Results 3,181-3,200 of 7,024 for speaker:Willie Penrose
- Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (15 Sep 2011)
Willie Penrose: On 16 June 2011 I launched the Government's new housing policy statement which will serve as a framework for a series of legislative and policy initiatives in the short to medium term. Based on a number of fundamental principles and goals that will form the foundation of a substantial reform programme, the new framework for housing policy responds to current and emerging conditions in the...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (15 Sep 2011)
Willie Penrose: I refer to the reply to Question No. 144 of 13 July 2011 which sets out the position in this matter. Proposals continue to be progressed through the work of the interdepartmental steering group and working groups.
- Written Answers — Housing Management Companies: Housing Management Companies (15 Sep 2011)
Willie Penrose: My Department has no function in relation to the operation of property management companies. The Multi Unit Developments Act 2011 which falls under the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality, regulates the management and operation of such companies. The Residential Tenancies Act 2004 sets out more generally the obligations of landlords and tenants in the broader private...
- Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (15 Sep 2011)
Willie Penrose: My Department is not aware of any anomalies regarding applications for social housing on medical grounds. However, my Department is aware that the wording on the new social housing application form, which mentions 'consultants reports', may give rise to difficulties in some cases. In June 2011, my Department issued advice to local authorities that a consultant's report is not essential in...
- Written Answers — Expenditure Reviews: Expenditure Reviews (15 Sep 2011)
Willie Penrose: The Dublin Docklands Development Authority was established both to secure the social and economic regeneration of the Dublin Docklands area on a sustainable basis and to secure improvements in its physical environment. Since its establishment in 1997, the Authority has overseen the urban regeneration of the Docklands area into a vibrant city quarter, realising considerable achievements in...
- Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (15 Sep 2011)
Willie Penrose: My Department gathers aggregate data on enforcement activity from planning authorities, including data on the number of warning letters issued under Section 152 of the Planning Act and the number of enforcement notices issued under sections 154 and 155 of the Planning Act together with the number of prosecutions initiated on foot of these enforcement notices. The most recently available data...
- Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (15 Sep 2011)
Willie Penrose: The provisions of Council Directive 85/337/EEC on the assessment of the effect of certain public and private projects on the environment (the EIA Directive, as amended in 1997 and 2003) were transposed into Irish legislation by the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) and the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 (as amended). Schedule 5 of the 2001 Regulations specifies...
- Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (15 Sep 2011)
Willie Penrose: I propose to take Questions Nos. 104 and 105 together. Under the shared ownership scheme houses are acquired by a local authority and leased to shared owners, who purchases at least 40% of the value of the house and rents the remaining equity from the local authority. The local authority finances the transaction by borrowing from the Housing Finance Agency. The shared owner must purchase...
- Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (15 Sep 2011)
Willie Penrose: I propose to take Questions Nos. 106 to 108, inclusive, together. On 16 June 2011 I launched the Government's new housing policy statement which will serve as a framework for a sequence of legislative and policy initiatives in the short to medium term. Based on a number of fundamental principles and goals that will form the foundation of a substantial reform programme, the new framework for...
- Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (15 Sep 2011)
Willie Penrose: Detailed data are being finalised and I expect to be in a position to release the statutory Housing Needs Assessment figures for 2011 shortly. The total number of households on the local authority waiting lists nationally, the "net need", amounts to just under 100,000 households. The Government's new housing policy statement, launched in June 2011, will serve as the framework for a sequence...
- Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (15 Sep 2011)
Willie Penrose: No funding restrictions have been placed on local authorities for the purposes of providing loan finance for house purchase or home improvement. Allocations totalling over â¬51m issued to local authorities for House Purchase and House Improvement lending in April 2011, an increase of almost â¬20m (or 61%) on the 2010 allocation of almost â¬31m. These allocations represent borrowings...
- Written Answers — Services for People with Disabilities: Services for People with Disabilities (14 Sep 2011)
Willie Penrose: It is open to any person or household to apply to a housing authority for an assessment of their housing need. Each application will be considered by the relevant housing authority to determine whether an applicant for social housing support is eligible for and in need of that support having regard to the particular circumstances of the case. When considering an application for social...
- Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (14 Sep 2011)
Willie Penrose: Under my Department's Social Housing Improvement Programme, funding of up to 90% of the approved cost is provided to Housing Authorities to undertake improvement works to occupied and vacant social housing units, including works to improve the energy efficiency and general standard of the houses concerned. Some â¬31 million is being made available for this purpose in 2011. My Department...
- Written Answers — Voluntary Housing Schemes: Voluntary Housing Schemes (14 Sep 2011)
Willie Penrose: My Department's involvement with the 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 local authorities. Approved housing bodies are responsible for the proper...
- Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (14 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. Mayo County Council submitted a proposal under my...
- Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (14 Sep 2011)
Willie Penrose: I propose to take Questions Nos. 531 and 542 together. In Case C-66/06, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) found that Ireland's system of screening projects to assess the requirement to carry out environmental impact assessment (EIA) for certain categories of agriculture development was over-reliant on size thresholds and did not take sufficient account of other relevant criteria such as...
- Written Answers — Inland Waterways: Inland Waterways (14 Sep 2011)
Willie Penrose: While works that could materially impact on rivers and river beds, such as the deepening or widening of the river bed, would require planning permission, other minor type works, such as the removal of accumulation of silt and debris (such as might accumulate after winter floods, for example) from a river and the restoration of the watercourse to its original condition would be classed as...
- Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (14 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 the Act best supports the PRTB's key functions and on whether legislative amendments would support either the achievement of additional operational efficiencies by the PRTB in the...
- Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (14 Sep 2011)
Willie Penrose: Under the Planning and Development Acts 2000 - 2010, all development, unless specifically exempted under the Acts or associated Regulations, requires planning permission. Any development that is carried out without planning permission, or that does not comply with the terms of a planning permission, is unauthorised development, and may be subject to enforcement action by a planning...
- Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (14 Sep 2011)
Willie Penrose: Funding of â¬6.115 million, of which â¬4.4 million relates to the provision of new social housing stock, was allocated to Donegal County Council under my Department's Social Housing Investment Programme for 2011. To date, some â¬5.147 million of the overall allocation has been drawn down by the Council. All of the available capital funding for new local authority social housing projects...