Results 7,801-7,820 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (4 Mar 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I refer to the reply to Question No. 1404 of 30 January 2008. The position is unchanged.

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (4 Mar 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department recently advised city and county councils of indicative budgets for the 2008-2010 period in respect of the local authority social housing programme and the Capital Loan and Subsidy Scheme of funding for social housing projects promoted by voluntary and co-operative housing bodies. In that context, the housing authorities concerned have been requested to plan a social housing...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (4 Mar 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 578 and 580 together. I have no function in relation to these matters as the operation of complaints systems and staffing arrangements for inspections relating to private rented accommodation are the responsibility of individual local authorities. However, in discharging these responsibilities, authorities should have regard to the report — Good Practice...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (4 Mar 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information requested, in relation to members of the Private Residential Tenancies Board, is set out in the following table. PRTB Board Membership on 4 March 2008 Name Background Tom Dunne (Chairperson) Head of School of Real Estate and Construction Economics, Dublin Institute of Technology Anne Colley Solicitor Orla Coyne Solicitor Liam Gleeson Assistant Principal Officer,...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (28 Feb 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Question 75: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if a person (details supplied) in County Limerick will qualify for a tax refund. [8639/08]

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (28 Feb 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Question 100: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will expedite the case of a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [8641/08]

Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (28 Feb 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Question 121: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will examine the case of a redundancy payment for a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [8644/08]

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (27 Feb 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. Measures to...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (27 Feb 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I refer to the reply to Question No. 1404 of 30 January 2008. A scheme for the tenant purchase of local authority apartments will be introduced as soon as practicable after enactment of the necessary legislation.

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (27 Feb 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department is actively engaged in improving heating standards in local authority housing. Since the introduction of the central heating programme in 2004, my Department has provided grants worth € 94 million for the installation of central heating in some 19,600 local authority houses. In line with our commitments in the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion 2007-16, this scheme...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (27 Feb 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Landlords are obliged to apply to the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) to register tenancies of their dwellings, in accordance with the Residential Tenancies Act 2004. Under section 144 of the Act, if the PRTB considers that a tenancy exists which ought to be registered and has not been the subject of a registration application, it must serve statutory notice to the landlord in...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (27 Feb 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Board of the Private Residential Tenancies Board must number not less than nine and not more than fifteen members, including the Chairman. Board membership currently consists of thirteen people from legal, academic and relevant sectoral backgrounds, along with one local authority official and one official from my Department. Nine of the Board members were appointed on 28 October 2004, one...

Social and Affordable Housing. (27 Feb 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am aware of information regarding vacant dwellings published by the Central Statistics Office as part of the 2006 census results, which was derived from analysis of cases where census forms were not received from dwellings by enumerators. The total number of dwellings reported vacant by the CSO on this basis on census night, 23 April 2006, was 266,000. This represented approximately 15%...

Social and Affordable Housing. (27 Feb 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to address the vacant houses figure, which the CSO puts at 50,000. There is an acceptance that tax issues relate to many holiday homes and that there is a significant further number of holiday homes.

Social and Affordable Housing. (27 Feb 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will understand the dual abode situation obtaining in Dublin. A significant number of people own second homes, particularly in Dublin, where they conduct business.

Social and Affordable Housing. (27 Feb 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: They have bases of work in Dublin and homes elsewhere. Given market trends, there is an overhang of approximately 30,000 vacant units in the country, of which 5,500 are in the Dublin area. It is important to remember that certain developers have generated significant buyer interest by reducing prices. The House will recall a 28% increase in house prices in the 18-month period between 2005...

Social and Affordable Housing. (27 Feb 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The question put by the Deputy concerned the overhang of houses, but he is discussing a separate issue.

Social and Affordable Housing. (27 Feb 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy is discussing RAS. As part of our development plan in the 2008 to 2010 period, we will transfer an additional 1,000 new units from the private sector. There is ample evidence that many developers are making private accommodation available to RAS if there is an overhang in the market. We will continue with our policy. This year, we will spend €2.5 billion in the affordable and...

Social and Affordable Housing. (27 Feb 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: We will spend €18 billion in the period of the national development plan, which is unprecedented.

Social and Affordable Housing. (27 Feb 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Of course.