Results 2,681-2,700 of 4,700 for speaker:Noel Ahern

Seanad: Local Authority Housing. (27 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: I thank the Senator for raising the matter which affords me an opportunity to clarify certain misconceptions regarding output from Part V of the Planning and Development Act. I am happy that Part V is now fully operational in all planning authorities. The provision of homes for first-time buyers and young families under Part V is gathering momentum. Figures for last year indicate that just...

Seanad: Local Authority Housing. (27 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: I provided the figures of €24.5 million plus €5.5 million in levies. As I noted, some 1,400 affordable units were provided last year. Legally, the developer must provide houses on site or else provide houses off-site elsewhere, or sites elsewhere, or half-completed houses elsewhere, or land or cash, but if there had been no flexibility in that last year, the figure of 1,400 units would...

Written Answers — Security of the Elderly: Security of the Elderly (26 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 216 and 217 together. The scheme of community support for older people, CSOP, encourages and assists the community's support for qualifying older people, aged 65 years and older, by means of a community based grant scheme, which provides funding for door locks, window locks, door chains, security lighting, smoke alarms and towards the once-off cost of...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (25 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 536 and 541 together. The pay and conditions of the employees of the organisations concerned are a matter in the first place for the organisations concerned. No additional resources have been provided to my Department for the award of benchmarking increases to employees of local drugs task forces or area based partnership companies.

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (25 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: My Department has no record of an application from the group in question. The programme of grants for locally-based community and voluntary organisations, which is operated by my Department, includes a scheme under which funding towards the purchase of equipment is provided. The operation of the programme is under review at present and I hope that my Department is in a position to advertise...

Written Answers — Security of the Elderly: Security of the Elderly (25 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: In addition to funding for door and window locks, for security lighting and for smoke alarms, the scheme of community support for older people also provides funding towards the installation of socially monitored alarms for qualifying older people. My Department's scheme, however, does not cover the cost of the annual fee in respect of the monitoring service provided by the suppliers of the...

Written Answers — Housing Aid for the Elderly: Housing Aid for the Elderly (25 Apr 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 €5 million for the scheme was notified to the western region, which includes County Galway, in February 2006 and it is a matter for the HSE directorate of services for older people, which has...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (25 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: As the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 1993 are now over 12 years in operation, it is my intention to review them when the implementation of the new tenancy legislative regime has been completed. I expect that work on the regulations will commence later this year. In the meantime, action is being taken on a number of fronts, as indicated in my reply to Questions Nos. 12, 61,...

Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (25 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: The current review of the disabled person's grant scheme includes the interrelated nature of disabled persons, essential repairs and the special housing aid for the elderly grant schemes and the issue raised in the question is being considered in this context.

Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (25 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: It is a matter for local authorities to decide on the level of funding to be provided for the essential repairs grant scheme in their area from within the allocation notified to them for disabled person's and essential repairs grants by my Department and to manage the operation of the schemes from within this allocation. My Department recoups to local authorities two thirds of their...

Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (25 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: Some information relating to expenditure in 2005 on disabled person's and essential repairs grants is awaited from local authorities. On its receipt, full expenditure details for all authorities will be made available on the Department's website and published in the annual housing statistics bulletin 2005.

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (6 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: The assessment and prioritisation of housing needs of all applicants for housing is a matter for individual local authorities, to be undertaken in accordance with their schemes of letting priorities. This applies also in respect of housing provided for letting by the voluntary sector. The needs of applicants on waiting lists are regularly reviewed and updated by local authorities. Housing...

Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (6 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: The information sought is being compiled in my Department and will be published in the Annual Housing Statistic Bulletin 2005 in the next few weeks.

Written Answers — Voluntary Housing Schemes: Voluntary Housing Schemes (6 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: I refer to the reply to Question No. 590 of 4 April 2006.

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (6 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: The maximum loan that can be advanced by local authorities for the acquisition or construction of a house was increased to €185,000 with effect from 1 January 2006. I have no proposals to increase this limit further but will continue to keep the matter under review.

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (6 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: The loan limit for the shared ownership scheme was reviewed and increased with effect from 1 January 2006. The maximum loan which may be advanced by a local authority in respect of the share of the dwelling being purchased, at a minimum of 40%, is €185,000. However, the cost of the dwelling may exceed this amount. Local authorities may also apply a limit that is lower than €185,000 to...

Written Answers — Financial Services: Financial Services (6 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: Following discussions with a number of the main financial institutions, Bank of Ireland Mortgage Bank and the Educational Building Society have introduced mortgage finance products for persons who wish to access affordable housing. These products are now available consequent to agreement with my Department on the rankings of the various charges including provision for a clawback as a charge...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (6 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: My Department has been provided with significant investment for the social and affordable housing programme for the period 2006-08. Exchequer capital resources for the period stand at almost €4 billion and this sum rises to more than €6.5 billion when non-voted and current spending provisions are included. This money will be invested in response to identified need, with in the region of...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (6 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: Part V agreements with developers may include the provision of land, units or sites within the proposed development or off-site within the functional area of the planning authority; the payment of money in lieu of land transfers or a combination of the above options. Figures supplied by local authorities to my Department in respect of 2005 indicate that 57 fully or partially developed sites...

Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (6 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: I refer to the reply to Question No. 232 of 9 March 2006. The position is unchanged.