Results 7,981-8,000 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Funding (6 Feb 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Work is currently underway in my Department on preparing the capital allocations under the various housing measures which comprise the Social Housing Investment Programme for 2014. I intend to announce details of these allocations as soon as possible. As part of this process, I am reviewing the existing levels of contractual commitments on approved housing projects and the potential to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Coastal Erosion (11 Feb 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Foreshore Act 1933 defines foreshore as the bed and shore, below the line of high water of ordinary or medium tides, of the sea and of every tidal river and tidal estuary and of every channel, creek and bay of the sea or of any such river or estuary and the outer limit of the foreshore is to be determined in accordance with section 1A of the Foreshore Act. The State Property Act 1954...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments Implementation (11 Feb 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 371 and 372 together. On 18 July 2013, the Government approved the introduction of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). Approval was also given for the provision of funding to the local authorities to cover the cost of accommodating HAP recipients, and it was agreed that the Department of Social Protection (DSP) would provide for the implementation of the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Rental Accommodation Scheme Criteria (11 Feb 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Rental Accommodation Scheme is a targeted scheme to cater for the accommodation needs of persons in receipt of rent supplement, normally for more than 18 months, and who are assessed as having a long-term housing need. In that context the primary objective of RAS is to accommodate rent supplement recipients where it is deemed that they now have a long-term housing need. The 18 month...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Anti-Social Behaviour (11 Feb 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Statistics are not available to my Department in relation to the number of anti-social behaviour officers employed by housing authorities and my Department does not provide funding to authorities in respect of such staff. Housing authorities furnished to my Department the 2012 statistics set out in the following table that correspond to the information relating to anti-social behaviour...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Emergency Accommodation Provision (11 Feb 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation for homeless persons rests with the housing authorities and the purposes for which housing authorities may incur expenditure in addressing homelessness are prescribed in Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988. While it is clear that a proportion of funding must be used to provide sufficient bed capacity to accommodate those...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Regeneration Projects Funding (11 Feb 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Work is currently under way in my Department on preparing the capital allocations under the various housing measures which comprise the Social Housing Investment Programme for 2014. I intend to announce details of these allocations as soon as possible. As part of this process, I am reviewing the existing levels of contractual commitments on approved housing projects and the potential to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Mortgages (11 Feb 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 394 to 396, inclusive, together. The Government’s 2011 Housing Policy Statement announced the standing down of all affordable housing schemes, including the shared ownership scheme, in the context of a full review of Part V of the Planning and Development Acts 2000-2013. Details regarding the review are available on my Department’s website . ...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Mortgage to Rent Scheme Funding (11 Feb 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: On foot of the recommendations of the Keane Report on mortgage arrears, the Government launched a Mortgage to Rent scheme on a pilot basis in February 2012. This scheme was extended nationally in June 2012, targeting those low income families whose mortgage situation is unsustainable and where there is little or no prospect of a significant change in circumstances in the foreseeable future....

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Tree Remediation (11 Feb 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I have no plans to develop legislation or guidelines for local authorities in this regard at present. Planning legislation places no specific restrictions on the height of trees. Complaints relating to matters such as trees or shrubs overhanging a property are normally addressed, where necessary, under civil law between the parties concerned. I understand that Section 70 of the Roads Act,...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Expenditure (11 Feb 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Under my Department’s Social Housing Investment Programme, funding is provided to housing authorities in respect of a range of measures which include the construction and acquisition of houses and apartments by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies, the regeneration of large social housing estates and flat complexes, estate wide remedial works, energy efficiency and...

Recent Flooding: Statements (12 Feb 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: That is hyperbole.

Recent Flooding: Statements (12 Feb 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: One would swear the Deputy was not in government for 14 years.

Recent Flooding: Statements (12 Feb 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I am conscious that we are speaking about a situation which continues to evolve. At present, people are experiencing the ravages of the storms which continue to hit our country. There has been a whole-of-Government response to this matter from the outset. The very first person to come to Limerick in order to see what was happening there was Mr. Sean Hogan, who is present in the Chamber and...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Functions (12 Feb 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The taking in charge of an estate, which is provided for under section 180 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, is a matter for the local authority concerned and I have no power to direct them in this regard. Local authorities are separate, independent statutory bodies whose members are directly elected and therefore accountable to the electorate. Section 63(3) of the Local...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (12 Feb 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: In 2013 my Department provided in excess of €3.5 million to North Tipperary County Council in respect of all the measures included in the Social Housing Investment Programme. This included €442,851 for the purchases of houses in Ballina, Nenagh and Roscrea. In the case of the properties at Ashbury, Roscrea, my Department recently requested North Tipperary County Council to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Provision (12 Feb 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Regulation 12 of the Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011 prescribes the timescales for the processing of applications by housing authorities for social housing support, including timescales for the submission by an applicant of any additional information requested by an authority. In order for an application to be processed by a housing authority, the application form must be fully...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Rents (13 Feb 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Housing authorities are responsible, under section 58 of the Housing Act 1966, 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. The current statutory basis for determining local...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (13 Feb 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: In line with the recommendation contained in the Final Report of the Mahon Tribunal, the Government, at its meeting on 7 May 2013, approved proposals for the preparation of a new Planning and Development Bill to establish a new Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR). The primary function of the OPR, which will be established with an independent corporate identity, will be to carry out...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Repossessions (13 Feb 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The table below sets out data provided by housing authorities to my Department concerning the numbers of dwelling repossessions under section 62 of the Housing Act from 2010 to 2012 , broken down by ground for repossession. My Department is currently collating corresponding data for 2013. Information is not collected on the characteristics of households whose dwellings were repossessed or...