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

Seanad: Dormant Accounts: Motion. (25 Feb 2004)

Noel Ahern: I am not.

Seanad: Dormant Accounts: Motion. (25 Feb 2004)

Noel Ahern: It was logical and sensible.

Seanad: Dormant Accounts: Motion. (25 Feb 2004)

Noel Ahern: It was to be referred to an agency.

Confidence in the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government: Motion. (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Ahern: That is untrue.

Written Answers — Local Authority Funding: Local Authority Funding (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 458, 459 and 485 together. A capital provision of €65 million has been made for the payment of disabled person's and essential repairs grants in 2004 compared to the final outturn of €58 million in 2003. Notification of individual allocations to local authorities for the scheme in 2004 will issue as soon as all authorities have submitted their expenditure...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Ahern: Rents of their own dwellings are determined by individual local authorities, and rents payable by their tenants will therefore vary according to the local authority area in which the house is located. There is no requirement on local authorities to include a ceiling in their rent schemes although some authorities do so. Under the terms of the voluntary housing capital loan and subsidy scheme,...

Written Answers — Disabled Person's Grant: Disabled Person's Grant (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Ahern: There are no proposals to change the amount payable under the disabled person's grant scheme. A review of the scheme is, however, being finalised in my Department at present and on its completion I will be in a position to determine the changes, if any, required to the regulations governing the scheme to ensure that the funding available is directed at those persons in greatest need of such...

Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Ahern: I refer to the reply to Question No. 482 of 24 February 2004. The position is unchanged.

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Ahern: My Department is currently examining individual house building programmes and estimated expenditure requirements for 2004 that have been received from local authorities, including the three local authorities in County Kildare. My Department will determine capital allocations for 2004 for notification to each local authority in the near future.

Written Answers — Local Authority Funding: Local Authority Funding (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Ahern: It is understood that Westmeath County Council are developing proposals for a pilot phase of remedial works at Ennell Court, Mullingar which will be submitted to my Department for approval in due course.

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Ahern: The Kerry Deaf Resource Centre made an application for a grant in 2003 under my Department's programme of grants for locally-based community and voluntary organisations. The application was unsuccessful. The provision of a family support worker for the group would be a matter for consideration by the Department of Social and Family Affairs.

Seanad: Report of National Advisory Committee on Drugs: Statements. (28 Apr 2004)

Noel Ahern: I welcome the opportunity to address the Seanad in my capacity as Minister of State with responsibility for the national drugs strategy. I wish to provide the House with an update on the progress made to date in implementing the strategy and, in particular, the results from the latest bulletin in the drug prevalence survey, which was launched last week. To put this bulletin in context, it...

Seanad: Report of National Advisory Committee on Drugs: Statements. (28 Apr 2004)

Noel Ahern: I was not invited.

Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (13 May 2004)

Noel Ahern: My Department does not provide grants specifically for insulating houses. Many effective measures to improve energy efficiency in houses can be achieved at negative or zero equivalent annual cost to the householder. The national climate change strategy provides for intensification of educational and awareness programmes, being undertaken by Sustainable Energy Ireland, to promote these options...

Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (13 May 2004)

Noel Ahern: An assessment of the costs of the development will be undertaken with a view to the issue of a certificate of reasonable cost as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Housing Loans: Housing Loans (13 May 2004)

Noel Ahern: The current local authority mortgage interest rates are 2.95% variable and 4.45% for fixed. These are competitive rates of lending. Prior to the introduction of variable interest rate loans on 1 December 1987 the fixed interest rate that applied to loans issued by local authorities was 10.5%. The variable interest rate that applied to loans at that time was 9.75%. Since 1980 borrowers with...

Written Answers — House Completions: House Completions (13 May 2004)

Noel Ahern: Details of social housing output since 1998, both under the local authority housing programme and by the voluntary and co-operative housing sector, are set out in my Department's housing statistics bulletin. Copies are available in the Oireachtas Library. Average unit costs for social housing for each of the years from 1998 to 2003, inclusive, are as follows: Year All-In Unit Cost (€) ...

Written Answers — Housing Loans: Housing Loans (13 May 2004)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 181 and 182 together. Mortgage finance for the shared ownership scheme is generally provided by the Housing Finance Agency and administered by individual local authorities. Accordingly, statistics on the number of loans advanced to fund shared ownership transactions or the number outstanding are not available in my Department. Activity under the scheme, for...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (13 May 2004)

Noel Ahern: The number of affordable houses provided in the years 1998 to 2003, inclusive, is published in my Department's housing statistics bulletins, copies of which are available in the Oireachtas Library. Information on the value of sites provided by public authorities to build affordable houses is not available in my Department.

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (18 May 2004)

Noel Ahern: Local authorities have been requested to put in place and submit details of five year action plans covering the full range of their housing programmes to the Department by the end of May 2004. The development of these plans will enable local authorities to identify priority needs over the coming years and provide a coherent and co-ordinated response across all housing sectors, including...