Results 8,941-8,960 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: We discussed that issue on an earlier amendment.

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: We allocated money recently as part of a stimulus package. Money is not always available throughout the year. There is money available because two stimulus packages were announced by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and my Department received €50 million from each package for social housing. Currently, money is available for the refurbishment of specific houses and...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I welcome Deputy Coppinger. On Second Stage, when she was not a Member of the House, we had many contributions relating to people's absolute frustration at seeing houses they could be living in lying empty for years and seeing kitchens being thrown out when they were on the housing waiting list. It is something that everybody in this House feels very strongly about, regardless of our...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The amendment relates to a new section 29A proposed to be inserted into the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 that empowers the Minister to prescribe amendments to terms of existing local authority tenancy agreements that are consequential to new or existing legislative provisions. It would not be appropriate to limit the application of this new section to procedures for...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Let me explain exactly what an excluding order for a minor can and cannot do. Under an amendment to the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1997, included in the Bill, an excluding order cannot exclude a minor from the family home. This is critical. What it can do is exclude a minor from being in another house or place such as a green area or set of local shops where anti-social...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The legislation concerns the point at which a case goes to court. In many ways, what the Deputies are looking for is much earlier intervention. Deputy Catherine Murphy has asked me specifically whether I will return to this issue. It will not be under this legislation because I do not believe it is appropriate to it. However, I am planning to meet the Minister for Children and Youth...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The ten days is a minimum, not a maximum, period. I will be advising housing authorities that, generally speaking, they should give longer notice than the minimum period but occasionally there will be cases where the minimum notice only can be given because of the necessity for the housing authority to move quickly to repossess the dwelling. Section 62 of the Housing Act 1966, which is being...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: We are all trying to achieve a fair balance between giving people due warning while at the same time ensuring that where there are serious problems, the local authority has some powers to deal with them. In some ways this amendment is going in the opposite direction to the previous amendment in so far as the Bill states that the housing authority must give the household at least two months...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I had more or less finished what I was saying, having addressed the various issues involved. For example, Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked about the status of the legislation on the guidelines. We will update the guidelines because of this Bill; therefore, we will take account of the points made in this debate.

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (11 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: On the general point of people building up rent arrears, most Members are aware that under the new scheme proposed in this Bill there will be deduction at source and the local authorities will not be able to take more than 15% of the person's income in respect of arrears, which addresses the point about people taking on more than they can afford and trying to pay back huge amounts of money...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (11 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I accept the Deputy's point, but it is not appropriate to the letter. A council should take various measures to address anti-social behaviour.

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (11 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: There are already guidelines in place on rent arrears which are applicable to all local authorities. I do not know how a code of conduct would be different from guidelines - they are pretty much the same. The guidelines deal comprehensively with the various aspects of rent management through rent assessment, collection and accounting and place the emphasis on rent arrears prevention and...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (11 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The tenancy warning is a specific legislative measure with a particular purpose. I am adding it to the existing procedures of housing authorities to help them to deal with instances of anti-social behaviour in their housing stock. It is part of the ongoing communication, but it has a specific purpose. The purpose of a tenancy warning is to inform a tenant that a condition of his or her...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (11 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The proposed amendment uses the term "A tenant in all dealings with a local authority" should have the right to an advocate. Therefore, we are talking about all dealings with a local authority, not just dealings relating to eviction. I agree we need good practice for all and if it is necessary for me to communicate more fully with local authorities with regard to this, I will do that....

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Order for Report Stage (11 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I move: "That Report Stage be taken now."

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (11 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can understand from where the amendments are coming, but I am concerned to ensure the local authority communicates well with tenants. My concern is that if there was a blanket requirement to permit a local authority tenant to have an authorised delegate in all dealings with the local authority, it could hinder and delay the normal process of landlord and tenant communications. In the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Issues (11 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Government’s 2011 Housing Policy Statement announced the standing down of all affordable housing schemes in the context of a full review of Part V of the Planning and Development Acts 2000-2013. Details regarding the review are available on my Department’s website: Action 9 of the recently published Construction 2020 – A Strategy for a Renewed Construction...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Provision (10 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: There are no funds specifically designated under the Social Housing Investment Programme for the purpose of facilitating local authority tenants wishing to downsize. A number of housing authorities, in the context of the management of their overall social housing stock, have traditionally operated such schemes within their housing programmes.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (10 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I expect the final output across all social housing programmes for 2014 to be in the region of 6,000 new housing units as set out in the following table. Delivery method Number Rental Accommodation Scheme 2,500 Leasing, including: 400 NAMA sourced properties and 350 Mortgage to Rent Scheme 1,200 Social Housing Investment Programme 200 Capital Assistance Scheme 2 75 Regeneration...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Rental Accommodation Scheme Administration (10 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The target number of households to be transferred under the Rental Accommodation Scheme in 2014 remains at 4,000. Transfers under the scheme can be to RAS accommodation in the private rented sector or to other social housing options. Since the scheme commenced in late 2005 and to the end of Quarter 1 2014 some 48,894 households have been transferred from Rent Supplement to RAS and other...