Results 7,361-7,380 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Private Rented Accommodation Provision (18 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The most recent quarterly rent index produced by the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) shows an annualised increase of 0.7% in average private rented accommodation rent levels nationally. This increase is driven by the Dublin market, where rent levels have increased by 4.7%, whereas average rent levels in the rest of the country have fallen by 1.3% on a year-on-year basis. ...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grants Funding (18 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I am currently reviewing the terms and conditions of the suite of Grants for Older People and People with a Disability with the objective of targeting those in most need and ensuring that the maximum numbers of households can benefit from these schemes. The means test element of the schemes is one of the issues being reviewed. I intend to announce revised terms and conditions for the grant...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: The information sought is not held by my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Land Ownership (18 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The position remains as outlined in my reply to question no. 371 of 26 June 2012. Final advice from the Chief State Solicitor's Office regarding the appropriate consenting authority for the sublease is still awaited.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Property Taxation Administration (18 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: In accordance with section 58 of the Housing Act 1966, housing authorities are responsible for determining the rents of their dwellings, subject to complying with broad principles laid down by my Department, notably that the rent payable should be related to income and that low-income households should pay a lower proportion of income in rent. Within these parameters, it is a matter for...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: A planning authority has power, under section 202(2) of the Planning and Development Act 2000, to make an order declaring an area to be an area of special amenity, where it considers that this should be done by reason of:“(a) its outstanding natural beauty, or(b) its special recreational value, and having regard to any benefits for nature conservation”.As Minister I have power...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Foreshore Licences Applications (18 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The additional information requested from the applicant was recently submitted and is now being assessed by the Marine Licence Vetting Committee. My Department continues to await advice from the Chief State Solicitor’s Office in relation to ownership of the site.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Unfinished Housing Developments (18 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 922 and 923 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (18 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department continues to work closely with NAMA, the Housing Agency and local authorities in identifying properties suitable for social housing.  Properties that are deemed suitable may be leased or purchased by local authorities or Approved Housing Bodies through engagement with the property owners or, on their behalf, appointed insolvency practitioners, facilitated by NAMA. A...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: Over the course of 2011 and 2012 my Department focused 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 4,700 units were improved at a cost of over €52 million. Some 2,559 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: Wind Energy Guidelines (18 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The existing Wind Energy Development Guidelines were published in June 2006. They provide advice to planning authorities on catering for wind energy through the development plan and development management processes. The guidelines are also intended to ensure a consistency of approach throughout the country in the identification of suitable locations for wind energy development and the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Statistics (18 Sep 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 The CSO publish data relating to the construction industry including; activity of private building and construction f irms , monthly employment index for private firms, the Production in Building and...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Building Regulations Compliance (18 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: It is the responsibility of developers implementing a planning permission and carrying out development to ensure that they are compliant with the terms and conditions of that permission. In turn, the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, places clear statutory obligations on planning authorities in relation to unauthorised development. A planning authority must issue a warning...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Shared Ownership Scheme (18 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Government’s 2011 housing policy statement announced the standing down of all affordable housing schemes, including the shared ownership scheme, as part of the review of Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000. That review was published on 30 July 2013, with an invitation for public consultation by 27 September 2013. I have also asked the Housing and Sustainable Communities...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: The Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2009, introduced a new approach to the sale of social housing whereby social housing tenants, including tenants of approved housing bodies, could acquire new local authority houses and existing apartments under the Incremental Purchase Scheme (IPS). The details of this scheme are avail able on my Department’s website, www.environ.ie . There...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Private Residential Tenancies Board Remit (18 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Residential Tenancies Act 2004 regulates the tenant-landlord relationship in the private rented residential sector. The Residential Tenancies (Amendment)(No.2) Bill 2012 provides for the extension of the provisions of the Act to the not-for-profit approved housing body sector, which will bring an estimated 20,000 additional tenancies within the remit of the Private Residential...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grants Funding (18 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I am currently reviewing the operation of the suite of Grants for Older People and People with a Disability with the objective of targeting those in most need and ensuring that the maximum numbers of households can benefit from these schemes. I intend to announce revised terms and conditions for the grant schemes later this year. Capital allocations to local authorities for next year are...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Grant Payments (18 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The provision of housing within communities for people with specific categories of need is funded for the most part under my Department’s Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS). Expenditure on CAS over the period 2007 to 2012 and the provision for 2013 is set out in the table below. However, it is not possible to disaggregate the expenditure figures to provide information in relation to any...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Proposed Legislation (18 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: While the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 sets out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants in the private residential rented sector covering, inter alia, security of tenure and the termination of tenancies it does not deal with the business decision a landlord makes in choosing to enter into a tenancy with a tenant. I have no plans to amend the legislation in this regard. The...

Topical Issue Debate: Alternative Energy Projects (24 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I thank Deputies Stanley and Colreavy for raising this issue. I am very much aware of the concern about this issue, particularly in the midlands. We must ensure that we take those concerns into account but at the same time, we must recognise the importance of renewable, clean energy for the future of our environment and economy. I stress that the construction of wind farms is subject to...