Results 10,361-10,380 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Ministerial Meetings (19 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Presidency Report of the Roundtable Discussion of EU Ministers with Responsibility for Homelessness which I hosted in Leuven on 1 March 2013 during the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union has been published on the EU presidency website, and circulated to all participating ministries. A note of the discussion has also been published and circulated. Details of the event...

Seanad: Housing (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: That type of discretion was heretofore the remit of local authority managers, but elected members will now have a function in this regard. We have yet to draft the regulations on exactly what their role will be, but they will be able to exercise an element of discretion. At the same time, however, we intend to retain the concept of harmonisation so that tenants across the country will be...

Seanad: Housing (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: Certainly.

Seanad: Housing (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The intention is that 80% of income from the property tax will be retained within the local authority to which it is paid, with an equalisation thereafter to ensure smaller councils do not lose out. In other words, local authorities will be paying most of the moneys raised to themselves. I do not intend to be prescriptive in terms of how they should pay for the element of it that relates to...

Seanad: Housing (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I thank all of the Senators on all sides of the House who participated in the debate. I thank them for their support for the Bill. A number of issues were raised. Generally, there was a positive response to a few developments, one being the move towards harmonisation. Senator Aideen Hayden described the 40 shades of the differential rent scheme across the country. We are trying to move...

Seanad: Housing (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (18 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Housing (Amendment) Bill 2013 makes technical changes to section 31 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 relating to the charging of local authority rents, which is an important element in the social housing framework. The Bill is necessary because the Parliamentary Counsel has advised that text in section 31(5) of the 2009 Act precludes the enactment from being commenced...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Foreshore Issues (18 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 295 and 296 together. An Order under section 6 of the Foreshore Act 1933 is necessary in this case. In January 2013, my Department sought further advice from the Office of the Attorney General on the application of section 6 . A reply is awaited.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Foreshore Issues (18 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: In line with the commitments in the Programme for Government and Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth, my Department is currently developing a general scheme of a Maritime Area and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill. It is intended that the proposed legislation will align the development consent aspects of the foreshore system with the planning system operated by planning authorities and An Bord...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Energy Conservation (18 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 298, 303 and 317 together. On 5 June, I announced a new €50 million three-year energy efficiency investment programme for local authority homes. This is a key part of the Government’s additional €150 million capital investment in the economy over 2013-2014. This programme will target the 25,000 least energy efficient local authority...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Waste Management Regulations (18 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Planning and Development Acts 2000 - 2012 provide that the decision making authority for An Bord Pleanála rests with the Board itself and not with any individual inspector who may report on a case. The Board, in almost all cases which come before it, commissions an inspector's report on the case and it has the benefit of this assessment as an aid to its overall consideration of the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Unfinished Housing Developments (18 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department launched the Public Safety Initiative in March 2011, which provided funding to address immediate public safety issues on unfinished housing developments. The types of works that have been approved under the PSI include the fencing off of unsecured and hazardous areas, capping of pipes, installation of street lighting and other works to secure sites. The Public Safety...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Rent Controls (18 Jun 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. Under section 19 of the Act, it is prohibited to set the 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...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Regeneration (18 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The difficulties facing the State's finances and the necessity to reduce public expenditure to sustainable levels are impacting on capital programmes all across the public service, including my Department's housing capital programme. The amount of capital funding available has decreased significantly in recent years along the lines highlighted in the Medium Term Exchequer Framework for...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (18 Jun 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 those data are available on my Department's website I have no function in the allocation of social housing which is determined in accordance with the priority accorded under a housing authority's allocation scheme, the making of which is a reserved...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Rental Accommodation Scheme Payments (18 Jun 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 those data are available on my Department's website Data on the number of households that are availing of the rental accommodation scheme are included in this range up to end- 2012.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Parking Provision (18 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The information sought is not available in my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Derelict Sites (18 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: Under the Derelict Sites Act 1990, local authorities are required to take all reasonable steps, including the exercise of appropriate statutory powers, to ensure that any land within their functional area does not become or continue to be a derelict site. To this end they have been given substantial powers under the Act in relation to any such sites, including powers to require specified...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (18 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Act 2006 amends the Planning and Development Act 2000 to provide for the introduction of a ‘strategic consent process’ for specified classes of infrastructure of regional or national importance. The Seventh Schedule lists particular classes of infrastructure, including waste and wastewater infrastructure, which come...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Derelict Sites (18 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The specific information sought is not available in my Department. Under the Derelict Sites Act 1990, local authorities are required to take all reasonable steps, including the exercise of appropriate statutory powers, to ensure that any land within their functional area does not become or continue to be a derelict site. To this end they have been given substantial powers under the Act in...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Issues (18 Jun 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: A copy of the resolution referred to was received in my Department on 11 June. The inclusion of a household by a housing authority on its list of qualified households is a matter for the housing authority concerned under the provisions of section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, regulation s made under that section, and having regard to the particular circumstances of...