Results 3,141-3,160 of 4,700 for speaker:Noel Ahern
- Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (27 Feb 2007)
Noel Ahern: Information to end September 2006 on the number of transactions completed under the various affordable housing schemes in each local authority area is published in my Department's Housing Statistics Bulletins, copies of which are available in the Oireachtas Library and also on my Department's website at www.environ.ie. Provisional annual data for 2006 indicate that 12 affordable houses were...
- Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (27 Feb 2007)
Noel Ahern: My Department approved the invitation of tenders for this project on 1 June 2006. Further consideration will be given to the project on receipt of an application for funding from Donegal County Council.
- Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (27 Feb 2007)
Noel Ahern: The Department has not received proposals for funding from Meath County Council in relation to this scheme.
- Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (27 Feb 2007)
Noel Ahern: I will be happy to seek the information requested on receipt of clarification from the Deputy about the specific capital funding programme in question.
- Written Answers — Housing Aid for the Elderly: Housing Aid for the Elderly (27 Feb 2007)
Noel Ahern: The special housing aid for the elderly scheme is currently administered by a Task Force under the aegis of my Department and operated at a local level by the Health Service Executive. In 2006 a total of â¬22.012 million was allocated to the Health Service Executive for the operation of this scheme nationally. Of this â¬4.8 million was allocated to the southern HSE region, which includes...
- Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (27 Feb 2007)
Noel Ahern: Details of the revised housing adaptation grant schemes for older people and people with a disability were announced recently as part of My Department's new housing policy statement Delivering Homes, Sustaining Communities. The revised schemes are based on the outcome of the review of the Disabled Persons Grant scheme, which was recently completed within my Department. The review also...
- Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (27 Feb 2007)
Noel Ahern: My Department provides funding under the Remedial Works Scheme to refurbish local authority housing. Private houses may be included in a remedial works project where the local authority concerned considers that the undertaking of external works to these dwellings is necessary to avoid an unacceptable or incongruous result to the refurbishment of the estate as a whole. Local authorities may...
- Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (27 Feb 2007)
Noel Ahern: Under the Affordable Housing Initiative, Dublin City Council is arranging for 154 of the approximately 500 apartments in the development concerned to be made available as affordable homes. The overall development is being undertaken by a private developer and the quality of the development as a whole is subject to the same planning and other controls that apply to apartment developments...
- National Drugs Strategy. (28 Feb 2007)
Noel Ahern: The national drugs strategy, which runs until the end of 2008, is achieving considerable success across a range of different areas. The main finding of the mid-term review of the strategy, published in 2005, was that its current aims and objectives are fundamentally sound and that progress is being made in all pillars through which it operates. It is difficult to determine if a significant...
- National Drugs Strategy. (28 Feb 2007)
Noel Ahern: No one denies that there is a drugs problem.
- National Drugs Strategy. (28 Feb 2007)
Noel Ahern: No, he has not.
- National Drugs Strategy. (28 Feb 2007)
Noel Ahern: Deputy English referred to a "serious" problem, and I congratulate him on using a reasonably sensible word. Normally his colleagues speak of "crises". I am sure the question put to the Taoiseach was whether there was a crisis, and there is none.
- National Drugs Strategy. (28 Feb 2007)
Noel Ahern: The Deputy should hold on, since I listened to him. Drugs are a serious problem for those affected, but our strategy is working. The Deputy asked regarding Europe, and one must consider the situation in the context in which our strategy and efforts are placed. The supply of drugs has risen substantially. The amount seized is now massive, and prices have fallen. That is the background...
- National Drugs Strategy. (28 Feb 2007)
Noel Ahern: I am no expert on that. It is difficult to blame an Afghan farmer, since what he can get for an acre of opium is likely to be several times what he could get for any other crop. I will get the Deputy the information on that, but the question of building up the Afghan economy is much wider. We must settle that country's problems, build up trade and give people other crops that will support...
- National Drugs Strategy. (28 Feb 2007)
Noel Ahern: An important element of any policy is the knowledge upon which it is based. In the context of the national drugs strategy, I strongly recognise the need for good information on the nature and extent of drug misuse in Ireland to influence the development and roll-out of the strategy. Research is one of the five pillars of the NDS. The key objective under this pillar is to have valid, timely...
- National Drugs Strategy. (28 Feb 2007)
Noel Ahern: Research was one of the original four pillars of the strategy and rehabilitation is now the fifth. Research is very important and the NACD is undertaking many good projects in this respect. While such research projects are mainly national, it has also funded some local ones. The strategy ends next year and there will be a consultation phase, either late this year or early next year, on a...
- National Drugs Strategy. (28 Feb 2007)
Noel Ahern: Common sense dictates that even diet and exercise affect babies, so I agree with the Deputy that as more information becomes available it should be communicated to pregnant women.
- National Drugs Strategy. (28 Feb 2007)
Noel Ahern: Yes, but they are probably not the cohort on which we would spend most of our energy. I take the Deputy's point and will examine what data currently exists in that regard. Pregnant women may not be major users of cannabis but if any of them are doing so I agree that we should impart such information to them in a targeted way. It does not have to be done on television; it could be done...
- Social and Affordable Housing. (28 Feb 2007)
Noel Ahern: I thank Deputy Walsh for raising this matter. The site in Clonakilty was one of the sites released to the affordable housing initiative announced in December 2003. It was released by Deputy Walsh during his tenure as Minister for Agriculture and Food. I acknowledge that fact because the Deputy and the Department were helpful at the time in putting forward a number of sites for the...
- Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (28 Feb 2007)
Noel Ahern: Information in relation to the local community and voluntary groups funded under the Scheme of Community Support for older People, listed by county, is available on my Department's website at www.pobail.iettp://www.pobail.ie/ en/CommunityVoluntarySupports/Community SupportforOlderPeople/.