Results 1,161-1,180 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (22 Apr 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: A review of Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000, undertaken by my Department in 2002 in consultation with a wide range of interested bodies including local authorities and representatives of the house building industry, professional institutes and voluntary housing providers, concluded that greater flexibility in the operation of the Part V mechanism was required. The review was...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (22 Apr 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 84, 103 and 111 together. Standards for rental accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 1993, 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. Failure to do so is an offence, subject,...

Written Answers — Strategy on Homelessness: Strategy on Homelessness (22 Apr 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 85 and 95 together. Reflecting the Government's commitment to tackling homelessness, a revised strategy on adult homelessness is currently being finalised. The new strategy will amalgamate and update the Integrated Strategy on Homelessness (2000) and the Homeless Preventative Strategy (2002), and will build on the recommendations of the independent "Review of...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (22 Apr 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 87 and 96 together. My Department provides significant resources from the proceeds of tenancy registrations collected by the Private Residential Tenancies Board, to assist local authorities in discharging their functions under the Housing Acts in relation to private rented accommodation. The provision of additional funding towards the costs involved is a...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (22 Apr 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Record levels of funding for social and affordable housing are being provided in 2008 with over €2.5 billion available for housing programmes generally. The total Exchequer provision for social housing in 2008 is some €1.57 billion — an increase of approximately 13% on the 2007 outturn. This funding will allow for the commencement of a significant number of new social housing units,...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (22 Apr 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Local authorities may provide sites at low cost to assist persons in need of housing to provide for their own housing. Such housing may be provided either individually, with the help, if necessary, of the other social housing measures including shared ownership, local authority house purchase loans, mortgage allowance, etc. or collectively, through the voluntary housing schemes, special group...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (22 Apr 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 99 and 100 together. A lease is defined in the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 as an instrument in writing, whether or not under seal, containing a contract of tenancy in respect of a dwelling and, therefore, comes within the jurisdiction of the Act. Tenancy registration is a matter for the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB), which is an independent...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (22 Apr 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The minimum standards for rented accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations, 1993. These regulations apply to local authority and voluntary housing units as well as private rented accommodation and local authorities have responsibility for the enforcement of the regulations in relation to all properties — local authority, voluntary and private....

Written Answers — Local Authority Funding: Local Authority Funding (22 Apr 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Identified as a key action in the Government's housing policy statement, Delivering Homes, Sustaining Communities, the Sustainable Communities Fund provides revenue funding to local authorities for a range of practical pilot initiatives, including community regeneration initiatives and actions to address anti-social behaviour, which have potential for wider replication among housing...

Written Answers — Strategy on Homelessness: Strategy on Homelessness (22 Apr 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department recoups 90% of expenditure by local authorities for the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons under section 10 of the Housing Act 1988. Funding to local authorities for homeless persons under section 10 has increased significantly in recent years and will exceed €53 million in 2008. My Department is not aware of any issues relating to the...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (22 Apr 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am aware of the importance of the arrangements provided for in the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2007 whereby eligible persons due to transfer to the Rental Accommodation Scheme [RAS] can return to full-time employment or take up a training position and continue to remain eligible for rent supplement. It is a matter for individual housing authorities, in this case Dublin City Council, to...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (22 Apr 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Under the social housing reform agenda, as set out in the Government's Housing Policy Statement, Delivering Homes, Sustaining Communities, there is a commitment to the reform of housing allocation policy. Proposals for a new allocation policy have been developed by my Department in consultation with the County and City Managers' Association, and have been discussed and endorsed by the...

Written Answers — Housing Aid for the Elderly: Housing Aid for the Elderly (22 Apr 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: While insulation works are generally eligible for support under the Housing Aid for Older People Scheme, administration of the scheme including the processing and approval of individual applications, is a matter for the relevant local authority and is one in which my Department has no direct function. I have been advised by Dublin City Council that an application has not been received from...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (22 Apr 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: It is a function of each local authority to manage the administration of its affordable housing schemes, including consideration of any issues that may arise in relation to legal powers. My Department was aware of the approach being considered by the City Council which has, I understand, been discussed by the elected members on a number of occasions. I further understand that, following a...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (22 Apr 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The making and amending of rent schemes is the responsibility of local authorities as an integral part of their housing management functions, subject to broad principles laid down by my Department in Circular letter HRT 3/2002 of 6 March 2002. Decisions on whether or not to disregard either a proportion of income or particular sources of income, including the living alone allowance and the...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (22 Apr 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The allocation in each of the past five years is as follows: Kildare County Council Athy Town Council â'¬ million â'¬ million 2007 45.0 3.0 2006 36.0 2.5 2005 26.0 2.0 2004 19.0 1.0 2003 19.0 0.3 I will shortly announce the housing allocations for 2008.

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (22 Apr 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Government's long-established policy on housing is to enable every household to have available an affordable dwelling of good quality, suited to its needs, in a good environment and, as far as possible, at the tenure of its choice. Our approach to achieving this policy objective is that those who can afford to do so should provide for their own housing, with the aid of certain fiscal...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (22 Apr 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Detailed information on the number of houses built by housing authorities is available in my Department's Annual and Quarterly Housing Statistics Bulletins, copies of which are available on my Department's website www.environ.ie and in the Oireachtas Library. The 2005 assessment of need for social housing indicated that there were 43,684 households on local authority housing waiting lists....

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (22 Apr 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: All housing authorities have transferred cases from Rent Supplement to the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) since the commencement of transfers in September 2005. To date, over 11,400 households with long-term housing need have been accommodated in either voluntary, or other social housing options or in private rented accommodation, with the latter meeting the needs of some 3,246 of these...

Written Answers — Voluntary Sector Funding: Voluntary Sector Funding (22 Apr 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Following the provision of grant assistance of €70,000 in 2007, my Department has received an application from the organisation concerned for further funding in 2008 under the grant-in-aid scheme which provides funding towards the administrative and general expenses of certain non-profit, voluntary housing bodies which conduct research or provide information, advice or training in relation...