbished in 2011 and a further 2,115 in 2012. Given the concentration on vacant...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Ministerial Meetings (19 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Presidency Report of the Roundtable Discussion of EU Ministers with Responsibility for Homelessness which I hosted in Leuven on 1 March 2013 during the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union has been published on the EU presidency website, and circulated to all participating ministries. A note of the discussion has also been published and circulated. Details of the event...

Seanad: Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998: Motion (19 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The House will be aware that the Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 was passed in the wake of the murder of 29 people by the Real IRA in Omagh on 15 August that year. It was a necessary response to that atrocity and the loss of 29 innocent lives. That bombing and those murders also represented a direct attack on the fragile peace process and the State as a major sponsor of it....

Seanad: Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998: Motion (19 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I thank the Members for their support, particularly Senator Byrne who spoke on behalf of Fianna Fáil, and Senator Barrett. It is clear that there is very strong support in this House as in the other House for the legislation. There remains a substantial threat from terrorist activity, particularly from dissident republican paramilitary groups which warrant the continuance in force of...