Results 2,221-2,240 of 2,386 for speaker:Michael Finneran
- Seanad: Economic Partnership Agreements (19 Jun 2008)
Michael Finneran: I thank the Senator for raising this matter, which I am taking in the unavoidable absence of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Martin, who is in Brussels, and the Minister of State with responsibility for overseas development, Deputy Peter Power. Increased trade is central to sustained economic growth in developing countries. Trade, not just aid, is needed if the poorer countries are...
- Seanad: Local Authority Housing (19 Jun 2008)
Michael Finneran: I thank the Senator for raising this motion and giving me the opportunity to set out the position on this project. The remedial works programme for Liberty House, Railway Street, Dublin 1, is being dealt with by Dublin City Council on a phased basis. Liberty House was built in the late 1930s and originally consisted of 181 flats. The first proposals for its redevelopment were received over...
- Seanad: Local Authority Housing (19 Jun 2008)
Michael Finneran: I understand the point made by the Senator. In order to provide all possible information, I will give more information on the letter sent to Dublin City Council on the submission from it to my Department, which might be helpful. If contact on that level is insufficient, I have no problem with some direct link with Dublin City Council. I should emphasise that we wrote to the council in...
- Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (18 Jun 2008)
Michael Finneran: A grant of â¬2,248,446 was approved for this project in 2003, some â¬2,136,064 of which has been drawn down so far by Limerick County Council. The balance of funding due will be determined as soon as outstanding information, requested from the Council in April 2008, is received in my Department.
- Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (18 Jun 2008)
Michael Finneran: Under my Department's Capital Assistance Scheme for voluntary and co-operative housing, funding of up to 100% of the approved cost is available for the provision of permanent accommodation for low-income families and persons with special housing needs, including the elderly, the homeless and persons with a disability. It is a condition of the scheme that all proposed tenants have been...
- Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (18 Jun 2008)
Michael Finneran: Eligibility for the affordable housing schemes is determined on the basis that applicants are in need of housing and cannot afford to purchase a house outright on the open market. In addition, local authorities assess an eligible applicant's income to ensure that they have the ability to meet the financial commitments involved. In the case of affordable housing provided under Part V of the...
- Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (17 Jun 2008)
Michael Finneran: I propose to take Questions Nos. 895 and 896 together. Expenditure on the provision of social housing through the local authority housing programme, the voluntary and co-operative housing programme and the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) last year amounted to some â¬1.242 billion. Funding provided for these programmes has been increased again in 2008, with some â¬1.369 billion available....
- Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (17 Jun 2008)
Michael Finneran: My Department provides direct funding to local authorities for the provision of affordable housing under the 1999 Affordable Housing Scheme through the subsidisation of the site costs. A subsidy is available to local authorities to make houses affordable by covering all or part of the cost of the site so that the selling price of the unit is within the income range of the target group. To...
- Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (17 Jun 2008)
Michael Finneran: Information on affordable housing activity up to the end of 2007 is available on my Department's website at www.environ.ie. Information is also published in my Department's Housing Statistics Bulletins, copies of which are available in the Oireachtas Library. My Department is collating data on output for the first quarter of 2008 which will be published in the near future. Under the social...
- Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (17 Jun 2008)
Michael Finneran: The pilot central heating scheme, which has been undertaken by my Department in association with Dublin City Council, has provided for the installation of central heating systems, associated insulation works and energy advice, to 170 private households occupied by older people in Ballyfermot, Whitehall and Crumlin. The pilot scheme has operated under the aegis of the Housing Aid for Older...
- Written Answers — Regeneration Schemes: Regeneration Schemes (17 Jun 2008)
Michael Finneran: My Department remains committed to the regeneration of Southill, Moyross, St. Mary's Park, and adjacent areas in the Limerick City Area. In 2007 the Department provided â¬1.13 million to support the establishment of the Northside and Southside Regeneration Agencies, for preliminary regeneration works, and to provide support for some social inclusion activities. A further â¬15 million has...
- Written Answers — Homeless Persons: Homeless Persons (17 Jun 2008)
Michael Finneran: Details of the number of homeless households in each local authority area are published in the Annual Housing Statistics Bulletins, which are available in the Oireachtas Library and on my Department's website at www.environ.ie. The most recent published figures relate to the position at March 2005. The latest homeless counts took place in March 2008 and results will be published in due...
- Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (17 Jun 2008)
Michael Finneran: Local authorities have been advised to conclude Part V agreements at the earliest possible stage to ensure the successful delivery of social and affordable housing. In considering whether to enter into an agreement on an alternative to the transfer of a percentage of land which is the subject of the planning permission, local authorities must consider, inter alia, whether the agreement will...
- Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (17 Jun 2008)
Michael Finneran: In 2007, 2,909 applications were received by housing authorities from tenants wishing to purchase their homes under a tenant purchase scheme. 2,436 of these sales were approved, with 1,231 sales completed by end 2007. Detailed information on the number of sales through tenant purchase by housing authorities since 1994 is available on my Department's website at www.environ.ie and in my...
- Written Answers — Regeneration Schemes: Regeneration Schemes (17 Jun 2008)
Michael Finneran: Following the announcement by Dublin City Council on Monday, 19 May 2008, that a number of regeneration projects being carried out through PPP arrangements would not now be proceeding as planned, my Department and the Council have met on a number of occasions to examine the implications of the announcement for the projects concerned. The City Council has informed my Department that, while the...
- Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (17 Jun 2008)
Michael Finneran: Good progress is being made in implementing the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) and to date authorities have accommodated over 13,000 cases â 3,700 to private rented sector accommodation, 3,000 within the voluntary & co-operative sector and an additional 6,300 through other social housing options. The overall target for the numbers of households transferring from Rent Supplement to RAS...
- Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (17 Jun 2008)
Michael Finneran: My Department commissioned a report to identify measures that would assist in responding to the targets set for affordable housing in Towards 2016. The report "Increasing Affordable Housing Supply" was prepared by consultants for the Affordable Homes Partnership as part of their role in providing services to the Minister and local authorities in relation to affordable housing. One of the...
- Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (17 Jun 2008)
Michael Finneran: I refer to the reply to Question No. 640 of 17 April 2008. The Valuer's Report on this project was received by my Department on 16 June 2008 and is currently being considered.
- Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (17 Jun 2008)
Michael Finneran: No such legal advice has been provided to my Department in respect of the Lisbon Treaty.
- Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (17 Jun 2008)
Michael Finneran: The refurbishment of a number of rural cottages in the Newport area of County Mayo is included under the County Council's approved rural refurbishment programme for the Westport area. This programme received approval from my Department in October 2006, and a revised budget cost was agreed in April 2007. This programme is to be jointly funded from the Council's own resources and by the...