Results 1,081-1,100 of 2,386 for speaker:Michael Finneran

Social and Affordable Housing. (24 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: In regard to vacant properties, we have asked for an updated audit. I recently allocated almost €20 million to local authorities throughout the State to bring housing stock back into use. It is expected that some 1,500 of those vacant houses will be turned around. We are allowing €15,000 per unit, which would be 75% of the cost, with local authorities providing the remainder from their...

Social and Affordable Housing. (24 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: The Department maintains ongoing contacts with the local authorities which also inform us about the feedback they are receiving. Some local authorities have taken a focused approach to sales, particularly in the Dublin region, and consult the Department regularly. We continue to monitor developments in this regard. The Deputy will be aware that I recently introduced an implementation plan...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (24 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: Minimum standards for rental accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2008, made under section 18 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992. All landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that their rented properties comply with these regulations. Responsibility for enforcing the regulations rests with the relevant local authority,...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (24 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: My Department collates and publishes a wide range of housing statistics that inform the preparation and evaluation of housing policy. Among the areas of activity covered are statistics on: · the delivery of various social and affordable housing supports, · housing construction activity, · inspections in the private rented sector, and · house prices and lending activity. My Department...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (24 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: Under my Department's Capital Assistance scheme, funding of up to 100% of the approved cost is provided, through the local authorities, to approved housing bodies for the provision of accommodation for groups with special housing needs including the elderly, the homeless and persons with an intellectual or physical disability. Details of the capital funding provided under the scheme for the...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (24 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: The Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) registers tenancies in accordance with the provisions of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004. While the Act requires landlords to register tenancies in respect of private rented dwellings there are certain classes of dwellings that do not fall within the provisions of the Act such as, for instance, dwellings let by local authorities, dwellings...

Written Answers — Local Authority Funding: Local Authority Funding (24 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: My Department's involvement with the Housing Adaptation Grant schemes for Older People and People with a Disability relates primarily to the recoupment of a proportion of local authority expenditure on the payment of individual grants. These schemes, introduced in November 2007, are funded by 80% recoupment available from my Department, together with 20% contribution from the resources of...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (24 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: I propose to take Questions Nos. 54 and 161 together. The number of households on a local authority's waiting list continuously fluctuates as households on the list are allocated housing and new households apply for housing support. It is up to individual housing authorities to plan their social housing investment programmes having regard to the specific social housing priorities in their...

Written Answers — Property Sector: Property Sector (24 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: The Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) was established as an independent statutory body in September 2004 and has its principal functions in the areas of: Ø The registration of private rental tenancies; Ø The resolution of disputes between tenants and landlords; Ø The provision of information, assistance and advice to the Minister on the private rental sector. These functions...

Written Answers — Housing Finance Agency: Housing Finance Agency (24 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: In general, following consideration by the Board of the Housing Finance Agency (HFA), the rates charged to local authority borrowers are normally adjusted in line with movements in European Central Bank (ECB) rates. However, given that the correlation between ECB rates and interbank rates (i.e. the rates at which the Agency itself borrows) is atypical and volatile at present, the Agency, in...

Written Answers — Children in Care: Children in Care (24 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: The provision of accommodation specifically for children, where necessary, is a matter for the Health Service Executive. Accommodation of children in family contexts is provided for through a range of housing supports operated by local authorities. I am not aware of significant issues arising for local authorities in connection with children taken into care. However, in the event of issues...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (24 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: Accepting an offer of accommodation in the voluntary sector is the same as accepting an offer of local authority accommodation, it is seen as having met the housing need of that household. It is unreasonable to expect that where a household has agreed that its housing needs can be met adequately in the voluntary sector the household would remain on a local authority waiting list on the basis...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (24 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: Estimates obtained from a number of local authorities and the Affordable Homes Partnership during the first quarter of 2009 indicated that the number of affordable units on hands nationally was in the region of 3,700 units at that stage. As indicated in the reply to Question No. 577 on 22 April 2009, local authorities were requested to provide data in relation to their affordable housing...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (24 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: To date 9 housing authorities and 1 approved housing body have received approval in principle to enter into advanced negotiations in respect of some 478 units under the new leasing arrangements. These authorities are Dublin City Council; South Dublin, Laois, Wexford, Limerick, Sligo, Meath and Leitrim County Councils; and Sligo Borough Council. In relation to the projects approved, no lease...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (24 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: The data my Department currently collects in relation to allocations are limited to the total number of lettings made by an authority in an individual year. The Central Statistics Office, however, collects data on the number of people with a disability and the types of accommodation in which people with disabilities live, including local authority housing. The 2006 census shows that 12% of...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (24 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: My Department has no function in the operational matters of the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB), which is an independent statutory body established under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004. The PRTB may be contacted at its offices at O'Connell Bridge House, D'Olier Street, Dublin 2 or by telephone or email. Contact details are available on the Board's website at www.prtb.ie.

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (24 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: The management and maintenance of their housing stock is a matter for individual local authorities under section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. Tenancy agreement provisions set out in the Housing Regulations 1980 confer responsibility for maintenance of parts of dwellings, particularly the interior, to tenants. Good Practice Guidelines for local authorities on the Repair and Maintenance of...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (24 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: The Public Accounts Committee, in its report Taxation of Rental Income Receipts published on 4 September 2008, recommended that the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 should be amended to enable the Revenue Commissioners to have full access to landlord records held by the PRTB for the purposes of enabling tax compliance checks. My Department has accepted this recommendation and, in conjunction...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (25 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: In the text of the Bill as amended in the select committee there are a number of incorrect references to sections of the Bill. I ask the Acting Chairman, Deputy John Cregan to instruct the clerk of the Dáil to make the following corrections to the text of the Bill: In page 48, line 2, to delete "section 39" and substitute "section 46". In page 48, line 3, to delete "section 39" and...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (25 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: The effect of Deputy Lynch's proposed amendments has already been provided for by the more comprehensive and far-reaching amendments I presented to the select committee to place the making of homelessness action plans on a statutory basis. I presume the Deputy does not wish to press these amendments in favour of my own substantive amendments which have been strongly endorsed by the MakeRoom...