Results 7,381-7,400 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

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

Jan O'Sullivan: Nor did I.

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

Jan O'Sullivan: Companies cannot sweep aside county development plans. Any planning application is subject to planning rules and must take account of such plans, whether the issue is being decided locally or is going to An Bord Pleanála. There is no nod and wink. I want to make that clear to Deputy Colreavy. It is well to be clear there are two types of wind projects currently being processed -...

Private Members' Business - Cuts in Education: Motion [Private Members] (24 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, will be returning to the House.

Private Members' Business - Cuts in Education: Motion [Private Members] (24 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Minister stated he would be present but he took three of the debates in the Topical Issues slot so he has gone out for a short period. I understand he is coming back for the debate.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Hedge and Tree Height Restrictions (24 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 378 and 404 together. There is no legislation in Ireland regulating the height of trees and hedges. My Department understands that there is no right in Irish law to receive light in a garden and that, while there is a civil remedy of nuisance available in respect of the branches or roots of a neighbour's trees encroaching on one's property, there is no civil...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Foreshore Licences Applications (24 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: This matter continues to be the subject of court proceedings. However, efforts are underway to agree a settlement and the case was recently adjourned to facilitate consideration of the possible terms.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Applications (24 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The primary purpose of social housing support is to ensure that persons and families who do not have sufficient resources to provide accommodation themselves are provided with adequate housing for their needs. 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 the Housing...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (24 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: There are an estimated 25,000 older local authority dwellings with low levels of energy performance due mainly to heat loss through the fabric of the building. On 5 June I announced details of a €50 million energy retrofitting measure for these 25,000 local authority homes under the Government’s additional €150 million capital investment in the economy over 2013-2014. I...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Maintenance (24 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: Local authorities are responsible for the management and maintenance of their housing stock and for the preparation and implementation of planned maintenance programmes and pre-letting repairs to vacant houses. Responsive repairs to tenanted properties in Dublin City, including the replacement of broken windows and doors, are a matter for Dublin City Council. This year my Department is...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Standards (24 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 395 and 396 together. Under my Department’s Social Housing Investment Programme (SHIP), funding is provided to local authorities for a range of measures to improve the quality and standard of the social housing stock, including the regeneration of disadvantaged estates and flat complexes, estate-wide remedial works, the energy retrofitting of older...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Private Rented Accommodation Standards (24 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: Minimum standards for rental accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2008, and the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 made under section 18 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992. These standards represent a significant improvement on those previously in place since 1993 and the revisions took account...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Regeneration Projects Funding (24 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: Under my Department’s Social Housing Investment Programme, funding is provided to local authorities for a range of measures to improve the quality and standard of the social housing stock, including the regeneration of disadvantaged estates and flat complexes, estate-wide remedial works, the energy retrofitting of older properties and the provision of extensions and adaptations to meet...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Provision (24 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I refer to the reply to Question No . 931 of 18 September which sets out the position with regard to the funding of pre-letting repairs to local authority houses.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Unfinished Housing Developments (24 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: As part of the process of preparing the National Housing Development Survey 2011, local authorities provided details of all unfinished housing developments in their areas. The list of developments in which households are eligible for the waiver in 2012 is set out under the Local Government (Household Charge) (Amendment) Regulations 2013. Unfinished housing developments were divided into...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments Implementation (24 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: In March 2012, the Government approved in principle the transfer of responsibility for recipients of rent supplement with an established housing need from the Department of Social Protection (DSP) to local authorities using a new Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). On 18 July 2013, the Government approved the introduction of HAP. Approval was also given for the provision of funding to the local...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (24 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: Under the Derelict Sites Act 1990, local authorities are required to take all reasonable steps, including the exercise of appropriate statutory powers, to ensure that any land within their functional area does not become or continue to be a derelict site. To this end, they have been given substantial powers under the Act in relation to any such sites, including powers to require specified...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment)(No. 2) Bill 2012: Second Stage (24 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I am pleased to be in the House to introduce the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012. The Residential Tenancies Act was passed in 2004 and represented the most significant legislative reform in the private rented sector in over a century. Prior to 2004, the rental market operated in a crude and fragmented manner, governed by outdated Victorian legislation. There was little...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment)(No. 2) Bill 2012: Second Stage (24 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I thank all Senators for their constructive contributions from all sides of the House. I will address the various issues raised, in so far as I can. Senator White raised the capacity of the Private Residential Tenancies Board, PRTB, to deal with the demands on it. A number of Senators, including Senator Reilly, Senator Clune, Senator Landy and others, also raised the matter. In my initial...

Topical Issue Debate: Local Authority Housing Issues (25 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I thank Deputy Catherine Byrne for raising this issue and I know she is extremely concerned about it. On her final point, I intend to meet the new Dublin city manager as soon as possible. I will be addressing with him all the issues to which the Deputy refers. The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including the carrying out of pre-letting repairs, is a matter...

Topical Issue Debate: Local Authority Housing Issues (25 Sep 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I hope to meet the new city manager and the director of service for housing in the near future to address these issues. To add to what I said, we have also submitted a €100 million proposal under the Structural and Investment Funds to the European Union for deep retrofitting of 2,000 apartments and flats, and 1,500 of those are in Dublin city. We are fairly confident that we fulfil...