Results 1,941-1,960 of 4,700 for speaker:Noel Ahern

Written Answers — House Completions: House Completions (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 852 and 853 together. Housing statistics, including annual completions for the past five years, are published in the housing statistics bulletins which are available in the Oireachtas Library and on the Department's website. My Department does not have a definitive breakdown of house completions either by type of purchaser or whether they were second or...

Written Answers — Special Housing Needs: Special Housing Needs (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: Capital funding is available through my Department's capital assistance scheme to approved voluntary housing bodies to provide accommodation to meet special housing needs, such as elderly, homeless or persons with disabilities and may include accommodation for victims of domestic violence. My Department's involvement with the scheme relates primarily to the provision of funds for individual...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: The income eligibility limits for shared ownership, affordable housing and local authority house purchase loans are €40,000 for a single income household and €100,000 for a dual income household. The maximum loan which may be advanced by a local authority is €185,000 and subject to this limit, a loan of up to 95% of the price of the house may be made available. A local authority may...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: I refer to the reply to Question No. 572 of 7 March 2006. RAS is designed to cater for the accommodation needs of certain persons in receipt of rent supplement, normally for more than 18 months and who have a long-term housing need. Since persons on a back-to-work allowance scheme keep their current social welfare rent supplement payment on a tapered withdrawal basis over a four year period,...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: My Department gave approval to Cavan County Council in December 2005 to accept a tender for phases two and three of the refurbishment of houses at Drumnaveil, Cootehill, County Cavan, under the remedial works scheme. It is now a matter for the council to enter into a contract with the contractor to enable work to commence as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Local Authority Funding: Local Authority Funding (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: The combined capital allocation notified to Monaghan County Council for the payment of disabled person's and essential repairs grants in 2005 was €1,450,000.

Written Answers — Local Authority Funding: Local Authority Funding (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: The combined capital allocation notified to Cavan County Council for the payment of disabled person's and essential repairs grants in 2005 was €1,800,000.

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 871, 874 and 875 together. Non-compliance with the tenancy registration requirements of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 is a criminal offence. Enforcement of the registration provisions, including prosecution, where appropriate, is the statutory responsibility of the Private Residential Tenancies Board. I am not aware that deficiencies are evident in powers...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 873 and 881 together. Funding is available from my Department for the refurbishment and improvement of local authority houses under the remedial works scheme. The capital funding provided to local authorities with the remedial works programmes in 2004 and 2005, which comprises Exchequer grants and local authority internal capital receipts, is set out in the...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: The minimum standards applying to rented accommodation are contained in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 1993 made under the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992. Enforcement of the regulations is a function of local authorities, which have powers under the 1992 Act to enter and inspect at all reasonable times a house to which the regulations apply. Where an...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: The objective of the shared ownership scheme is to enhance affordability by allowing eligible applicants to purchase at least 40% of the value of the dwelling and to rent the remaining share from the local authority. In effect, the scheme offers home ownership in a number of steps to purchasers who cannot afford full outright ownership in the traditional way. The statutory provisions...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: Wexford County Council submitted proposals to my Department in mid-2005 to construct four houses in the scheme in question. It was considered that a more efficient use could be made of the available site and following discussions with the Department the council has agreed to revise its proposals and now intends to construct six houses on the site. The Department will determine funding for the...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: There is no provision in the Planning and Development Acts 2000-04 for the Minister to grant derogations in respect of Part V agreements. Accordingly, it would be a matter for the developer in question and the relevant local authority to reach agreement on the Part V contribution appropriate in this particular instance having regard to the various options available.

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: My Department maintains close ongoing contact with the Private Residential Tenancies Board, PRTB, regarding progress on the implementation generally of the provisions of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004. However, statutory responsibility for the registration of tenancies and the provision of information relating to this and other aspects of the private rented sector rests with the PRTB...

Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: As details of expenditure on disabled person's and essential repairs grants in 2005 have not been received from all local authorities the information being sought is not yet available.

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

Noel Ahern: The community development 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. Since June 2002, when responsibility for the community development programme transferred to my Department, over €75 million has been provided to community...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (22 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: Information to end September 2005 on the number of social and affordable housing units acquired under Part V of the Planning and Development Acts 2000-04 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 the Department's website at www.environ.ie. Provisional end-year data for 2005...

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

Noel Ahern: The overall results of the 2005 housing needs assessment carried out in March 2005 are available on my Department's website at www.environ.ie. More comprehensive data on the assessment, including details of the length of time applicants are on waiting lists, will be published shortly in the annual bulletin of housing statistics and on the Department's website.

Written Answers — Traveller Accommodation: Traveller Accommodation (22 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 264 and 265 together. My Department's role on Traveller accommodation is to ensure that adequate legislative and financial provisions are in place to enable local authorities to meet the accommodation needs of Travellers. The Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998 put in place the structures to enable local authorities to provide accommodation for...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (23 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: I propose to answer Questions Nos. 146 and 147 together. My Department pays an annual grant to the head office of the organisation in question. The Department requires that this grant is used for purposes consistent with the ethos of the Department, specifically, the alleviation of disadvantage. In addition, local branches of the organisation in question have also availed of funding in recent...