Results 1,281-1,300 of 4,700 for speaker:Noel Ahern

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (13 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: Under my Department's voluntary housing capital assistance scheme, assistance is available to approved voluntary housing bodies providing accommodation for persons with special needs such as the elderly, homeless or persons with disabilities. The scheme is not designed to provide nursing homes or accommodation where residents would require extensive medical, nursing or institutional type...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (13 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: In its management of capital allocations for social and affordable housing, my Department has approved the development of five-year social and affordable housing sector plans by all local authorities. These are based on considered assessments by the local authorities of their areas' housing needs. By this and other means, my Department seeks to ensure the effective management and delivery of...

Written Answers — Dormant Accounts Fund: Dormant Accounts Fund (18 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: Decisions on the disbursement of funds from dormant accounts moneys in the initial round of funding are a matter for the Dormant Accounts Fund Disbursements Board. The board is an independent body established under the Dormant Accounts Acts. It engaged Area Development Management Limited, ADM, to administer the initial round of funding on its behalf. I understand the process of assessing and...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (18 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: Dublin City Council has submitted a preliminary report to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, outlining the regeneration proposals for the Charlemont Street flats, including the Tom Kelly flats complex. As it is a preliminary report, the matter requires detailed consideration, by the Department in consultation with Dublin City Council, of the nature and extent of...

Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (18 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: The review of the disabled persons grant scheme, which was first signalled in March 2003, is being finalised in my Department. On its completion, it will be possible 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 assistance. The future funding of the scheme will be...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (18 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: The terms of the current tenant purchase scheme provide that, where the site of a dwelling has been provided to a housing authority for a nominal sum, the sale price should be reduced accordingly for the tenant purchaser.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 805 and 806 together. I refer to the reply to Question No. 175 of 29 September and Questions Nos. 536 and 557 of 4 October where I outlined the main actions to date in implementing the rental accommodation scheme, RAS. Under this scheme announced by the Government in July 2004, local authorities will over a four-year period progressively assume responsibility...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (18 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: Houses sold under the various affordable housing schemes at a discount from market value contain a claw-back provision which is necessary to ensure that there is no short term profiteering on the resale of a house. In the traditional circumstances where local authorities were the sole supplier of mortgage finance for affordable housing, authorities registered the claw-back as a charge on the...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (19 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: An application has been received by my Department from the group in question under the 2005 programme of grants for locally based community and voluntary organisations. The process of assessment of the large number of applications received under the programme is ongoing and I expect to decide on qualifying applications early in November 2005.

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (19 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: Local authorities are responsible under the Housing Acts for the management and maintenance of their housing stock. Several measures have been put in place to ensure they have the capacity to fulfil these responsibilities. The Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1997 contains provisions to assist local authorities in addressing problems arising on their estates from serious anti-social...

Written Answers — Budget Submissions: Budget Submissions (19 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: The main issue pertaining to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government which the Disability Federation of Ireland has raised in its 2006 pre-budget submission is the operation of the disabled person's housing grant. This scheme is under review in the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the issues raised by the Disability Federation of...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (20 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: Information up to June quarter 2005 on the number of housing units acquired by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council under Part V of the Planning and Development Acts 2000-04 is published in my Department's housing statistics bulletins, which are available in the Oireachtas Library and on the Department's website at www.environ.ie. In addition, one transfer of land has been completed...

Social and Affordable Housing. (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: The most recent three yearly assessment of need for social housing was carried out by local authorities in March 2005. Returns were received in my Department over the summer and the overall date is being finalised and will be published very shortly. The Government has made substantial progress addressing the concerns raised in the NESC report, with increased housing output levels and record...

Social and Affordable Housing. (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: The last assessment of need calculated 48,000 families were on waiting lists, although 30% comprised single people and another 30% comprised one adult and one child. A housing policy is always in place and it is not a case of waiting eight years to publish a housing policy. We are updating and reviewing the housing policy in response to the NESC report and that work is ongoing in the Department.

Social and Affordable Housing. (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: The NESC report is a valuable document and it makes a useful contribution.

Social and Affordable Housing. (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: The NESC report will not be the Bible of all time because account must be taken of what is happening on an ongoing basis. We have ploughed significant resources into social housing. The amount allocated to the social housing programme this year is up €110 million on last year. Our response is to generate a greater output through increased investment so that the number of people on waiting...

Social and Affordable Housing. (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: I did not refer to rent supplement. I stated investment in local authority housing this year increased by €110 million.

Social and Affordable Housing. (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: That is correct. Approximately 60,000 people are in receipt of rent supplement.

Social and Affordable Housing. (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: No. Under the rental accommodation scheme, a programme will be rolled out over four years whereby people in receipt of rent supplement for more than 18 months will become the responsibility of local authorities.

Social and Affordable Housing. (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: It does. People will be provided with homes, which is what they want. People in receipt of rent supplement felt they were only on short-term leases. I refer to the PRTB legislation and the rental accommodation scheme, under which people become the responsibility of the local authority if they have been in receipt of rent supplement for more than 18 months.