Results 1,981-2,000 of 2,386 for speaker:Michael Finneran

Adult Education (27 May 2010)

Michael Finneran: -----would not be eligible to hold the back-to-education allowance and a student maintenance grant for the 2010-11 academic year onwards. Apart from the maintenance grants schemes and the free fees initiative, financial support is also available to students in approved third level institutions through the student assistance fund. The objective of the fund is to assist students in a sensitive...

Adult Education (27 May 2010)

Michael Finneran: -----who might otherwise, due to their financial circumstances, be unable to continue their third level studies. Some €5 million is available through this fund, which is disbursed at college level. Information on the fund is available from the Access officer at a candidate's college. Regarding the recent presentation made at the Joint Committee on Education and Science by Access students,...

Written Answers — Housing Adaptation Grants: Housing Adaptation Grants (27 May 2010)

Michael Finneran: I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 40 together. On foot of a Government Decision, taken in February 2006, to transfer the administration of the Special Housing Aid for the Elderly Scheme (SHAE) from the Health Service Executive (HSE) to the local authority sector, a revised suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability was implemented on 1 November,...

Written Answers — Housing Adaptation Grants: Housing Adaptation Grants (27 May 2010)

Michael Finneran: To comprehensively assess the overall level of demand for grant assistance under the suite of Grant Schemes for Older People and People with a Disability, my Department requested local authorities to submit details of their funding requirements for 2010 by 22 January, with a view to determining the allocations for this year as soon as possible after the publication of the 2010 Revised...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (27 May 2010)

Michael Finneran: The issue of re-housing tenants where a lease expires is not a new one. Under the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS), which has been in place since 2004, contracts are usually for a period of 4 years. The experience to date, under the RAS, is that the vast majority of contracts are renewed at the end of the contract period and in current market conditions the new rent agreed is generally lower...

Written Answers — House Prices: House Prices (27 May 2010)

Michael Finneran: The renewed Programme for Government sets out a clear commitment to create and maintain a comprehensive House Price Database based on sales prices. My Department has met with a broad range of interested parties in regard to the shape that such a register might take, including representatives from the Department of Finance, Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Property Services...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (27 May 2010)

Michael Finneran: Under the Social Housing Leasing Initiative, local authorities may include an option to purchase the lease dwellings within the lease contract, which means where this clause is invoked it will provide tenants with the opportunity to purchase the units that they are currently occupying from the local authority. To date, the majority of privately owned leased properties that have been agreed or...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (27 May 2010)

Michael Finneran: To the end of quarter 1, 2010, my Department had approved over 2,200 units for use under the Social Housing Leasing Initiative. Of these, some 1,172 have been issued with funding approval, of which 116 are standard lease units to be provided by either a local authority or an Approved Housing Body (AHB). Details of the bodies which have received such funding approval are set out in the table.

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (27 May 2010)

Michael Finneran: In April 2009 my Department commenced a review of the provisions of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, under which the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) operates. The purpose of this review was to consider whether the Act best supported the PRTB's key functions and whether legislative amendments would support either the achievement of additional operational efficiencies by the PRTB...

Written Answers — Library Services: Library Services (27 May 2010)

Michael Finneran: Several library facilities operated by educational bodies, charities and private organisations do not come within the remit of my Department or the local government sector. These would include the Library operated by National Council for the Blind of Ireland, which, I believe, had a funding relationship with the Health Service Executive. Funding provided by my Department for library services...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (27 May 2010)

Michael Finneran: I have requested my Department to arrange to have the provisions necessary to address this matter included in the first appropriate legislative vehicle that becomes available.

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (27 May 2010)

Michael Finneran: It is a matter for individual local authorities to decide on the allocation of houses to applicants on their waiting list within the terms of their approved Scheme of Letting Priorities, the making of which is a reserved function of the housing authority. It is my understanding that following a full investigation there was one case of misallocation discovered. The matter is being dealt with...

Written Answers — Housing Adaptation Grants: Housing Adaptation Grants (27 May 2010)

Michael Finneran: The 2010 Exchequer allocations to local authorities in respect of the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability are set out in the following table. Local Authority Allocation 2010 Carlow County Council â'¬1,494,500 Cavan County Council â'¬1,500,000 Clare County Council â'¬2,500,000 Cork County Council â'¬6,490,067 Donegal County Council...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (27 May 2010)

Michael Finneran: My Department issued preliminary approval for the project in question to proceed to planning stage in June 2009, subject to a number of design and costing clarifications to be submitted by Dublin City Council. My Department has since been in regular contact with the Council in relation to the project. The Council has addressed remaining design concerns and documentation has recently been...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (27 May 2010)

Michael Finneran: I propose to take Questions Nos. 207 and 208 together. The Government has demonstrated a clear commitment to dealing effectively with the range of complex issues relating to multi-unit developments and is bringing forward a comprehensive suite of legislative proposals in response to the Law Reform Commission's Report on Multi-unit Developments. In its consultation paper issued in late 2006...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (27 May 2010)

Michael Finneran: The principal terms and conditions of the scheme are set out under the Housing (Home Choice Loan) Regulations 2009. Loans are available to first time buyers of new and second hand houses or new build houses, other than houses available for sale under tenant purchase, shared ownership or any of the affordable housing schemes. The scheme is administered by designated housing authorities...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (27 May 2010)

Michael Finneran: Information in relation to the number of housing units funded under the range of housing programmes supported by my Department is set out in my Department's annual and quarterly Housing Statistics Bulletins, copies of which are available in the Oireachtas library and on my Department's website, www.environ.ie. This information is broken down by local authority area.

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (27 May 2010)

Michael Finneran: I propose to take Questions Nos. 213 and 214 together. Total Exchequer expenditure across the various housing programmes was €1,710m in 2008 and €1,392m in 2009. The Exchequer allocation for 2010 is €1,165m. The provision for 2011 and subsequent years will be determined in the context of the determination of the Estimates for Public Services for those years. The Exchequer allocation...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (1 Jun 2010)

Michael Finneran: Information in relation to vacant local authority houses is a Local Authority Service Indicator and reports on these indicators are available on the Local Government Management Services Board's website www.lgmsb.ie. The latest available figures relate to 2008. The 2008 data show a significant improvement (i.e. decrease) in the level of local authority housing stock that is vacant. The 2007...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (1 Jun 2010)

Michael Finneran: My Department has no record of an application for funding from Galway County Council in respect of this proposal.