Results 2,701-2,720 of 4,700 for speaker:Noel Ahern

Written Answers — Housing Aid for the Elderly: Housing Aid for the Elderly (5 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, HSE. An initial allocation of €2.2 million for the scheme was notified to the Dublin and mid-Leinster region, which includes County Kildare, in February 2006 and it is a matter for the HSE directorate of services for...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (5 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: Applications for approval of funding under the voluntary housing capital loan and subsidy scheme in respect of both projects were recently received from Cork County Council, which is responsible for the detailed administration of the scheme in its area. The applications are being considered and the council will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible.

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: I thank the Deputies who contributed to the debate. I understand many of the points raised, which are those we come across as public representatives. I share the concerns but I do not agree with the approach taken. The Bill is concerned with regulating managing agents. Provision for this will be made in legislation by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform as he will establish a...

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: I am not sure that Fine Gael is fully behind its proposal to make the Private Residential Tenancies Board responsible for regulating managing agents. It was not set up for that purpose. While the proposed Bill contains some interesting points, it would not deal with a range of issues that give rise to problems with apartment complex management. It is right to focus on managing agents because...

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: Is that a local authority housing estate?

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: Deputy Ring should read about what the Government is doing.

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: For management agencies.

Written Answers — Security of the Elderly: Security of the Elderly (4 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: The purpose of the scheme of community support for older people is to encourage and assist the community's support for older people by means of a community-based grant scheme to improve the security of its older members. The scheme is administered by local community and voluntary groups with the support of the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs on an annual basis. To apply...

Written Answers — Dormant Accounts Fund: Dormant Accounts Fund (4 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: Decisions on the disbursements of funds from dormant accounts under the initial round of funding were a matter for the dormant accounts fund disbursements board, an independent body established under the dormant accounts Acts. In overseeing the initial round of funding, the board decided that only applications from within the State would be eligible. I understand that the London Irish Centre...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (4 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 368, 369 and 371 to 375, inclusive, together. I refer the Deputy to my presentation on volunteers and volunteering to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Arts, Sports, Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs on 2 March 2005. During the course of that presentation, which was in response to the committee's report on this topic, I provided details of a...

Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (4 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: There are no proposals with my Department from Kildare County Council for the refurbishment of houses in the scheme in question.

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (4 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: The most recent figures available to the Department from local authorities indicate that at the end of December 2004 there were 4,182 local authority dwellings vacant nationwide of which 2,349 were de-tenanted for planned refurbishment or major regeneration programmes in run-down estates.

Written Answers — Housing Aid for the Elderly: Housing Aid for the Elderly (4 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: The Department has approved the invitation of tenders by Laois County Council for the provision of 23 units of accommodation for the elderly in Durrow, which will be carried out under the capital assistance scheme available for voluntary and co-operative housing projects.

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (4 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: Substantial progress continues to be made on delivering the 10,000 housing units promised under the Sustaining Progress affordable housing initiative. Over 70 projects on State and local authority lands are planned which, together with the projected 2,500 housing units under Part V of the Planning and Development Acts 2000 to 2004, gives over the 10,000 housing unit target figure that was...

Written Answers — Voluntary Housing Schemes: Voluntary Housing Schemes (4 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: The level of low cost site subsidy provided by the Department for a local authority under the low cost site scheme varies from location to location depending on factors, including the acquisition and development costs of the sites. The price at which the local authority intends to sell such sites to housing applicants is a matter to be determined by individual local authorities. The sale of...

Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (4 Apr 2006)

Noel Ahern: I refer to Question No. 203 of 23 March. The information requested has been forwarded to the Deputy.

Written Answers — House Prices: House Prices (30 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: A new record of almost 81,000 housing completions was achieved in 2005, almost two and a half times the 1996 level, continuing a strong performance in housing output over the past decade. The very large increase in housing output has also helped to restrain house price increases in the face of growing demand and increased mortgage lending. On the other hand, some macro-economic commentators...

Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (30 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 265 and 266 together. The regulations governing the essential repairs grant scheme, which is operated by local authorities, do not specify an age qualification. The scheme is designed to enable elderly people whose houses cannot be made habitable in all respects at a reasonable cost to have basic repairs carried out. In determining priority as between grant...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (30 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: The figures supplied by Kildare County Council to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government indicate that up to the end of 2005, a total of 778 units have been provided through the various affordable housing schemes. This comprises 683 under the shared ownership scheme, 52 under the 1999 affordable housing scheme and 43 under Part V. Regarding future activity, 171...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (30 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: Under the low-cost sites scheme local authorities can provide sites to approved voluntary, co-operative and other non-profit housing groups to construct houses. The level of low-cost site subsidy provided by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to a local authority under the low-cost site scheme varies from location to location depending on factors including the...