Results 1,741-1,760 of 4,700 for speaker:Noel Ahern

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: A total of €1,599,414.95 was spent by my Department to tackle drug misuse in the current year up to 3 February 2006. An allocation of €34.027 million for 2006 has been made for the drugs initiative and young people's facilities and services fund in the abridged Estimates volume. This represents an increase of 8% on the allocation for 2005. The level of increase in spending in the drugs...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: My Department has recently received their annual report for 2004 from the national drugs strategy team.

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: My Department has overall responsibility for co-ordinating the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008. In this context it has responsibility for the work of the local and regional drugs task forces and the young people's facilities and services fund. Through these initiatives a range of community and voluntary groups are funded to tackle drug misuse. To date, approximately...

Written Answers — Local Authority Schemes: Local Authority Schemes (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 345 and 346 together. The disabled person's and essential repairs grant schemes are intended, like a number of other housing grant schemes operated by my Department, to assist works which provide additional or adapted accommodation in private houses. However, they are not designed to cover the full cost of works for all applicants. Local authorities may...

Seanad: County Boundaries. (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: I understand Senator Dooley's concern in raising this important issue for Limerick city, County Limerick and Clare County Council. Under the provisions of Part V of the Local Government Act 1991 and the associated regulations a local authority may initiate a proposal for the alteration of its boundaries. A formal boundary alteration proposal by an authority must identify financial,...

Community Development. (9 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: The Minister for Finance announced in budget 2002 that in my Department's Vote a special one-off provision of £450,000 would be included as a contribution towards the cost of constructing a community centre in Cobh. In subsequent years, during which this project went through various preparatory phases, my Department was in close contact with Cobh Community Centre Ltd., the company...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (9 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: Standardised arrangements are currently in place with two 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 remortgage with private...

Written Answers — Homeless Persons: Homeless Persons (9 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: Government policy on housing has the overarching aim of enabling every household to have available an affordable dwelling of good quality, suited to its needs, in a good environment and, as far as possible, at the tenure of its choice. The Government's approach to achieving this policy aim is that those who can afford to do so should provide for their own housing, with the aid where available...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (9 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: While local authorities must operate prudentially in regard to approving housing loans, they are not necessarily prevented from making a loan to a borrower who cannot obtain mortgage protection insurance because he or she by reason of health or age would not be acceptable to an insurer. Accordingly, the limitation of cover in the standard local authority mortgage protection scheme to persons...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (9 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: In regard to tenants of social housing, I refer to the reply to Question No. 682 of 15 November 2005. My Department's standing advice to local authorities is that applicants for affordable housing, including local authority tenants who avail of the affordable housing schemes, should be provided with full details on management charges together with mortgage and other costs associated with home...

House Prices. (14 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: A consistent element of Government policy has been to promote adequate supply of housing to meet demand. Despite strong demand pressures and increased levels of mortgage lending, house price increases have moderated significantly in recent years from rates of around 40% per annum in the late 1990s. This is attributable to the large increase in housing output that has been achieved, including...

House Prices. (14 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: Last year was the opposite of the previous year, where from early 2004, on a quarterly basis, the rate of increase declined. This time last year, experts were talking about a 5% or 6% increase. It seemed, however, that another wave of increases took place as the year went on. We do not have our own figures for the fourth quarter but the ESRI figure would have increased 1% on the previous...

House Prices. (14 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: House prices entered another cycle of increases during the year because of three factors. There are 90,000 extra people working in the economy, 70,000 extra have entered the State and some financial institutions have an overly generous approach. Credit is by definition inflationary. It is not just 100% mortgages; there are interest-only mortgages and terms of 35 and 40 years. Some people are...

House Prices. (14 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: No, they are being taken up by everybody.

House Prices. (14 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: The issue is fundamentally one of demand. The economy and credit are booming. We are trying to meet strong demand and the only way to do so is to tackle supply. At the same time, we are not losing sight of those who are being squeezed out of the market. I have been invited to attend an open day on the northside of Dublin tomorrow to view affordable houses which are being sold for €165,000....

Rent Supplement: Motion. (14 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "acknowledges the achievements of the Government in: —increasing housing supply as the key response to the broad range of housing needs; —ensuring that over 500,000 houses, equivalent to one third of Ireland's total housing stock, have been completed in the past 10 years; —facilitating the...

Rent Supplement: Motion. (14 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: It did not.

Rent Supplement: Motion. (14 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: It did not produce all the units that were forecast but the money is there. The local authorities almost have a free rein to build what they like. Deputy Sherlock said they were sitting on their backsides relying on Part V arrangements to bring forward social units. We are giving them all the money they want for their action plans so they should get on with it.

Rent Supplement: Motion. (14 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: To be fair, social housing completions are up by approximately 600 units and starts are up by approximately 900, so they are delivering. Deputy Sherlock obviously thinks they are not and there is a danger they take the lazy option and wait for activity to come about through Part V. It might have been stop-start in the past but it is not now so they should get on with it. The outturn for last...

Rent Supplement: Motion. (14 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: People in a higher income bracket have left local authority housing because they have gone for affordable units, which cater for a substantial need. Housing is a local issue, and we must recognise that needs and responses to those needs must be conceived and designed to take account of this. Recognising the particular affordability issues in the Dublin area, the Government established the...