Results 1,121-1,140 of 2,386 for speaker:Michael Finneran

Seanad: School Accommodation (1 Jul 2009)

Michael Finneran: I am happy to respond to the debate on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, who unfortunately cannot be in the House this evening. I thank the Senator for raising this matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the Seanad the Government's strategy for capital investment in education projects and also to outline the current...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (1 Jul 2009)

Michael Finneran: I am pleased to be back in the Upper House to report on a range of amendments made by the Dáil to the Bill. The Bill was first discussed in this House on 1 October 2008 and completed all Stages on 10 December last. Since then, as Senators will be aware, it has been debated in the Dáil, amended and, I believe, improved significantly. The list before the House today contains 157 amendments...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (1 Jul 2009)

Michael Finneran: I thank Senators for their comments. It can be seen from the Bill as amended that the views of Senators and their contributions were well analysed by my Department and the officials. While not everything has been included, I am pleased that the intentions and wishes of Senators have been considered and there has been an acceptance of the wishes of Members. The matter of the budget is vital...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (1 Jul 2009)

Michael Finneran: Amendments Nos. 2, 29 and 54 to 86, inclusive, deal with the incremental purchase scheme. The main provisions for the incremental purchase scheme arrangements were contained in the Bill as initiated and passed by Seanad Éireann. The amendments made by the Dáil provide for a further number of clarifications and improvements to those provisions. I have also taken the opportunity to align...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (1 Jul 2009)

Michael Finneran: The incremental purchase scheme allows for the first time people allocated a house to enter a purchase scheme on the day they were allocated it. This has not been available to date and this is an innovation contained in this legislation. I have been of the opinion for many years that this opportunity should be given to tenants. It gives the person ownership of the house from the day they...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (1 Jul 2009)

Michael Finneran: Amendments Nos. 3, 13, 14, 18, 19, 87 to 114, inclusive, 142 and 157 deal with the tenant purchase of apartments. I am delighted to report back to the Seanad on these significant amendments to facilitate the introduction for the first time of a scheme of tenant purchase for local authority apartments. The proposed scheme will deliver on the commitment outlined in the Government's housing...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (1 Jul 2009)

Michael Finneran: I have made provision in the legislation for voluntary bodies to make sales under the incremental purchase scheme. I cannot force them to do so but I have made provision in the legislation for it. Members are aware of the review being carried out of the voluntary housing side of the social housing programme. The report of that review will be available later this year. I will then be in a...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (1 Jul 2009)

Michael Finneran: This large grouping is comprised of stylistic and drafting amendments to delete or insert commas, improve and clarify the meaning of a text, provide more accurate referencing and delete unnecessary content. The amendments are recommended by the Parliamentary Counsel. I recommend them to the House.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (1 Jul 2009)

Michael Finneran: I thank Senators for their constructive and thoughtful contributions to the Bill. Rather than attempt to respond to each point on Second Stage I can do this in response to Senators' amendments on Committee Stage. I will respond, however, to a few points. Senator Leyden spoke about the sale of local authority properties. Later this afternoon I will be leading Report and Final Stages of the...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (30 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: Section 63 of the Housing Act 1966 sets out the definition of overcrowding which housing authorities have regard to in assessing a household for, and in the allocation of, appropriate social housing support.

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (30 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: The applicable interest rate paid by local authority borrowers on fixed rates is set by reference to prevailing fixed interest rates at the time of loan draw down. Loans in respect of which interest rates in excess of 10% apply were issued by local authorities prior to 1991 and reflect the long-term costs of the funds to the Housing Finance Agency (the Agency) prevailing at the time these...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (30 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: In the case of local authority housing, local authorities set rents for social housing tenants based on their Differential Rents Schemes. While it is a matter for each authority to determine an individual household's rent, the principle of the scheme is that a household is charged a rent based on a proportion of their income. In the case of family-type accommodation provided by approved...

Written Answers — Capital Assistance Scheme: Capital Assistance Scheme (30 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: Following consultation with, and the supply of additional information by, Kilkenny County Council, my Department revised the level of supplementary grant for the project concerned to €31,400 and the Council was notified of this on the 24 June 2009. This brings the total amount of funding approved for the project under the Capital Assistance Scheme to €909,872.

Written Answers — Housing Policy: Housing Policy (30 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: The principles underpinning current Government housing policy are set out in my Department's housing policy statement Delivering Homes, Sustaining Communities published in February, 2007. The policy statement is underpinned by the sustainable communities philosophy which incorporates economic, environmental and social considerations. Sustainable communities are defined as communities that...

Written Answers — Housing Policy: Housing Policy (30 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: Complaints concerning the administrative actions of local authorities already come within the remit of the Ombudsman and, as such, an administrative remedy without recourse to the Courts already exists in respect of any housing related dispute involving a housing authority. Complaints regarding services provided by financial service providers, including mortgage lenders, can be made by...

Written Answers — Homelessness Strategy: Homelessness Strategy (30 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: I propose to take Questions Nos. 377 and 378 together. Data on homelessness are obtained from a range of sources. Homelessness is a specific category of need under the statutory housing needs process. In the context of the social housing reform programme, my Department is, in consultation with housing authorities, moving towards having a national needs assessment completed on a more regular...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (30 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: Minimum standards for rental accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2008, made under section 18 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992. With very limited exemptions, these regulations apply to local authority and voluntary housing units, as well as private rented accommodation, and all landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (30 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: It is the responsibility of local authorities to maintain their housing stock in good order, and the general responsibility in relation to this has been enshrined in the new Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008. Each year local authorities submit an improvement works programme to my Department detailing how the authority's internal capital receipts will be used to maintain and...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (30 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: The making and amending of rent schemes is the responsibility of local authorities as an integral part of their housing management functions, subject to broad principles laid down by my Department in Circular letter HRT 3/2002 of 6 March 2002. It is not my intention to implement a national standardised differential rent scheme. However, in the context of new provisions to be introduced on...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (30 Jun 2009)

Michael Finneran: The Residential Tenancies Act 2004 introduced a new regulatory framework governing private rented residential accommodation and it provided for, inter alia, the registration of private rented residential tenancies, the cheap and speedy resolution of disputes between parties to such tenancies and the establishment of the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) to discharge a range of...