Results 9,401-9,420 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Other Questions: Private Rented Accommodation Rental Costs and Controls (12 Mar 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 38 together. The Government’s housing policy statement recognises that a balanced housing sector needs a strong and well-regulated private rented sector. In recent years improvements have been made, for example, in regard to security of tenure and the resolution of disputes. The Government recently approved the drafting of amendments to the...

Other Questions: Wind Energy Guidelines (12 Mar 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I have undertaken a public consultation, which began on 11 December 2013, on proposed draft revisions to the existing 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines focussing specifically on the issues of noise, setback and shadow flicker. The draft revisions propose setting a more stringent absolute noise limit, day and night, of 40 decibels, dB, for future wind energy developments. This limit...

Other Questions: Wind Energy Guidelines (12 Mar 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: There are wind guidelines currently and these are quite detailed. They will apply until the new guidelines are adopted. That is the answer to the first question. On the second question with regard to minimum distance, the 500 m minimum distance is not statutory and we propose to make it statutory in the revised guidelines. Effectively, we propose to eliminate shadow flicker in the new...

Other Questions: Wind Energy Guidelines (12 Mar 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I suppose the issue of community gain is one that is being considered across Government as something that should be part of the discussions in all of this, but Deputy Rabbitte's Department would have some of the responsibility in this area as well. With regard to compensation, that would not come into the area of responsibility under our Department in so far as it is the planning element of...

Other Questions: Wind Energy Guidelines (12 Mar 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: It is a matter for the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Rabbitte, and, I presume, for the agencies under his Department, rather than for ours.

Other Questions: Wind Energy Guidelines (12 Mar 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: As I stated, for example, we will be strengthening the distance.

Other Questions: Wind Energy Guidelines (12 Mar 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: When something is a statutory guideline, they must have regard to it.

Other Questions: NAMA Social Housing Provision (12 Mar 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: We have no evidence that NAMA is not identifying the suitable properties. I have figures for this part of the world. In Deputy Boyd Barrett's constituency 114 properties were available for consideration and 58 of those have been completed or contracted. In Dublin city there were 247 and 115 have been completed or contracted; in South Dublin 42 were available and 40 have been completed or...

Other Questions: NAMA Social Housing Provision (12 Mar 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: We will be starting a debate on social housing after these questions. My Department, the Housing Agency and NAMA continue to work together with housing authorities and approved housing bodies in identifying suitable NAMA housing units and bringing them into social housing use. By the end of December 2013, of the 4,374 units identified by NAMA as being potentially suitable, 2,055 units have...

Other Questions: NAMA Social Housing Provision (12 Mar 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy asked for the figures.

Other Questions: NAMA Social Housing Provision (12 Mar 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: We have got 2,000.

Other Questions: NAMA Social Housing Provision (12 Mar 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The NAMA properties are by no means all housing. There is a big portfolio of NAMA properties. The Government committed to delivering 2,000 units from NAMA for social housing. NAMA identified over 4,000 properties as potentially suitable but the local authorities deemed only just over 2,000 of those to be suitable. There is no point taking a house from NAMA that is situated in a place where...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Unfinished Housing Developments (12 Mar 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I understand the local authority has intervened and the lights are working. If there is anything further we need to investigate with regard to the estate we certainly will do so. We asked local authorities to categorise estates and this information was used to draw down the public safety initiative. We have moved on to the site resolution fund of €10 million which I announced...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Unfinished Housing Developments (12 Mar 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: We are genuinely trying to resolve all these issues and we have had a number of mechanisms, the current one being the site resolution fund. Recently I chaired a meeting with representatives of all the various interests involved. We intend to get to a point where these estates are ready to be taken in charge by the local authorities. There are ongoing issues and I concede there are issues...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Unfinished Housing Developments (12 Mar 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I am chairing the national co-ordination committee on unfinished housing developments to oversee implementation of the report of the advisory group on unfinished housing developments, together with the Government’s response to the recommendations. In March 2011, my Department launched the public safety initiative, PSI, which provided funding to address immediate public safety issues....

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Issues (12 Mar 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Government’s 2011 Housing Policy Statement clearly outlines that the priority for Government is to meet the most acute needs of households applying for social housing support. Government is responding to these needs through a variety of mechanisms and more flexible funding models. To maximise the social housing gain from constrained resources, the social housing leasing...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Unfinished Housing Developments (12 Mar 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I refer to the reply to Question No. 3 on today’s order paper. I am chairing the National Co-ordination Committee on Unfinished Housing Developments to oversee implementation of the Report of the Advisory Group on Unfinished Housing Developments, together with the Government’s response to the recommendations. My Department launched the Public Safety Initiative (PSI) in March...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (12 Mar 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: In 2014, funding of over €587 million is being made available across a range of housing programmes. This includes a €50 million capital stimulus to support construction and related programmes, of which some €15 million will be used to support a new social housing construction programme and €15 million for a targeted measure aimed at returning vacant and boarded-up...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Rental Accommodation Scheme Administration (12 Mar 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) commenced in late 2005 and to the end of December 2013 some 47,911 households have been transferred from Rent Supplement to RAS and other social housing options. My Department does not hold information on the number of households in RAS at any given time. Numbers in RAS constantly vary as contracts end, tenants move on to other properties, landlords...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Unfinished Housing Developments (12 Mar 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: 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 any housing estate even if it has not been completed to the satisfaction of the planning authority in accordance with the planning permission. My Department has no information...