Results 9,941-9,960 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Other Questions: Local Authority Housing Provision (23 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I point out a simple fact: it takes quite some time to build a house. We need to use methods such as leasing in the short term in order to provide houses next year for people who are on the waiting list. We are starting a construction programme. We have finally stabilised the spending and are starting to increase the spending, which is quite an achievement, considering that we are coming...

Other Questions: Local Authority Housing Provision (23 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: Part of the delivery next year will be bringing voids back into use again - I know there are many of them particularly in the Dublin and Cork regions.

Other Questions: Local Authority Housing Provision (23 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: And the waiting list was growing.

Other Questions: Local Authority Housing Provision (23 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I did not say that. Let me explain-----

Other Questions: Local Authority Housing Provision (23 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: First, the Deputy is using fairy-tale figures.

Other Questions: Local Authority Housing Provision (23 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: If the Deputy believes we could build that number of houses with that amount of money, I think he has another thing coming. Perhaps Deputy Wallace might enlighten him on the cost of building houses.

Other Questions: Local Authority Housing Provision (23 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I just explained that, but the Deputy was not listening. I explained the figure for next year is partly to do with bringing voids back into use, which can be done somewhat quicker than constructing. Generally speaking it will take at least a year to construct a housing development.

Other Questions: Local Authority Housing Provision (23 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: That is why much of the money next year will be delivering through voids. As we move on - we hope we will get more stimulus money - we are developing and we will increase a house-construction programme. We are in a real world where capital budgets have had to be shrunk.

Other Questions: Local Authority Housing Provision (23 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: We are also carrying out an assessment of the waiting list. That list needs to be updated so we can get accurate figures. The Deputy should be happy that we are finally spending a little more money given that we have had to reduce it over the past five years.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Local Authority Housing Provision (23 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The overall housing budget will remain more or less as it was last year, but that is across different functions. The extra €30 million will be added onto the capital budget for construction, which had been steadily dropping over the past few years. All capital budgets have been declining significantly but we expect to have an additional 500 new units from the construction stimulus...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Local Authority Housing Provision (23 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: There was a cut that the Deputy's own government had agreed year by year-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Local Authority Housing Provision (23 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: There was an agreement made by the Deputy's party, when it was in government, that the capital budgets would be cut gradually over a period of five years, and they were built into our figures over the last three years, unfortunately including cuts for this year, which I regret very much and which most Deputies have raised here over the year. There will be some increase in the private house...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Local Authority Housing Provision (23 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: They will not all be constructed. Some of them are coming from a variety of ways, as I said in my initial reply.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Alternative Energy Projects (23 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: Extensive work in this regard is being done in the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. The Deputy would need to table a parliamentary question to the Minister to get the detail in that regard. On height and so on, all these issues have a bearing on noise, proximity and so on, which issues form part of what is being considered in the review of the guidelines. As...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Local Authority Housing Provision (23 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Abridged Estimate for my Department, published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in the expenditure report for 2014, provides €525.8 million in respect of the housing programme. These resources have been supplemented by a further €50 million announced in the budget to fund infrastructural investment, primarily in the housing area. When taken in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Alternative Energy Projects (23 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department is currently undertaking a targeted review of the Wind Energy Guidelines 2006 focusing on noise, proximity and shadow flicker. In the interim, these comprehensive guidelines remain in place to ensure that all proposed wind energy developments are subjected to careful scrutiny by the relevant planning authority. They provide advice to planning authorities on catering for wind...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Alternative Energy Projects (23 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: For quite some time, I have made it clear what the timelines are concerning the guidelines. I am aware of the concerns expressed. There is a big difference between wind energy produced for export and wind energy which will be used in the context of Ireland meeting its targets. In regard to the wind energy produced for export, this cannot happen until agreement has been reached between the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Energy Schemes Issues (23 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 and 39 together. The €25 million investment in energy efficiency forms part of a €50 million three-year energy efficiency investment programme for local authority homes, under my Department's Social Housing Investment Programme. It is a key part of the Government's €150 million capital investment in the economy over 2013-14. This...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: National Spatial Strategy (23 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The 2002 National Spatial Strategy (NSS) was Ireland's first national strategic spatial planning framework. It provides the spatial vision and principles to achieve a better balance of social, economic and physical development and population growth between regions through the co-ordinated development of nine gateway cities and towns, and nine hub towns, together with complementary policies...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homelessness Strategy (23 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 and 152 together. Earlier in 2013 I published the Government's Homelessness Policy Statement in which I outlined the Government's aim to end long-term homelessness by the end of 2016. The statement emphasises a housing-led approach which is about accessing permanent housing as the primary response to all forms of homelessness. The availability and...