Results 2,361-2,380 of 4,700 for speaker:Noel Ahern

Written Answers — Security of the Elderly: Security of the Elderly (20 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: My Department operates the Scheme of Community Support for Older People, which aims to encourage and assist the community's support for older people by means of a community based grant scheme to improve the security of older people in their own homes. The Scheme is administered by local community and voluntary groups with the support of my Department and is open to people aged 65 and over who...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (20 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: A replacement community representative has not been appointed to the National Drugs Strategy Team yet. Prior to the resignation of the previous community representative on the National Drugs Strategy Team, my Department wrote to the Team suggesting that they request the community representatives on both the Regional and Local Drugs Task Forces to consider putting forward a candidate for...

Written Answers — Local Authority Land Development: Local Authority Land Development (20 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: Ballina Town Council have a 15 acre site at Ard Na Rí which they are currently developing. In 2005, the Town Council completed construction of 71 local authority and voluntary houses on almost 9 acres of the site, availing of capital funding provided by my Department. It is understood from the Town Council that, in order to provide varied tenure types in the development, the Council...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (20 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: Information on the number of housing units provided under the various affordable housing schemes 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. While data is currently being compiled for the first quarter of 2006, provisional figures...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (20 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: I assume that the Question refers to the Special Housing Aid for the Elderly Scheme which is operated by the Health Service Executive, formerly the Health Boards, in line with guidelines issued from time to time by the Task Force who administer the scheme under the aegis of my Department. Under the scheme, aid is provided to improve the housing conditions of elderly persons living alone in...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (20 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: Under the Improvement Works in Lieu of local authority housing scheme, a local authority may improve or extend a privately owned house to eliminate defects or to provide additional accommodation where it is necessary to eliminate overcrowding or to accommodate a person not at present residing in the house. Persons benefiting under the scheme are required to pay a weekly or monthly charge...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (20 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: The Social Housing Design Guidelines published by my Department include recommendations in relation to target floor areas and minimum room sizes for typical dwellings. These floor areas and room sizes were re-examined and amended in 2002 in light of changes to Part M of the Building Regulations which require that all new dwellings be visitable by people with disabilities. These Design...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (20 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: The Affordable Homes Partnership, established in August 2005, has been assigned responsibility for, inter alia, taking steps to bring forward additional land in the Dublin area for housing development, including land that, although not currently zoned for housing, may be suitable for that purpose. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has issued guidelines in...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (14 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: I understand that the National Drugs Strategy Team are currently working on the preparation of their Annual Report for 2005 and that it will be completed later in the year.

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (14 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: On the 9th of March of this year I announced Government approval of the General Scheme for the Charities Regulation Bill 2006 and its publication on my Department's website, www.pobail.ie. The Government also agreed that the General Scheme should be sent to the Office of the Attorney General for priority drafting. As I informed the House on 21st March, I hope that priority drafting should...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (14 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: The Emerging Needs Fund was established in 2005 to facilitate a flexible and timely response to evolving needs in regard to drug misuse in Local Drugs Task Force areas. To date a total of 54 projects have been approved for funding of over €3.1m. Thirty nine of these, with a total value of €2,268,302, have been approved since 8 February.

Written Answers — Dormant Accounts Fund: Dormant Accounts Fund (14 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: I refer the Deputy to my replies to Questions Numbers 105, 342 and 343 of 16th May 2006 in relation to spending to date from the Dormant Accounts Fund. Disbursements from the Fund in 2004 amounted to €14 million. In 2005 disbursements from the Fund were €14.4 million and €7 million has been paid during 2006 to date. It is anticipated that during the remainder of 2006 further significant...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (14 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: The main contact between Local Drugs Task Forces, and projects developed under their aegis, with third level institutions is through engagement by projects with those institutions to facilitate the development of an appropriate range of education and training courses. Among these are addiction studies courses that are accredited by the National University of Ireland. Many Task Forces also...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (14 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: I have not had discussions with the Michael McDowell, T.D., Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform specifically on the "Drugs and Crime in Ireland" report published in late May by the Health Research Board. However, it should be noted that this report was discussed at some length at the meetings of the Consequences Sub-committee of the National Advisory Committee on Drugs, on which...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (14 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 66 and 71 together. My Department has overall responsibility for co-ordinating the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008. This Strategy contains 108 individual actions, under the four original pillars of supply reduction, prevention, treatment and research, with rehabilitation added as a fifth pillar. The various actions fall to be...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (14 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: The current year's allocation to my Department for expenditure on Drugs Initiatives and the Young Peoples Facilities and Services Fund is €43m which represents a substantial 37% increase on the 2005 initial allocation and an increase of 61% on the 2004 figure. These figures emphasise that tackling the drug problem is a key Government priority and that it will remain so. Local Drugs Task...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (14 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: The National Advisory Committee on Drugs and the Drug and Alcohol Information and Research Unit (Northern Ireland) commissioned the first Drug Prevalence Survey in 2002/2003, the purpose of which was to establish the population prevalence of drug use on the island of Ireland. This study surveyed over 8,000 people aged 15-64 in Ireland and Northern Ireland between October 2002 and April 2003...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (14 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: The Mid-Term Review of the National Drugs Strategy was published in June 2005. This report was the culmination of a comprehensive review, which included extensive consultation with Government Departments and agencies, the community & voluntary sectors and the public in general. The review was overseen by a Steering Group, chaired by my Department, and made up of representatives of the...

Written Answers — Voluntary Sector: Voluntary Sector (14 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: I understand that the address by the Secretary General of my Department at the recent Wheel Conference focused on shared challenges faced with the community and voluntary sector, some reflections relating to issues relevant to the sector that have arisen in the past, and factors which may influence volunteering. I am advised that no policy proposals were advanced by the Secretary General at...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (14 Jun 2006)

Noel Ahern: Funding in excess of €1.7m. has been allocated to initiatives in support of volunteering by my Department for 2006. These allocations are, in the main, part of multi-annual commitments made to a range of volunteering related activities which I announced as part of a package of volunteering initiatives in March 2005. The allocations for 2006 are as follows: ∙Volunteer Centres Ireland,...