Results 2,241-2,260 of 4,700 for speaker:Noel Ahern

Seanad: Housing Policy: Motion. (7 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: I will bring the Senator out to see some of them.

Seanad: Housing Policy: Motion. (7 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: Yes. Affordable housing.

Seanad: Housing Policy: Motion. (7 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: I am opening them all the time. They are everywhere, except in Clonakilty where the Senator's party tried to block them.

Seanad: Housing Policy: Motion. (7 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: I will and I hope the Senator will wait until then.

Seanad: Housing Policy: Motion. (7 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: I welcome the opportunity to outline the Government's approach to housing and to point out progress and achievements in this important area. The Government's strong record on housing is proven and stands in contrast to some of the superficial and unfounded comments made this evening and enshrined in the motion. House price increases reflect, primarily, intensified demand for housing resulting...

Seanad: Housing Policy: Motion. (7 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: Yes. It is very significant, yet people just quote a figure from one of the four schemes, and there is no need to do that. Senator Bannon spoke about prices. The 200 or so houses we got as part of the Harcourt Square land swap — I do not know if they are all sold yet — were selling just a few weeks ago at prices of €142,000 for two-bedroom homes and €172,000 for three-bedroom homes....

Seanad: Housing Policy: Motion. (7 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: I do not know if the Labour Party will be able to sort out Fine Gael. I wish it luck, because historically, the interests of the Labour Party and of Fianna Fáil are much closer.

Seanad: Housing Policy: Motion. (7 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: Even with regard to Part V, for example, I remember——

Seanad: Housing Policy: Motion. (7 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: I do not know why the Labour Party sends in nice guys like Senator Coghlan to argue about this.

Seanad: Housing Policy: Motion. (7 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: It is hard to listen to some of what Senator Ryan says.

Seanad: Housing Policy: Motion. (7 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: A significant amount of the expanded output of affordable housing over the coming years will be delivered through the affordable housing initiative. A key factor in meeting the 10,000 units proposed for this initiative has been the release of State and local authority lands. More than 70 projects planned for State and local authority lands together with the 2,500 affordable housing units...

Seanad: Housing Policy: Motion. (7 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: Increasingly, that will no longer be the case. Output is now gathering momentum. Last year, 1,400 units came under Part V, 600 the year before, and the total to date is about 2,100. In addition, local authorities, using the various flexible options now available to satisfy Part V obligations, have acquired land, or partially or fully serviced sites, and funds which will assist in the delivery...

Seanad: Housing Policy: Motion. (7 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: One can either do that or get on with the job of providing houses. That is what we are doing under the affordable homes partnership, because that group, chaired by Des Geraghty, is making good progress on the implementation of its work programme, including advancing certain affordable housing initiative projects on State lands. I mentioned Harcourt Square in that regard. Given that the pilot...

Seanad: Housing Policy: Motion. (7 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: Good homes are now being built. I am not passing comment on any houses that people went to in London. I am resisting the temptation to build cheap social housing. While it would bring the waiting lists down and make me look good, it would not be a sustainable and long-term answer. Approximately €50 million is spent each year on homelessness. It is a much more complex issue than having a...

Seanad: Housing Policy: Motion. (7 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: Beds are provided for those who want them. Many of the homeless——

Seanad: Housing Policy: Motion. (7 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: That is another matter. Many of them have addiction or psychiatric problems and will not take up accommodation. There will always be homelessness. The real answer in dealing with——

Seanad: Housing Policy: Motion. (7 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: Yes there is. The real judge of the effectiveness of Government policy is how quickly one can turn these people around. Homelessness is the safety net for every other situation in life. It is not whether there are 50 or 150 persons sleeping rough in Dublin city, it is about how quickly they can be turned around and brought off the streets. Much good work is being done in this area. In a time...

House Prices. (13 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 53 and 55 together. I am aware of the house price affordability index referred to and also of the trend in affordability as measured by the index compiled by my Department to assist in monitoring developments in the housing market. Despite increased house prices, affordability has remained relatively favourable. This is because of the substantial improvement...

House Prices. (13 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: Are those prices affordable? Relatively so, people seem to be getting by and there is still a significant number of first-time buyers in the market. Some 45% of mortgages for new houses are to first-time buyers. It was always difficult for a first-time buyer be it now or ten or 20 years ago. Whenever any of us had a mortgage it was always difficult in the early years. Our own index shows that...

House Prices. (13 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: It has always been difficult for people buying their first houses. Nothing has changed. The new Department index, which we have compiled for many years, was published last week and is relatively up to date, indicates that affordability was worse around 1990-91, and then eased off. This and the EBS report are based on a 25-year mortgage. They use figures below the normal affordability index...