Results 9,181-9,200 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (1 May 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The procedures for assessing the eligibility of households for social housing support and allocating that support were overhauled and updated in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated regulations and in guidance issued to housing authorities. As regards allocations policy, section 22 of the 2009 Act provides that the Minister’s approval is not required to a...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Rental Accommodation Scheme Administration (1 May 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The original objectives of the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) were set out in a Government decision in July 2004 to provide ‘a more structured approach to long-term rental housing assistance need through the development of medium or long-term contractual arrangements with private accommodation providers, along with social housing provision where appropriate’. The current...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Issues (1 May 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The financial parameters within which we continue to operate will not facilitate an early return to large-scale capital funded local authority housing construction programmes. Earlier this year, I signalled a return to modest levels of new social housing construction with an announcement of 1,000 new housing starts over the 2014-2015 period. I see this as the commencement of a new rolling...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme Administration (1 May 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Government yesterday approved the text of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014 and its presentation to the Dáil. Among other things, the Bill will underpin a new incremental purchase scheme for existing local authority houses , involving discounts for purchasing tenants linked to household income, rather than length of tenancy as was the case under the 1995 scheme ....

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homelessness Strategy (1 May 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation for homeless persons rests with the housing authorities. The purposes for which housing authorities...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (1 May 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 26 and 30 together. Section 180 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, sets out the process by which local authorities can take in charge housing estates. When taking an estate in charge under the terms of this provision, a planning authority must take in charge any roads, open spaces, car parks, sewers, water mains, or drains within the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grant Funding (1 May 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: On 16 January 2014, I announced details of the capital allocations under the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability. The schemes are funded by 80% recoupments available from my Department , together with a 20% contribution from the resources of the local authority . The detailed administration of the schemes , including the assessment, approval and...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Private Residential Tenancies Board (1 May 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) was established under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 to operate a national tenancy registration system and to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants in the private rented residential sector. My Department conducted a review of the Act in 2009 which included a specific focus on whether the Act best supports the PRTB’s key...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Loans (1 May 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: There are two types of house purchase loan available from local authorities: standard annuity loans targeted at lower income first time buyers and those under the Home Choice Loan scheme which are available to qualifying middle income first time buyers affected by the "credit crunch". The terms and conditions governing the operation, including eligibility terms, of annuity mortgages and the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Seaweed Harvesting Licences (1 May 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: There are currently 10 applications for licences to harvest seaweed under the Foreshore Act 1933 before my Department. These applications are from both individual and commercial applicants and are at various stages of the assessment process. Of the 10 applications, 4 are deemed to be sufficient for assessment purposes and are available to view on my Department’s website at; The public...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Unfinished Housing Developments (1 May 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The information requested was compiled as part of the 2012 National Housing Survey and can be downloaded from the Housing Agency’s website by clicking 2012 Individual County Figures at the following link: .

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Unfinished Housing Developments (1 May 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 121 and 133 together. Budget 2014 contains a special provision, in the form of a targeted €10m Special Resolution Fund (SRF), to assist further in addressing the legacy of unfinished housing developments. The SRF is designed to encourage the resolution of the remaining tranche of unfinished developments identified in the National Housing Development...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (1 May 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The finalisation of any outstanding planning related matters affecting the development concerned are a matter for Kildare County Council and I have no function in such matters. Following the insertion of subsection (2A) into section 180 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, by the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2010, planning authorities are not prevented from taking in charge...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Tenancy Deposit Protection Scheme (1 May 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Programme for Government contains a commitment to establish a tenancy deposit protection scheme. On foot of this commitment I asked the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) to commission research on such a scheme and to report back to me with recommendations in that regard. The subsequent report assessed a number of different options for delivery of a deposit protection scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Private Rented Accommodation Rental Costs and Controls (1 May 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The private rented sector is an increasingly important element of the housing market, with the proportion of households in the sector almost doubling in the period 2006-2011. Against this background, the growing evidence of increasing rents, particularly in Dublin, is a cause for concern. The recent publication of the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) rent index for the fourth...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (1 May 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Some €35 million is being set aside for a programme of works under my Department’s Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS) which provides funding to Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) of up to 100% of the approved costs of accommodation for people with specific categories of housing need, including older persons, persons with a disability, homeless persons and victims of domestic violence....

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Shared Ownership Scheme (1 May 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Government’s 2011 Housing Policy Statement announced the standing down of all affordable housing schemes, including the shared ownership scheme, in the context of a full review of Part V of the Planning and Development Acts 2000-2013. Details regarding the review are avail able on my Department’s website: . In 2013, I asked the Housing Agency to conduct a standalone review...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Provision (1 May 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 129 and 138 together. The report on the 2011 Housing Needs Assessment contains details on waiting list numbers for each local authority which were recorded from 1993 to 2011 under the tri-annual social housing needs assessment carried out under Section 9 of the Housing Act 1988. The report is available on my Department’s website at . The latest social...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grant Data (1 May 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: On 16 January 2014 I announced details of the capital allocations under the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability . Funding was increased in 2014 to €38.4 million and every local authority received increased funding for grants compared to 2013. So far, some €3 million of the 2014 provision has been drawn down by local authorities. ...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (1 May 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I commenced a public consultation in December 2013 on proposed “draft” revisions to the 2006 Wind Energy Guidelines focussing specifically on the issues of noise, setbacks and shadow flicker. These draft revisions propose: - The setting of a more stringent day and night noise limit of 40 decibels for future wind energy developments; - A mandatory minimum setback of 500 metres...