Results 10,001-10,020 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation Provision (22 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 346, 365, 369 and 381 together. My Department provides funding to housing authorities towards the operational costs of homeless accommodation and related services under Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988. I am pleased to confirm that my Department's 2014 homeless budget will be maintained at the same level as 2013 - €45 million. While this amount...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (22 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 348 and 349 together. My Department received a proposal from South Dublin County Council for the construction of 11 infill housing units, comprised of ten 3-bed and one 4-bed two-storey semi-detached and terraced units at St Marks Estate, Clondalkin at an estimated cost of €2 million. Having regard to the existing high level of commitments under my...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (22 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I expect the recently announced €30 million additional investment in social housing to deliver up to 500 local authority homes for families on the housing waiting list. Approximately half of this investment will facilitate the construction of new infill housing developments in areas with a high demand for social housing. It is intended that €15 million will be invested in...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (22 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: There is no legislation in Ireland regulating the height of trees and hedges and I have no current plans to introduce legislation on this matter. My Department understands that there is no right in Irish law to receive light in a garden and that, while there is a civil remedy of nuisance available in respect of the branches or roots of a neighbour's trees encroaching on one's property, there...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Regeneration (22 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department currently supports an ambitious programme of physical, social and economic regeneration of disadvantaged estates and flat complexes in Dublin, Cork and Limerick and at a number of regional locations around the country. In the case of the Cork City regeneration project, my Department is currently awaiting formal submission of the revised Socio Economic and Environmental Plan...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Mortgages (22 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: Local authorities have long provided housing loans to less affluent members of society. Section 34 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 provides local authorities with powers to deal flexibly with distressed borrowers, and they have demonstrated sensitivity over the years in this regard. My Department has issued guidelines to local authorities, based upon the Central Bank's...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Mortgages (22 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department does not collect data on shared ownership loans arrears specifically on a regular basis, but gathers housing loans arrears data generically on a quarterly basis. Quarterly housing loans arrears data are published on my Department's website .

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Shared Ownership Scheme (22 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department does not specifically collect data on shared ownership loans arrears on a regular basis, but gather s housing loans arrears data generically on a quarterly basis. In order to conduct the review of the shared ownership scheme, which is still ongoing, my Department requested data from local authorities earlier in 2013, some of which related to arrears on shared ownership loans....

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Repossessions (22 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: Local authorities have long provided housing loans to less affluent members of society. In the present economic circumstances it is to be anticipated that the ability of some borrowers to service housing loans may become restricted and that a number of loans may fall into arrears. Section 34 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 provides local authorities with powers to deal...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (22 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department, the Housing Agency and NAMA continue to work together with housing authorities and approved housing bodies towards identifying suitable NAMA housing units and bringing them into social housing use. It continues to be my Department's objective to maximise the delivery of social housing using all of the resources available. A breakdown by county of the units identified, deemed...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Shared Ownership Scheme (22 Oct 2013)

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 Act. That review is available on my Department's website () and the period for public submissions closed on 27 September 2013. Earlier in 2013 , I asked the Housing...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation Funding (22 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department provides funding to housing authorities towards the operational costs of homeless accommodation and related services under Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988; €45 million is being made available by my Department to housing authorities in 2013 for this purpose. This amount represents a decrease of 3.32% on the 2012 outturn and this reduction has been applied on a pro-rata...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Stock (22 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department collates and publishes a wide range of housing and planning statistics that inform the preparation and evaluation of policy, and the data relating to the acquisition of houses by local authorities over the past ten years are available on my Department’s website www.environ.ie. The Government’s housing policy statement, published in June 2011, clearly identifies...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Provision (22 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: With a view to making optimum use of the capital funding available under the housing programme over the 2012-14 period, I announced funding of €100 million in July 2012 for a 3-year housing construction and acquisition programme to deliver some 800 new units of social housing by end 2014. This included a construction programme which is currently underway for 185 local authority houses...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation Provision (22 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The regionalisation of homelessness services follows ministerial directions, made in 2010 under the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, on the establishment and membership of the Joint Homeless Consultative Fora and Management Groups. These regional fora are based on the statutory local government regions, with the internal division of the Border region into North East and North...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grant Application Numbers (22 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department’s involvement in the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability relates primarily to the recoupment of a proportion of local authority expenditure on the payment of the individual grants. The grants schemes are funded by 80% recoupment available from my Department together with a 20% contribution from the resources of the local authority. It...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Wind Energy Generation (22 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department issued detailed Guidelines to planning authorities in 2006 in relation to the assessment of proposed wind farm developments. These Guidelines offer advice to planning authorities on planning for wind energy through the development plan process and in determining applications for planning permission. The guidelines are also intended to ensure a consistency of approach throughout...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Wind Energy Generation (22 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department does not collate the specific statistical data requested. With regard to whether the planning process was observed in each instance, the enforcement of the conditions attached to a planning permission is a matter for the relevant planning authority and I have no role in that regard. As Minister I am precluded, under section 30 of the Planning and Development Act, 2000, from...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Private Rented Accommodation Provision (22 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: Private residential tenancies, with limited exceptions, are governed by the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 and the main provisions in respect of rent and rent reviews are set out in Part III of that Act. Section 19 of the Act prohibits the setting of rent under a tenancy at a rate above the market rent at either the beginning of the tenancy or at any subsequent rent review. Both tenants and...

Topical Issue Matters: Local Authority Staff Code of Conduct (17 Oct 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I thank Deputies Adams and Ellis for raising this important matter. I share the concern expressed by both Deputies that where allegations are made with regard to a conflict of interest by public servants in discharging their official duties, this has the capacity to undermine public confidence in the service and the way public money is spent and accounted for. There are robust legislative...