Results 11,941-11,960 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Seanad: Water Conservation (15 May 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: I thank Senator Colm Burke for raising this issue of water conservation, which is a priority area under the Department's water services investment programme. The main objectives of the water conservation programme are to reduce water loss in the public supply networks, to obtain value for money by deferring capital expenditure on new water supply schemes through improved supply and reduced...

Comptroller and Auditor General (Amendment) Bill 2012: Second Stage (11 May 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: I reiterate my thanks to Deputy John McGuinness for bringing this Bill before the House and to all of the Deputies who contributed to the debate. It has been a very useful discussion featuring good ideas from all sides of the House. We have seen a general agreement on the need to achieve better accountability, transparency and value for money with regard to the expenditure of public funds...

Comptroller and Auditor General (Amendment) Bill 2012: Second Stage (11 May 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: That is not true and is not what I said.

Comptroller and Auditor General (Amendment) Bill 2012: Second Stage (11 May 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: I was speaking on behalf of the Government.

Comptroller and Auditor General (Amendment) Bill 2012: Second Stage (11 May 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Private Members Bill put forward by Deputy McGuinness provides for the Comptroller and Auditor General to audit local authority accounts, local authority audits and local auditor reports and the accounts of the Housing Finance Agency. There is also a provision concerning the timeframe for responses from Accounting Officers to requests from the Committee of Public Accounts. Having...

Comptroller and Auditor General (Amendment) Bill 2012: Second Stage (11 May 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy should look behind him.

Leaders' Questions (10 May 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: Look at what Fianna Fáil did to the health service.

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (9 May 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Government is committed to supporting access to home ownership for lower income households and a range of paths to home ownership will remain in place in that regard. These include the incremental purchase scheme, the availability of loan finance from local authorities for house purchase, including open market purchase, and the tenant purchase scheme. I have no immediate plans to...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (9 May 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 119 and 120 together. 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. These Regulations were further amended by the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 which expanded the definition...

Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (9 May 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Housing Adaptation Grant Schemes are funded by 80% recoupment available from my Department together with a 20% contribution from the resources of the local authority. It is a matter for each local authority to decide on the specific level of funding to be directed to each of the various grant measures, and to manage the operation of the schemes in their areas from within their allocation....

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (9 May 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: Sections 34(4)(g) and 180(2)(b) of the Planning and Development Act 2000 provide respectively that a planning authority may attach conditions to a planning permission requiring the giving of adequate security for the satisfactory completion of a proposed development and, if a development is not subsequently completed satisfactorily, may apply a security, given under section 34, for the...

Written Answers — Separation Agreements: Separation Agreements (9 May 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: I refer to the reply to Question No. 101 of 2 May 2012, which sets out the current position on this matter. Regulation 22 is worded in such a way that once there is a Deed of Separation in place, this aspect of eligibility for social housing support can be determined. As stated in the reply of 2 May 2012, my Department is currently reviewing the social housing assessment provisions and will...

Leaders' Questions (9 May 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: Deputy Mattie McGrath must have been working on that one.

Written Answers — Local Authority Charges: Local Authority Charges (8 May 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: As Minister, my role is to provide the necessary statutory and policy framework within which individual development contribution schemes are adopted by each local authority. The adoption of individual development contribution schemes is a reserved function of the locally elected members of each planning authority. It is a matter for the members to determine the level of contribution and the...

Written Answers — Unfinished Housing Developments: Unfinished Housing Developments (8 May 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: As part of the process of preparing the National Housing Development Survey 2011, published by my Department in October 2011, local authorities provided details of all unfinished housing developments in their areas. Unfinished housing developments were divided into four categories as follows: · Category one, where the development is still being actively completed by the developer, or where...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (8 May 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: There are no proposals with my Department at present regarding the flat complex at Cromcastle Court, Coolock. However, I understand that Dublin City Council is currently considering its options in relation to improvement works to vacant units at the site, as well broader remedial works considerations. The City Council has already submitted its 2012 improvement works programme, without...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (8 May 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: Since the announcement in December 2011 that NAMA would commit to providing up to 2,000 units for social housing by the end of 2012, my Department, the Housing Agency and NAMA have been working together with housing authorities and approved housing bodies towards achieving this target. To date over 2,000 units have been examined with a view to determining their sustainability for social...

Litter Pollution (8 May 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: I thank Deputy Dowds for raising this issue. The 2010 national litter pollution monitoring system report indicated that glass and plastic containers accounted for 2.86% of the country's national litter composition. Directive 94/62/EC of the European Parliament and the Council on packaging and packaging waste, termed the packaging directive, classifies items such as bottles, drink cans and...

Litter Pollution (8 May 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: The concept of a deposit and refund system can certainly be included In the review. Everybody would agree it is dreadful that people have to ensure the grounds used for sporting or community events, or for children's play, are clear of broken glass bottles and other litter. We want to do all we can in this regard and if a deposit and refund scheme can be shown to be effective in reducing...

Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2011 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (3 May 2012)

Jan O'Sullivan: I thank the Deputies on all sides of the House who have contributed to the debate. Several contributors focused on the nature of dormant accounts, apart from the provisions of the Bill which serves to tidy some administrative matters, as well as dissolving the Dormant Accounts Board which will give rise to modest annual savings. I realise Deputies White and Ross sought a more accurate...