Results 2,021-2,040 of 4,700 for speaker:Noel Ahern

Seanad: Local Authority Housing. (27 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: I thank the Senator for raising the matter which affords me an opportunity to clarify certain misconceptions regarding output from Part V of the Planning and Development Act. I am happy that Part V is now fully operational in all planning authorities. The provision of homes for first-time buyers and young families under Part V is gathering momentum. Figures for last year indicate that just...

Seanad: Local Authority Housing. (27 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: I provided the figures of €24.5 million plus €5.5 million in levies. As I noted, some 1,400 affordable units were provided last year. Legally, the developer must provide houses on site or else provide houses off-site elsewhere, or sites elsewhere, or half-completed houses elsewhere, or land or cash, but if there had been no flexibility in that last year, the figure of 1,400 units would...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (3 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: An application on behalf of the project has been made under the Emerging Needs Fund. The application seeks to replace the current funding arrangement for the staffing of the project, which is through the Special CE scheme, with funding from the Emerging Needs Fund, as well as to cover additional programme costs and staff and management training costs. As I stated in my reply to Question No....

Written Answers — Dormant Accounts Fund: Dormant Accounts Fund (3 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: The Deputy will be aware that disbursements from the Dormant Accounts Fund are designed to assist three broad categories of persons; those who are economically and socially disadvantaged, those who are educationally disadvantaged and persons with a disability. The Government approved the allocation of €60 million from the Fund in 2006 and a breakdown of this figure shows that €24 million...

Written Answers — Garda Stations: Garda Stations (3 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: On foot of the Government's decision to assign this site to the Affordable Housing Initiative, the Affordable Homes Partnership has been requested to undertake the procurement process involved. It is envisaged that the site will be the subject of a land swap, similar to the successful swap undertaken in 2005 in respect of an adjoining site, and the Partnership has been undertaking the...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (3 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 530 and 531 together. Fingal County Council have developed a Local Area Plan for the South East Balbriggan area which provides for the construction of some 1,800 social, affordable and private dwellings over a six to eight year period. Given the size of the proposed development, an Environmental Impact Study will be required to be prepared for submission to An...

Written Answers — Voluntary Housing Organisations: Voluntary Housing Organisations (3 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: Voluntary housing organisations operate under the terms of the capital funding schemes. Complaints in relation to the operation of these schemes in respect of particular projects are dealt with by the relevant local authority. Through the Rental Housing Regulations 1993, local authorities also have an enforcement role to ensure that housing associations comply with the requirement of the...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (3 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: Information on the number of local authority house starts and units provided under the various affordable housing schemes, including units agreed to under Part V arrangements, by Kildare County Council for the years 2000 to 2004 is available in the Annual Housing Statistics Bulletins published by my Department, copies of which are available in the Oireachtas Library. This information,...

Seanad: Water and Sewerage Schemes. (3 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: I thank the Senator for raising this issue. The Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2005-07, published in December 2005, includes some 60 major water and sewerage schemes for Galway, with a value of over €450 million. I am pleased to confirm that the Glenamaddy sewerage scheme is included in the investment programme as a scheme approved to start construction in 2007. The...

Seanad: Schools Building Projects. (3 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: I thank the Senator for raising the matter as it affords me the opportunity to outline to the House the strategy of the Department of Education and Science for capital investment in education projects and also to outline the position regarding the development of education provision in Mercy College secondary school, Woodford, County Galway. Modernising facilities in our 3,200 primary and 750...

Seanad: Neighbourhood Watch Schemes. (3 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: The programme of grants for locally-based community and voluntary organisations which the Senator mentioned is funded by my Department and supports the activities of local voluntary and community groups addressing disadvantage in their community. The programme transferred to my Department from the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs in 2002. Since then, and in its previous...

Seanad: Neighbourhood Watch Schemes. (3 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: There would be no problem. The organisation will have to apply again because the application submitted was for last year. It is seeking security measures for the elderly, including alarm pendants, locks and bolts for doors and windows, security lights that come on automatically when one approaches and non-electrified fire alarms. These are granted through the scheme of community supports for...

Seanad: Neighbourhood Watch Schemes. (3 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: We have so many good schemes giving out so much good money that I can well understand how a voluntary group could send in the wrong form. Unfortunately, the application was assessed under the criteria of the scheme to which it pertained and the system does not allow for its transfer to the other scheme. The Department proceeds on the basis of what one puts down in writing. I have no doubt but...

Local Authority Housing. (4 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: Part V is being actively operated in all local authority areas and provision of homes for first-time buyers and young families under it is gathering momentum. Up to the end of 2005, 701 social and 1,470 affordable housing units were delivered to local authorities. Output last year was more than double that in 2004. In addition to the number of housing units, 38 land transfers to local...

Local Authority Housing. (4 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: Deputy Gilmore cites the figure 35,000, but I am not sure what period was covered by that figure. Was it over a ten-year or five-year period? If we take last year's output, overall housing output for the year was 81,000. Using rough figures that would apply any year, of that number approximately 20,000 would be one-off houses, 7,000 or 8,000 would be social, affordable or voluntary houses and...

Local Authority Housing. (4 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: Is that over a ten-year period or what?

Local Authority Housing. (4 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: There is no point in talking about nine years when the Act has not been passed for half of that time. We need time for planning permissions to run out, normally five years.

Local Authority Housing. (4 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: Any of the new houses for sale and on view on a Saturday or Sunday or in the property pages of the newspapers are houses that got planning permission before the Act was passed. We changed the law at the end of 2002 to encourage supply.

Local Authority Housing. (4 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: It was to supply housing for all the extra people working and earning a living in this economy who have the money to buy.

Local Authority Housing. (4 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: They are buying homes. Who does the Deputy think bought the 81,000 units built last year? It was mainly first-time buyers.