Results 3,161-3,180 of 7,024 for speaker:Willie Penrose

Written Answers — Unfinished Housing Developments: Unfinished Housing Developments (21 Sep 2011)

Willie Penrose: I have established and 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 is meeting on a regular basis with the aim of publishing a report on progress achieved within the next 12...

Local Authority Rates (21 Sep 2011)

Willie Penrose: I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter for debate, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister. Rates income is a very important contribution to the cost of services provided by local authorities such as roads, water, public lighting, development control, parks and open spaces. The continued provision of these services is essential to creating and maintaining the local...

Local Authority Rates (21 Sep 2011)

Willie Penrose: As I stated in my introductory remarks, the Government is acutely aware of the pressures on small and medium-sized businesses at the present time. The Minister of State, Deputy Perry, is dealing with various competitiveness and cost issues that will certainly incorporate some of things raised by Deputy Daly. The Deputy's point about vacant properties is well made. Local authorities have...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (20 Sep 2011)

Willie Penrose: Part 3 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provision) Act, 2009 provides for an incremental purchase scheme in respect of newly – built houses reserved by housing authorities for the purpose. Regulations to implement the Incremental Purchase Scheme for new homes were made in June 2010. The scheme is available to all housing authorities. I am not aware of any completed purchases to date under...

Written Answers — Unfinished Housing Developments: Unfinished Housing Developments (20 Sep 2011)

Willie Penrose: I have established and 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 is meeting on a regular basis with the aim of publishing a report on progress achieved within the next 12...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (20 Sep 2011)

Willie Penrose: My Department's involvement with voluntary and co-operative housing schemes relates primarily to the provision of funds for individual projects. The detailed administration of the schemes, and the certification that projects comply with the terms and conditions of the funding schemes, are the responsibility of the relevant local authority. Under the terms of the Capital Loan and Subsidy...

Written Answers — Local Authority Funding: Local Authority Funding (20 Sep 2011)

Willie Penrose: My Department received e-mail correspondence from Sligo Borough Council on 30 August 2011 in connection with the proposed improvement works to O'Connell Street together with copies of motions adopted by the Borough Council relating to these works and traffic management arrangements locally. The Council also advised that only the planning and design phase of the proposed works to O'Connell...

Written Answers — Deposit Protection Scheme: Deposit Protection Scheme (20 Sep 2011)

Willie Penrose: The Residential Tenancies Act 2004 regulates the tenant-landlord relationship in the private rented residential sector. My Department conducted a review of the Act in 2009 with a specific emphasis on whether it best supports the PRTB's key functions and whether legislative amendments would support the achievement of additional operational efficiencies by the PRTB in the delivery of those...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (20 Sep 2011)

Willie Penrose: Tenant purchase schemes are open to applications from eligible tenants in accordance with the relevant regulations and the terms of the schemes adopted by individual local authorities. The eligibility criteria for the schemes do not exclude recipients of carer's allowance nor any other category of applicant by reason solely of their occupation or their being in receipt of social welfare...

Seanad: Planning Issues. (20 Sep 2011)

Willie Penrose: I thank Senator Clune for raising this important issue. The Senator will be well aware that a key objective of the programme for Government is to get people back to work. This is being reflected in policy and programme development across all Departments, agencies and local authorities and will continue as a key priority over the coming years. Local authorities, including in their role as...

Seanad: Planning Issues. (20 Sep 2011)

Willie Penrose: The guidelines were there, but the updated guidance will be issued shortly to the local authority and, hopefully, that will clarify the issues.

Seanad: Meitheal Forbartha na Gaeltachta (20 Sep 2011)

Willie Penrose: The Minister is away on Government business and cannot be here. Meitheal Forbartha na Gaeltachta Teoranta, MFG, is an independent company with its own board of management and memorandum and articles of association which has responsibility under company law for the proper stewardship of the company. My Department has no role in the internal operations of local development or partnership...

Seanad: Meitheal Forbartha na Gaeltachta (20 Sep 2011)

Willie Penrose: This is an issue I will follow up in the context of the particular matter the Senator has raised.

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (15 Sep 2011)

Willie Penrose: I propose to take Questions Nos. 20 and 49 together. Leasing is a form of social housing support that, along with the Rental Accommodation Scheme and more traditional forms of support is provided by local authorities to meet a person's housing needs. The recent statement on the Government's housing policy, published by Minister Penrose on 16 June, referred to the provision of housing support...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (15 Sep 2011)

Willie Penrose: The Housing Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2009 gives legislative recognition to rental accommodation availability agreements as a form of social housing support. Consequently, since 1 April 2011, RAS tenants are now considered to be in receipt of social housing support and should not generally remain on the housing waiting lists for new applicants for social housing. In recognition that...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (15 Sep 2011)

Willie Penrose: A person occupying a house under the shared ownership scheme can sell their house at any time provided they have bought out the local authority's share and have acquired full ownership of the dwelling. Full ownership may be achieved either by purchasing, from time to time, additional shares of the authority's equity or a single outright purchase of its remaining equity. The cost of...

Written Answers — Retail Sector Developments: Retail Sector Developments (15 Sep 2011)

Willie Penrose: In response to the requirement in the EU/IMF Programme of Financial Support for Ireland for an economic analysis of the potential impact on competition and consumer prices of eliminating or relaxing the floorspace cap on retail premises, my Department and the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation commissioned Forfás to undertake an evidence-based and focused study to analyse the...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (15 Sep 2011)

Willie Penrose: Under the new system of social housing assessment that came into force on 1 April 2011, overcrowding continues to be one of the criteria for determining a household's need for social housing support. I am not aware of any particular issue relating to housing authorities removing households from their housing lists on the grounds that their living conditions have now been determined not to be...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (15 Sep 2011)

Willie Penrose: The Social Housing Allocation Regulations give each housing authority the option of including choice-based letting as a means of allocating dwellings in its allocation scheme under section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009. The Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency has advised housing authorities on my behalf that choice-based letting can be a useful approach to...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (15 Sep 2011)

Willie Penrose: Under the Dublin Docklands Development Authority Act 1997, the Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) is required to prepare a Master Plan for the area to guide its social, economic and physical regeneration. The Act also provides that the Authority's Master Plan identify those parts of the Dublin Docklands Area where planning schemes would be appropriate. Section 25 of the Act...