Results 10,541-10,560 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (22 May 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: At present the rent supplement is not in my remit but the Department of Social Protection is carrying out a review which I understand is due to be completed relatively soon. Perhaps the Deputies should direct their questions at the Minister for Social Protection. We are aware of the variations in differential rent around the country. We plan to give local authorities a period of time to...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (22 May 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I welcome the opportunity to be here for Committee Stage of the Housing (Amendment) Bill 2013 and thank members for their support for it during the Second Stage debate in the Dáil. The Bill makes technical changes to section 31 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 so that a new and more harmonised system of local authority rents can be implemented effectively. This...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (22 May 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can assure Deputy Murphy that this Bill has nothing to do with moving people out of larger homes. It is purely a technical mechanism to allow local authorities to establish new rent schemes. On the point made by Deputy Ellis, the Bill will facilitate the transition to HAP. We are progressing the outstanding issues with the Department of Social Protection. For example, it is proposed to...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (22 May 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The intention is to have a model rent for particular houses. For example, a one-person household would pay a particular amount by way of contribution. A model rent will be set for each category of household in respect of those transferring from rent supplement. I believe this addresses the issue about which the Deputy is concerned, namely, people who cannot access housing because of the...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (22 May 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: We are currently working on a business plan. We will have to have adequate funding for this. The amount to be paid by the tenant will be decided on the basis of the model rent for HAP for each of the household categories. The money will have to be made available. The amounts payable will be similar to those payable under RAS. All of these issues have yet to be addressed. There will be a...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (22 May 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: We are examining model rents and are taking into account the amount currently paid by council tenants because they will also come within the remit of HAP. We are seeking to ensure a fair affordable rate is set for each category of family. All of the work is not yet complete. As such, I cannot give the Deputy a definitive answer in terms of what each family will be expected to pay. We...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: Section 42 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended by section 28 of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2010, provides that the duration of a planning permission may be extended where substantial works have not been done, or where the development has not even commenced, in cases where the planning authority is satisfied that there were considerations of a commercial,...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (22 May 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, as part of the review of Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000. That review is now almost concluded and I have also asked the Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency to provide me with a standalone analysis of the shared...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Property Taxation Exemptions (22 May 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The number of estates taken in charge or listed for taking in charge is not available in my Department. An exemption from the local property tax applies to developments listed in the schedule to the Finance (Local Property Tax) Regulations 2013. The list of unfinished housing developments eligible for the exemption was compiled by local authorities utilising the categorisation employed for...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Special Housing Aid for the Elderly (21 May 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Special Housing Aid for the Elderly Scheme (SHAE) was discontinued in 2007 and replaced by the suite of Grants for Older People and People with a Disability. The Housing Aid for Older People measure provides increased levels of grant assistance for a suite of works which are similar in nature to those previously assisted under the SHAE . I have no proposals to reintroduce the SHAE. On...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homelessness Strategy (21 May 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I recently published a 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 supply of secure, affordable and adequate housing is essential in ensuring...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme Eligibility (21 May 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: Tenants are not precluded from tenant purchase by virtue of being social welfare recipients and there is no intention to change this practice in the future. However, tenants seeking to fund their purchase through loan finance from the local authority must meet the criteria that apply to such loans. Provisions governing mortgage lending by local authorities are set out in the Housing...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Private Residential Tenancies Board Enforcement (21 May 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I have no function in the operational matters of the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB), an independent statutory body established under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, and cannot therefore comment on the specifics of any individual case.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Property Taxation Exemptions (21 May 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: An exemption from the local property tax applies to developments listed in the schedule to the Finance (Local Property Tax) Regulations 2013. The list of unfinished housing developments eligible for the exemption was compiled by local authorities utilising the categorisation employed for the purposes of the National Housing Survey 2012. The specific development referred to is not on the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Roadside Service Stations (21 May 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I have no function in relation to the location or operation of roadside service stations.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Staff Numbers (21 May 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The information sought in respect of the period 2002 - 2011 is available on my Department's website at . Data for 2012 are not yet available. Under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each City and County Manager is responsible for staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authorities for which he or she is responsible.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grants Funding (21 May 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: I refer to the reply to Question No. 422 of 14 May 2013 which sets out the position on this matter .

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (21 May 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department's Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Sustainable Rural Housing (2005) are designed to achieve a balance between a good planning framework for rural housing and the local housing needs of those who are part of, or have links to, local rural communities. The Guidelines elaborate on the physical development policies for rural areas as set out in the Government's National...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Grant Applications (21 May 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: This project has funding approval from my Department under the Capital Advance Leasing Facility since September 2012. Under this facility a loan is made available to facilitate the securing of private finance by an Approved Housing Body (AHB) to complete the units. It is a matter for the AHB to secure the remaining finance and Dublin City Council, the Housing Agency and my Department are...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Private Rented Accommodation Provision (21 May 2013)

Jan O'Sullivan: The grounds upon which a tenancy in the private rented residential sector may be legally terminated are clearly set out in the Residential Tenancies Act 2004. The Act provides the main regulatory framework for the private rented residential sector and for the operation of the Private Residential Tenancies Board. It provides for security of tenure and specifies minimum obligations for...