Results 2,741-2,760 of 4,700 for speaker:Noel Ahern

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (23 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: Information on the number of social and affordable housing units acquired under Part V of the Planning and Development Acts 2000 — 2004 in each local authority area until the end of September 2005 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. Provisional annual...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (22 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: The community development programme is designed to reduce social exclusion by targeting support at disadvantaged and socially excluded communities in order to improve their capacity to benefit from social and economic development. Since June 2002, when responsibility for the community development programme transferred to my Department, over €75 million has been provided to community...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (22 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: Information to end September 2005 on the number of social and affordable housing units acquired under Part V of the Planning and Development Acts 2000-04 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. Provisional end-year data for 2005...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (22 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: The overall results of the 2005 housing needs assessment carried out in March 2005 are available on my Department's website at www.environ.ie. More comprehensive data on the assessment, including details of the length of time applicants are on waiting lists, will be published shortly in the annual bulletin of housing statistics and on the Department's website.

Written Answers — Traveller Accommodation: Traveller Accommodation (22 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 264 and 265 together. My Department's role on Traveller accommodation is to ensure that adequate legislative and financial provisions are in place to enable local authorities to meet the accommodation needs of Travellers. The Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998 put in place the structures to enable local authorities to provide accommodation for...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 66, 75 and 99 together. Two weeks ago, I was pleased to announce 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 determined that the general scheme should be sent to the Office of the Attorney General for priority drafting. Deputies will have...

Written Answers — Dormant Accounts Fund: Dormant Accounts Fund (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: I dealt with this issue comprehensively during Priority Questions. The Government is fully committed to providing supports to vulnerable Irish communities living abroad. This commitment is clearly demonstrated by the allocation of significant funding directly from the Exchequer to support emigrant organisations. The figure in 2006 comes to over €12 million. With regard to the dormant...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 69 and 94 together. My Department has overall responsibility for co-ordinating the implementation of the national drugs strategy 2001-08. This incorporates the work of the local and regional drugs task forces and the young people's facilities and services fund. Through these initiatives a broad range of community and voluntary groups are funded to tackle drug...

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: I have no plans at present to establish a community development unit for older people. Older people benefit under a number of my Department's programmes and schemes, including the local development social inclusion programme, the scheme of community supports for older people and the community development programme. This is in addition to the supports for older people provided by the...

Written Answers — Dormant Accounts Fund: Dormant Accounts Fund (21 Mar 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. Under this round, the board approved 521 projects for funding totalling over €60 million. While to date approximately €13 million of this amount has been drawn down...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 76, 80, 93, 109 and 111 together. While anecdotal evidence suggests that there has been a growth in the use of cocaine, we are not in a position to quantify the level of any increase. The 2002-03 national drug prevalence survey provides comprehensive baseline information on cocaine use in this country. This study, which surveyed 8,442 people aged 15-64 in...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 77 and 81 together. Representatives of the community sector remain fully engaged in all aspects of the national drugs strategy. This includes the continuation of their input to the work of the national drugs strategy team, NDST, in partnership with other members. The community sector representative on the NDST has recently resigned and I have asked the NDST to...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: My Department oversees the work of the 14 local drugs task forces, 12 of which are in Dublin with the others in Cork and Bray, which were established in the areas experiencing the highest levels of drugs misuse, as well as the ten regional drugs task forces in the areas not covered by local drugs task forces. Thus, all parts of the country are serviced by a drugs task force. Local drugs task...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: As I have indicated, my Department will review the experience of the package of volunteering measures that I initiated around this time last year as we develop a national policy on volunteering for the future. In this context, my Department will endeavor to take all relevant information into account.

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (21 Mar 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, the purpose of which was to establish the population prevalence of drug use on the island of Ireland in 2002/03. This study surveyed over 8,000 people aged 15-64 in Ireland and Northern Ireland between October 2002 and April 2003 and...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: I am pleased with the increasing levels of funding being made available to tackle the problems of drugs misuse. An allocation of €43 million has been made to my Department's Vote for the drugs initiative-young people's facilities and services fund in 2006. This represents an increase of 37% on the original 2005 allocation and a massive 61% increase on the 2004 figure. It will allow us to...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: The officials of my Department and I are in ongoing contact with all those involved in disrupting the use of illegal drugs in this country. A comprehensive framework for a co-ordinated Government response to the issue of drug misuse is already in place. The national drugs strategy 2001-08 addresses the problem of drug misuse across a number of pillars — supply reduction, prevention,...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: I have had no specific discussions with the Minister for Education and Science on drug use among undergraduate students in full-time third level education but I am in ongoing contact with all those involved in efforts to disrupt the distribution and consumption of illegal drugs throughout society, including the Minister for Education and Science. The primary focus of the 108 actions of the...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: The emerging needs fund was devised to address an evolving situation in regard to the misuse of drugs on a flexible basis, in the light of new needs. To date I have allocated almost €850,000 under the emerging needs fund to 14 projects. In the light of the substantially increased level of funding allocated in the Revised Estimates figures for drugs initiatives under my Department, I will...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (21 Mar 2006)

Noel Ahern: I refer the Deputy to Priority Question No. 61.