Results 1,821-1,840 of 4,700 for speaker:Noel Ahern

Seanad: Water and Sewerage Schemes. (16 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: Yes. I do not suggest that everything comes out of the Department on housing or waste water in the same week as it is received. However, if the Senator can identify where the logjam is, he should by all means let us know. This case was way down the priority list. That may have been revised over the years because of pressure at local level. For good or bad, attempts are made to group projects...

Seanad: Dublin Port Tunnel. (16 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: On behalf of the Minister for Transport, I would like to point out that the planning, design and implementation of national road improvement projects, including the Dublin Port tunnel, is a matter for the National Roads Authority, NRA, and the local authorities concerned, in this case Dublin City Council. The Minister for Transport is, of course, anxious that the Dublin Port tunnel is...

Seanad: Dublin Port Tunnel. (16 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: Professionals, including Tim Brick and his team of engineers, are working on this project. Brown and Root are the international supervisors of the work. The Minister is not supervising the project in person. Of course accidents should not happen but minor ones do. I am sure it can be put right. It is a matter of timing. I do not believe work on the tunnel has stopped as a result. The experts...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (21 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: As I stated in my answer to question no. 236 of 15 February, the centre in question has received substantial funding of €3,221,647 from the young people's facilities and services fund to cover construction and fit out costs. I understand that a small saving was made in the main construction costs. However, this funding is being used on the ongoing further capital development of the centre....

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (21 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: The programme of grants for locally-based community and voluntary organisations is funded by my Department and supports the activities of local voluntary and community groups. The programme consists of three schemes: one makes funds available for small scale refurbishment of premises. This is complemented by a second scheme to provide for the purchase of essential equipment including IT...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (21 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: An application was received by my Department from the organisation in question under the 2005 programme of grants for locally-based community and voluntary organisations. Each application received under the programme was assessed by Pobal on behalf of my Department by reference to the criteria set out in the published guidelines, and scored accordingly. The application from the organisation...

Written Answers — Security of the Elderly: Security of the Elderly (21 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: The scheme of community support for older people encourages and assists the community's support for older people by means of a community based grant scheme to improve the security of its older members. The scheme is open to people aged 65 and over who have a genuine need for assistance under this scheme and is administered by local community and voluntary groups with the support of my...

Written Answers — Security of the Elderly: Security of the Elderly (21 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: The scheme of community support for older people encourages and assists the community's support for older people by means of a community based grant scheme to improve the security of its older members. Responsibility for the scheme transferred to my Department in June 2002. Details of funding under the scheme since 2002 are as follows: Year Amount (€million) 2002 2.67...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (21 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: I propose to answer Questions Nos. 651 and 658 together. The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the parliamentary affairs division of the executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (21 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: No proposals for funding have been received in my Department from Kildare County Council on the matter in question.

Written Answers — Social Housing: Social Housing (21 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: Based on Department of Social and Family Affairs data 60,176 households were in receipt of rent supplement at the end of December 2005. More than half of these, approximately 33,000 cases, have been on the scheme for 18 months and represent the primary target group for accommodation by housing authorities under the rental accommodation scheme, RAS, or by other forms of social housing. The...

Written Answers — Housing Aid for the Elderly: Housing Aid for the Elderly (21 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: The special housing aid for the elderly scheme is administered by a task force under the aegis of my Department and operated at local level by the Health Service Executive. An initial allocation of €2.2 million for the scheme was recently notified to the Dublin mid-Leinster region, which includes South Dublin County Council and it is a matter for the HSE directorate of services for older...

Written Answers — Disabled Person's Grant Scheme: Disabled Person's Grant Scheme (21 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: A reply will issue shortly to the person concerned regarding this matter.

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (22 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: The Deputy will be aware that funding to the Sherkin Island Development Society under my Department's community development programme was discontinued in 2004. He will also be aware that a process is currently underway to achieve simplified local delivery structures with improved coverage and levels of service locally. Any future community development supports and associated resources from my...

Written Answers — Dormant Accounts Fund: Dormant Accounts Fund (22 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: The Deputy will be aware that disbursements from the dormant accounts fund are designed to assist three broad categories of persons, those who are socially or economically disadvantaged, those who are educationally disadvantaged and persons with a disability. The Government has approved the allocation of €60 million from the dormant accounts fund in 2006, of which €24 million will be...

Written Answers — Dormant Accounts Fund: Dormant Accounts Fund (22 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: As the Deputy will be aware, decisions on the disbursement of dormant accounts funds were previously a matter for the dormant accounts fund disbursements board which was established under the Dormant Accounts Acts. On 1 September 2005, the Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Act 2005 came into force, which provides for significant changes to the disbursement of funds from dormant accounts and for a...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (22 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 374 and 375 together. I refer to the reply to Question No. 1453 of 25 January 2006. The position is unchanged.

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (22 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: In accordance with section 9 of the Housing Act 1988, an assessment of need for local authority housing took place on 31 March 2005. This assessment was the most accurate to date and required local authorities to submit their returns in electronic format to the local government computer services board, LGCSB, which then entered it onto a data warehouse. In order to ensure a consistency of...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (23 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: Ten regional drugs task forces, RDTFs, have been established covering all parts of the country that are not already serviced by one of the 14 local drugs task forces. The RDTFs work in a partnership manner, similar to the local drugs task forces, and are made up of nominees from State agencies working in the region, the community and voluntary sectors and elected public representatives....

Written Answers — Traveller Community: Traveller Community (23 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: My Department funds a number of projects which provide Traveller support and aim to improve the circumstances of the Traveller community. The details are given in the following table. Travellers are one of a number of target groups that benefit under the community development programme. While a significant number of the 185 projects within the programme would identify Travellers among...