Results 11,261-11,280 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Insurance Industry (14 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: HomeBond is a private limited company providing structural guarantees for new houses and, since November 2008, the HomeBond Insurance Scheme is underwritten by Allianz Insurance. As in the case of any private company its operations , including how it deals with inspections or claims, are a matter for its management and Board of Directors. My Department understands that HomeBond Insurance...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: With regard to the questions by Deputies Flanagan and Kitt-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can give Deputy Flanagan a positive response on the differential rents and high rents. We are drafting new guidelines to have more equality around the country. With regard to the RAS limits and the bonanzas for private landlords, certain Deputies will tell one that the caps are not high enough in regard to people topping up payments that are not supposed to top up. I refer to both the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: Unfortunately, it varies from place to place so the Deputy's experience may be different from that of others. On Deputy Kitt's point, I agree on the question of sheltered housing. We are targeting the most vulnerable, in particular. There is still some funding, albeit limited, in the CAS. We have signed an agreement with the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, with regard to people...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: We are changing to a new scheme that will relate more to income.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: We will be introducing legislation next year to implement it. The idea is that we will have all of next year to conclude the current scheme, after which the one and will be introduced. Certainly, any long-term tenant thinking about a purchase needs to get his application in before the end of the year.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: We issued a statement last week and it was carried in a separate publication also. If the Deputy can spread the word, it will be useful.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: Generally, local authorities are very sensitive to that. If the Deputy is referring to a specific case, I am sorry it arose. Generally, local authorities do not do what the Deputy is referring to.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: Unfortunately, with the amount of money we have at our disposal because of the state the country is in we simply could not cater for the numbers we are now catering for if we were to use all the money to either purchase or build houses. We would have people on the side of the street.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: We must use the various methods at our disposal, and that includes the NAMA units. We have to pay for those NAMA units; it does not give them to us. It did come up to over 3,000 because it identified other units. We will bring them over the line as quickly as we can do so but there is a cost to the public purse for every NAMA unit we purchase. NAMA is required to give a return to the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: NAMA will not give us properties. If it has money and that can be used in some way or other to benefit people I am in favour of it but in terms of it giving us money to buy properties, if that is what the Deputy is suggesting, unfortunately, that cannot be done under its legislation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: Those questions are nearly all for me. I thank Deputy Ó Fearghaíl for the constructive suggestions he made which we will examine. He referred to grants and the possibility of a fair deal-type approach to them. There is merit in such an approach. He also inquired about a tenant purchase scheme for the voluntary sector. We will introduce an incremental purchase scheme in the near...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: Local authority debt is a serious issue, as the Deputy will know, and the HFA is working with the local authorities to find the most efficient way of dealing with these issues. It is generally a matter between the local authorities and the HFA; the Department does not engage directly in this regard.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: As I said, the HFA engages on a case-by-case basis with the local authorities concerned to address those issues, but there are issues around debt.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: Deputy McLoughlin asked me questions on three areas. On the unfinished housing estates, €5 million was allocated nationally this year in regard to public safety issues, and this has not all been drawn down yet. I chair an ongoing committee on unfinished estates and we have required the local authorities to have site resolution plans for the estates in their various areas. NAMA...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: Deputy Cowen asked about the capital budget for housing. Unfortunately, because of the state of the country, we only have what is in hand. The capital budget contained €1.8 million in 2009; €1.4 in 2010; just over €1 million in 2011; €895,000 in 2012 and a further reduction for next year. We have to provide housing within that budget. We are concentrating on...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: The unfortunate fact is that we have to live within the bounds of the situation in which we find ourselves-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: -----as a country. The Deputy well knows the reasons for that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: First, I am in regular discussion with the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, on the issue of the transfer of rent supplement from her Department to the local authorities. We have brought two memos to Government. The full roll-out of it will not happen next year. We intend to begin with a pilot phase sometime next year. It is obviously a major change to which the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: We have not yet determined exactly how we will do that.