Results 8,861-8,880 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Other Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (17 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The housing summit will be held on Friday and is very much concerned with looking for proposals and ideas. I am sure the Deputy will have an opportunity to feed into that. The strategic investment bank will be able to lend to builders. We have set it up. I could refer to history although I really do not want to do that but the Deputy raised the issue of funding. He knows very well that...

Other Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (17 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: That is a fact. Very few social houses were built at a time when there was a huge amount of construction going on-----

Other Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (17 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: -----in what are now unfinished housing estates in various parts of the country.

Other Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (17 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: If the Deputy is going to criticise us for not having capital to spend on housing, I am going to tell him why that is.

Other Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (17 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: We have commenced mainstream construction but the quickest way to provide houses this year and next is to address the empty, boarded-up local authority houses. That is why we have directed a significant sum for this year and next year to those, which will bring more than 1,700 units back into use. Then we will start construction. As soon as we can get funding, we will construct more. We...

Other Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (17 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: We have commenced that discussion and will continue it in conjunction with my Government colleagues. The strategic investment bank will be able to lend to builders, there is extant planning permission for a large number of units throughout the country but particularly in the greater Dublin area, including County Kildare, I hope. We want to see the construction industry up and running....

Other Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (17 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I thank Deputy Durkan for his comments. The Housing Agency produced some fairly specific figures recently on projected needs over the next number of years. As I stated, work is also being done on what can be done for people in private rented accommodation and particularly the lower end of that sector. We know the number of people are on various schemes and systems, as well as the waiting...

Other Questions: Architectural Heritage (17 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy made a fair case. Her question did not refer specifically to Moore Street but if there is anything we can do on the matter in respect of our own responsibilities, I will certainly consider it. There are specific guidelines in regard to developments that affect a protected structure or an architectural conservation areas. I could state the guidelines for the Deputy but I do not...

Other Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (17 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 68, 70 and 75 together. On 14 May 2014, the Government published Construction 2020: A Strategy for a Renewed Construction Sector. Action 1 of the strategy provides that a national framework for housing supply is to be established on a statutory footing with an annual national statement of projected housing supply and demand published every June. I have...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (17 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Government has decided to establish the strategic investment bank, so that is going ahead. The Government has not yet made a decision as to what exactly the revised Part V will be. I can assure the Deputy, however, that I am strongly committed to ensuring that the social housing element of that is maintained and that it will deliver units.

Other Questions: Architectural Heritage (17 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Planning authorities are already empowered to protect the architectural heritage in the interest of proper planning and sustainable development within their respective functional areas, and to prevent its deterioration, loss or damage. This role is reflected in the adoption of suitable policies for protecting the architectural heritage in development plans and giving practical effect to...

Other Questions: Architectural Heritage (17 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht has the power to comment both on development plans and on specific development proposals. I would have thought that is the area where such provisions should be made and incorporated into the development plan. As the Deputy knows, the development plan is adopted by the local authority but it is subject to guidelines at national level, both...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (17 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Deputy Wallace is correct that we want to put pressure on the banks and ensure zoned land is built on. All these issues are addressed in Construction 2020. I acknowledge that final decisions have not been made on some elements, including Part V, but I assure Deputy Wallace that I have no intention of caving in to any lobby on Part V. We intend to maintain a Part V. We are looking at...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (17 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The number and method of delivery of social housing units in future years will be determined in the course of the annual Estimates process. The social housing strategy, which is to be published in the third quarter of 2014, will inform the upcoming Estimates discussions. The financial parameters within which we continue to operate will not facilitate a return to large-scale capital funded...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (17 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Those areas are all being explored under the Government's construction 2020 strategy and the social housing strategy we will publish later this year. We are exploring all of these and will use whatever we can. There is no ideological problem, if I can answer for my colleague-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (17 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: -----for either Government party.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (17 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: There is an advantage in the housing assistance payment, HAP, for tenants in so far as they will pay rent the same as local council tenants. At present they have much more insecurity with regard to rent support. There is definitely an advantage for people on rent supplement at present who go on to HAP. They will be allowed to go back to work and retain housing support although the rent...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (17 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: In February 2014, Laois County Council was allocated €242,186 to complete works on several projects under the social housing construction-acquisition programme. In March, I approved funding of €750,000 in respect of the delivery of six housing units in Laois under the 2014-2015 local authority housing construction programme. In May, I approved funding of €397,620 for...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (17 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: As I have said many times before, if we had the capital, we would all like a much larger social housing programme. While we have some commenced mainstream social housing construction, we are exploring whether we can introduce more substantial building programmes that would be off the Government’s balance sheet because we are still constrained by certain fiscal requirements which we,...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The introduction of systems that will ensure rental contributions due from tenants on social welfare are paid directly to the housing authority is central to the implementation of the housing assistance payment, HAP. At the end of 2011 the extent of the accumulated rent arrears across all housing authorities was €53.25 million. By the end of 2012 the figure had risen to €56.4...