Results 2,641-2,660 of 4,700 for speaker:Noel Ahern

House Prices. (4 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: The Deputy's main question was what we were doing to control prices. We are trying to encourage supply because with the current situation that is the only real solution. We are talking about a situation where 70,000 extra people came to this country last year. A total of 90,000 extra people were at work last year. We would not see that in a country 20 times the size of Ireland, not to mind...

House Prices. (4 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: We are trying to encourage supply.

House Prices. (4 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: I am trying to answer. We are improving the planning regime, investing in serviced land and providing the conditions that have enabled more than half a million houses to be built in the past ten years.

House Prices. (4 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: We have provided tax relief on stamp duty for first-time buyers, brought forward Part V——

House Prices. (4 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: I know, but the Deputy asked the question and I am trying to answer it. There is an affordability problem for some people and for those, we have brought in the four different affordable housing schemes that produced 2,900 houses last year. I do not want to say in simple terms that price does not count.

House Prices. (4 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: Will the Deputy listen? We provided 2,900 affordable homes last year and that figure will increase. There is an affordability problem for some people and that is difficult because the——

House Prices. (4 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: For those we built 2,900 affordable houses last year. The Deputy might have seen some of them advertised two weeks ago. Two bedroom houses were €142,000 and three bedroom houses were €172,000.

House Prices. (4 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: Not for those, but there is a problem for some people and we are helping them because we do not want them to go back on the social housing list. That is the reason for the affordable housing scheme. On price, it is more about affordability than price. In terms of affordability there is the price of the house, the salary of the person, the take-home pay and the interest rate. If we consider...

Social and Affordable Housing. (4 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: The new housing policy framework, Building Sustainable Communities, launched by Government last December outlines a substantially increased programme of investment in social and affordable housing measures for the period 2006-08. Exchequer capital resources provided by my Department for these measures for this period stand at almost €4 billion, more than 20% higher than the past three...

Social and Affordable Housing. (4 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: As the Deputy said, the legal obligations of Part V can be met by a developer by land, cash and sites on-site or off-site.

Social and Affordable Housing. (4 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: The developer may propose any such solution he or she wishes but it is the local authority that makes the decision. It says "yes" or "no" to the proposal. That is the key point. The developer can ask for or suggest anything he or she likes but the local authority makes the decision in accordance with the law of the land and its housing strategy as drawn up and approved by the councillors....

Social and Affordable Housing. (4 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: ——but the local authority can decide to change the provision of the site from three miles to 23 miles outside the city. That legal change was introduced in 2002 for good reason, namely, to provide the flexibility sought by the local authorities, the Department and, in some cases, developers. It made good sense. The key issue is that the local authority makes the decision in accordance...

Social and Affordable Housing. (4 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: If that happens, it should be brought up in the city council chamber and the city council management should investigate matters.

House Prices. (4 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: First-time buyers' access to affordable home ownership is a Government priority and the delivery of more than 500,000 new homes since 1997 has enabled an unprecedented number of first-time buyers to access home ownership during that period. Affordability has also been improved through other specific action targeted for first-time buyers, including improvements in tax reliefs and stamp duty,...

House Prices. (4 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: The answer in respect of the Deputy's point concerning the percentage of people with 40-year mortgages is "Yes". I am concerned and have said so several times. While it is easy to blame the developers for rising prices, in the past 12 months, the amount of credit provided by financial institutions through various gimmicks, such as 40-year mortgages, 100% mortgages, interest-only mortgages and...

House Prices. (4 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: These are official figures. I accept that some estate agents have produced figures based on their own data. In any event, this constitutes the average price for a new or second-hand home. First-time buyers opt for cheaper homes. The average prices are beefed up by second-hand established homes, of which there is always a shortage. As the careers of those people who may have moved 20 or 30...

House Prices. (4 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: Deputy O'Dowd referred to people's inability to buy in their own locality. That has always been the case.

House Prices. (4 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: That has always been the case. I have been around for some time and one must always——

House Prices. (4 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: ——buy elsewhere. However, I accept that some Dubliners have moved to the vicinity of Drogheda. They are all right, if one speaks nicely to them.

House Prices. (4 May 2006)

Noel Ahern: The Deputy should not be scared of them. However, the first-time buyer is still a major player in the market. Although prices have risen, it is a question of affordability. The real test concerns the percentage of one's take home pay which one spends on one's mortgage. If one reviewed the position that obtained 20 or 30 years ago, one would probably find that in many cases, it was not...