Results 2,981-3,000 of 4,700 for speaker:Noel Ahern

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (12 Dec 2006)

Noel Ahern: The Government Legislation Programme provides for the publication in 2007 of a Property Services Regulatory Authority Bill, which is being developed by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform to give effect to recommendations in this area by the Auctioneering/Estate Agency Review Group. It is proposed that this legislation will provide for the regulation of property services,...

Written Answers — Local Authority Funding: Local Authority Funding (12 Dec 2006)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 134 and 534 together. My Department introduced a programme in July 2004 for the installation of central heating in existing local authority rented dwellings with priority given to houses occupied by elderly people. Grants totalling some €42 million were paid to local authorities by my Department in 2004 and 2005. Capital allocations of almost €32 million...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (12 Dec 2006)

Noel Ahern: It is estimated that more than 7,000 households will benefit in 2007 from new social housing provided by local authorities and the voluntary and co-operative housing sector and through long-term contractual commitments for new supply under RAS. In addition, further households will benefit from the implementation of RAS involving contractual arrangements with landlords for existing properties...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (12 Dec 2006)

Noel Ahern: There is no provision at present in the voluntary housing schemes for the purchase of individual houses by tenants. However, it was agreed under Housing Policy Framework — Building Sustainable Communities that consideration would be given in consultation with the voluntary and co-operative sector, to pilot a tenant purchase scheme for some new voluntary homes under the scheme. The...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (12 Dec 2006)

Noel Ahern: Nearly all housing authorities are now mobilised in relation to RAS and most have begun to transfer households to RAS. In some cases the County Council is managing the scheme for the County at large. A total of 2,648 households have been transferred to RAS. The number of cases transferred by each local authority; estimated average cost and monthly rent per tenant, based on available...

Written Answers — Anti-Social Behaviour: Anti-Social Behaviour (12 Dec 2006)

Noel Ahern: A number of legislative measures have been put in place to ensure that local authorities have the capacity to fulfil their responsibilities under the Housing Acts for the management and maintenance of their housing stock. These measures are kept under continuous review in my Department. The tenancy agreement, which is the legal basis of the relationship between the local authority and its...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (12 Dec 2006)

Noel Ahern: Data on the number of social houses delivered in each local authority for each year, and for the first 6 months of 2006, are published in the Housing Statistics Bulletins, which are available in the Oireachtas Library and on the Department's website at www.environ.ie. From 2000 to 2003, the local authority four-year multi-annual programme included target starts over the whole period for...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (12 Dec 2006)

Noel Ahern: The management and maintenance of their rented dwellings, including the control of vacant dwellings, is the responsibility of the housing authority concerned. The following table, based on local authority returns to my Department, indicates the most recent figures available on vacant dwellings. Local Authority Vacant Dwellings (as at 31 December 2005) County (including Borough and Town...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (12 Dec 2006)

Noel Ahern: Among the priority measures approved by Government for assistance from dormant accounts in 2006 is one providing small-scale equipment grants for youth groups. Applications received for this funding measure, including one received from the organisation in question, are currently being processed and assessed by the relevant Vocational Education Committees under the auspices of the Department...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (12 Dec 2006)

Noel Ahern: In the context of the broad programme of measures in support of volunteering which I announced last year, cohesion funding was made available during 2005 and 2006 to promote volunteering at a local level. In common with other local authority areas, Dublin City Development Board co-ordinated and facilitated the process at local level. Eleven projects to promote volunteering for Dublin City,...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (12 Dec 2006)

Noel Ahern: The Community Development Programme was established in 1990 in recognition of the role of community development in tackling the causes and effects of poverty and disadvantage. The Programme is designed to reduce social exclusion by targeting support at disadvantaged and socially excluded communities in order to improve their capacity to benefit from social and economic development. My...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (12 Dec 2006)

Noel Ahern: As the Deputy is aware, my Department has overall responsibility for co-ordinating the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008. The Strategy contains 108 individual actions, under the five pillars of supply reduction, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and research. The actions outlined in the National Drugs Strategy are being progressed with the significant input of...

Written Answers — Property Purchases: Property Purchases (12 Dec 2006)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 510 and 517 together. Property purchase transactions are subject to private contract and buyers should ensure that they have adequate legal advice and information when signing contracts. While my Department has no statutory function in relation to the content of contracts, I am anxious to promote the interests of home buyers as far as possible and with that in...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (12 Dec 2006)

Noel Ahern: Part V of the Planning and Development Acts 2000-2006 applies to an application for permission for the development of houses on land that has been zoned for residential development or for a mix of residential and other uses. It does not, therefore, apply to unzoned land. Under the Acts, the definition of a house means a building, which is being or has been occupied as a dwelling, or is...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (12 Dec 2006)

Noel Ahern: The management and maintenance of their rented dwellings, including the control of vacant dwellings, is the responsibility of the housing authority concerned. The most recent figures available to my Department from Dublin City Council indicate that at 31 December 2005 there were 2,493 dwellings vacant. Of this figure 1,952 dwellings were de-tenanted for planned refurbishment purposes.

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (12 Dec 2006)

Noel Ahern: The statutory assessment of housing need is undertaken by local authorities on a triennial basis. The most recent assessment of need for social housing was undertaken by local authorities in March 2005. The results of that assessment indicated that there were 43,684 households on local authority waiting lists. More comprehensive data in relation to the assessment at an individual local...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (12 Dec 2006)

Noel Ahern: Data on the number of house completions by each local authority for the first 10 months of 2006 have been published on the Department's website, www.environ.ie. Details in respect of the greater Dublin area are provided in the following table: Local Authority Number of dwellings completed in period to October 2006. Dublin City 6,378 Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown 2,106 Fingal 4,697 South...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (12 Dec 2006)

Noel Ahern: My Department has facilitated standardised arrangements with a number of the main financial institutions who have introduced schemes of mortgage financing for persons wishing to access affordable housing. These arrangements relate only to the first time purchase of affordable properties. The question of facilitating arrangements for persons in affordable housing also wishing to re-mortgage...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (12 Dec 2006)

Noel Ahern: It is a function of the Private Residential Tenancies Board, under section 151(1)(g) of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, to review the operation of the Act and to make recommendations for amendments to the Minister. Any proposals from the Board for the amendment of the Act will be fully considered.

Written Answers — Local Authority Grants: Local Authority Grants (12 Dec 2006)

Noel Ahern: The review of the Disabled Persons Grant scheme, which incorporates the conditions governing the Essential Repairs Grant scheme and the Special Housing Aid for the Elderly scheme and the issue of the HSE 'top-up' grant was recently finalised within my Department. Representatives of my Department, the Department of Health and Children, the Health Service Executive and Local Authorities have...