Results 3,521-3,540 of 7,024 for speaker:Willie Penrose

Written Answers — Local Authority Funding: Local Authority Funding (10 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: My Department is providing a capital allocation of €2 million to Sligo Borough Council in 2011 in respect of proposals for the regeneration of the Eastern Quadrant of Sligo. This includes a provision of €500,000 in respect of improvement works to facilitate the pedestrianisation of O'Connell Street. My Department understands the Borough Council is at present preparing a programme of...

Written Answers — Unfinished Housing Developments: Unfinished Housing Developments (10 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: The Unfinished Housing Developments Interim Report, published on 17 February 2011, is available to download from my Department's website at www.environ.ie. I received the final Report of the Advisory Group on Unfinished Housing Developments on 6 May 2011; I will consider its findings and recommendations as a matter of urgency and will bring proposed actions and recommendations to Government...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (10 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: I propose to take Questions Nos. 252 to 254, inclusive, together. The allocations notified to Sligo County Council and Sligo Borough Council under the various measures contained in my Department's Social Housing Investment Programme (SHIP) for 2011 are set out in the table. The allocations for next year will be determined in the light of the budgetary provision for the SHIP in 2012. ...

Written Answers — Unfinished Housing Developments: Unfinished Housing Developments (10 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: It is a matter for owners of unfinished housing developments to ensure that such properties in their possession within these developments are adequately insured. I have no role in the matter.

Written Answers — Foreshore Licences: Foreshore Licences (10 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: Since the transfer of certain foreshore functions into my Department on 15 January 2010, significant work has been undertaken to improve the throughput of foreshore applications and to modernise the consent process involved. There are now 300 active applications for a lease or licence currently on hand. These applications vary in terms of size of project, level of complexity and state of...

Written Answers — Local Authority Funding: Local Authority Funding (10 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: A submission requesting funding approval in the amount of €3.512 million in respect of Stage 3 of the Mullaghmatt Remedial Works Scheme was received in my Department from Monaghan Town Council on 14 January, 2011. The cost plan has been examined and the Council has been asked to revise the proposal to facilitate the phased implementation of this scheme. My Department understands the...

Written Answers — Forestry Sector: Forestry Sector (10 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: Section 4(1) of the Planning and Development Act 2000 sets out development which is exempted from the requirement to obtain planning permission, including "development consisting of the thinning, felling and replanting of trees, forests and woodlands, the construction, maintenance and improvement of non-public roads serving forests and woodlands and works ancillary to that development, not...

Electoral (Amendment) (Political Donations) Bill 2011: Second Stage (10 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: At the outset, I acknowledge that the Bill contains some good and welcome proposals and I would not take issue with a number of the points made by Deputy Ó Cuív. However, in many respects the Bill is too limited and narrowly focused. It also contains a number of flaws that would make some of its intended provisions unworkable. The Government has a more ambitious programme for the reform...

Schools Building Projects (10 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and giving me an opportunity to outline to the House the position of the Department of Education and Skills regarding the allocation of funding for Abbeystrewry national school near Skibbereen in County Cork. In July 2008, the...

Community Development (10 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: I thank Deputy Bannon for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton. The community services programme is designed to address locally identified gaps in the provision of services to communities and exploit the potential of community assets and resources already in place in support of the delivery of services to...

Local Authority Housing (10 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: I thank my party colleagues, Deputies Ciarán Lynch and Kevin Humphreys, for raising this important matter and am pleased to have the opportunity to inform the House of the position with regard to the proposed scheme for the tenant purchase of apartments. The sale of local authority apartments to tenants has a long and chequered history, as outlined by my colleagues, due largely to the...

Electoral (Amendment) (Political Donations) Bill 2011: Second Stage (10 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: We are poor too.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (5 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: I refer to the reply to Questions Nos. 379 and 421 of 3 May, 2011 which sets out the position in relation to this matter.

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (4 May 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. In the case of works to improve the energy efficiency of a dwelling, authorities are...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (4 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: Under planning legislation, the decision as to whether to grant a planning application, with or without conditions, is a matter for the relevant planning authority in the first instance, in this case Dublin City Council, and for An Bord Pleanála in the case of an appeal. I understand that planning permission for mixed use development was granted by the Council on 19 November 2003 subject to...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (4 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: The sixth Annual Report of the Local Government Management Services Board, published in February 2011, and which details service indicators in local authorities in 2009, shows the average number of weeks it takes each local authority, from the date of vacation of a unit to the date when all necessary repairs are carried out, to relet a unit. In the case of Dublin City Council, this was 19.5...

Written Answers — Communications Masts: Communications Masts (3 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: In general, planning permission must be obtained for the erection of an antenna support structure or mast. Under Article 6 and Schedule 2 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, certain classes of development carried out by a statutory undertaker authorised to provide a telecommunications service are, subject to specified conditions, exempted development for the purposes of the...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (3 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: I propose to take Questions Nos. 379 and 421 together. Under the terms of the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability, which is administered by the local authorities, grants are available to assist households to have necessary repairs or improvement works carried out in order to facilitate the continued independent occupancy of their homes. Three...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (3 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: The project referred to is a small infill development of 9 social units, intended to address issues of antisocial behaviour and an identified housing need in this area. The Council submitted a tender recommendation report in December 2010 and my Department issued approval to accept the recommended tender in March 2011 with a budget cost of €1.2m. The Council's proposal stated that the site...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (3 May 2011)

Willie Penrose: I refer to the reply to Question No. 123 of 20 April 2011, which set out the position in this matter.