Results 2,981-3,000 of 4,700 for speaker:Noel Ahern

Dormant Accounts Fund. (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: I do not agree with Deputy Boyle. There was much favourable media comment after we made our announcements in early January. I am not sure if I heard that interview but I heard a few of them — I may have heard that one. Some people were all mixed up. Deputy Boyle may have drawn conclusions, or one interview followed another and people quoted things as gospel which were absolutely not so. I...

Dormant Accounts Fund. (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: The system we have introduced is in accordance with the legislation. It is very open and transparent. We have gone through that several times so I will not rehash the debate we had on the legislation. ADM was employed by the Dormant Accounts Fund Disbursements Board as a service provider in the previous round of funding. ADM is now called Pobal and it will have much the same role this time...

National Drugs Strategy. (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 111 and 129 together. The emerging needs fund was devised to address an evolving situation in regard to the misuse of drugs on a flexible basis and in a timely manner. To date I have allocated almost €850,000 under the fund to 15 projects. I hope to be in a position to make further allocations soon. I do not anticipate that the total allocation to projects...

National Drugs Strategy. (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: It was originally envisaged that the fund would be €1 million for last year. It was intended to respond to key issues as they arose. The national drugs strategy team then decided to apply in tranches. If one does not know how much is required one must be careful not to spend all one's money on the first day. My comment about more than €1 million is not new. I sent word before Christmas, I...

National Drugs Strategy. (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: The emerging needs fund is not the overall Government spend on this area. Our budget is between €30 million and €35 million a year. Other projects worth over €20 million have been brought into the mainstream. The figures in our Department will never increase very much because we constantly send items into the mainstream health and education services as they are piloted and evaluated....

National Drugs Strategy. (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: That is why we established this fund. The national drugs strategy team decided to apply for it in three tranches, the last of which came in November. I do not have the list of applications. It will send another list and we will continue to watch the situation which is fluid. We must move with it and be flexible enough to have new services. Equally, one needs to look at a project funded five...

National Drugs Strategy. (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: I do not know where the question was in all that, but I sincerely hope I am not misrepresenting anything. It was certainly not my intention. We talked about the 14 local drugs task forces. One cannot have round three while the pilot project is on round two. Many of the projects under round two that might have been all right two or three years ago have not been in place all that long. They...

National Drugs Strategy. (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: It may have approved some of them for €4.5 million, but not all of them. One must naturally see them all and know what the bill is before one starts paying them in large numbers.

National Drugs Strategy. (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: Talking of strategic development, it was up to the local drugs task forces to send forward those projects that were critical.

National Drugs Strategy. (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: They were dealing with real burning issues, such as crack cocaine. The final outcome will depend on money and the quality of the applications. I have not seen too many so far about the burning issue of crack cocaine. Let us get our facts together.

National Drugs Strategy. (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: I have never said that €4.5 million was a massive sum.

National Drugs Strategy. (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: I do not know why we always concentrate on this fund when it is only a small part of our overall expenditure. If the Deputy is a member of a drugs task force, he will be aware of the good work they do. I am not a member of one, and I have not been able to be one for the past three years. I previously was a member of one, however, and I know the good work done locally by many good people. I...

Dormant Accounts Fund. (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: Disbursements from the dormant accounts fund are designed to assist three broad categories of people — people who are socially and economically or educationally disadvantaged and people with a disability. Having consulted appropriate Ministers and obtained the approval of Government, I announced details on 4 January last concerning the allocation of €24 million in 2006 for the purpose of...

Dormant Accounts Fund. (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: Some €60 million has been agreed by Government with €24 million going to the economically disadvantaged. I do not know whether that is a crock of gold.

Dormant Accounts Fund. (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: It will go to many worthy projects. The old items dealt with by the previous board have been finalised. Decisions were made and those concerned got funding or did not get it. Anybody who got funding or who did not and who wants to try again will have to apply under the new system. In regard to the cut off dates, as I said, we will roll out the different programmes as the year goes on. So far,...

Dormant Accounts Fund. (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: It is divided up into three sections. The Department of Education and Science is working on its plan and the Department of Health and Children is working on the disability one. We expect the Department of Education and Science plan will be in within three or four weeks but it might take the Department of Health and Children a few more weeks. They will be rolled out as the year goes on. We...

National Drugs Strategy. (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: I assure the Deputy that I am in ongoing contact with the national drugs strategy team regarding various aspects of the national drugs strategy. I am monitoring the situation with regard to the misuse of drugs, including crack cocaine. No specific studies on the use of crack cocaine in this State have been carried out. The available figures come from the joint national advisory committee on...

National Drugs Strategy. (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: I agree this is a particularly lethal and awful drug. While it is obtainable in Dublin, thus far it has been largely confined to certain community groups. It is an open question as to whether it stays within those community groups or spreads out among native Dubliners. I agree this is a real problem. It is harder for the Garda to make seizures of crack cocaine because it might not be...

National Drugs Strategy. (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: I appreciate the Deputy's comments and assure him the Government is doing what it can. I do not believe the middle class people mentioned by the Deputy are those who are most at risk. As of now, it is more likely to be heroin misusers who have availed of drug addiction services. Consequently, they can be made aware of the dangers of this drug through such services. To some extent, people must...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (7 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: My Department approved South Dublin County Council's proposals in July 2003 for the refurbishment of houses situated in RAPID areas. This approval allowed for the refurbishment of 100 houses at Cushlawn Park, 100 houses at Shancastle and Greenfort Estates and 113 houses at Moorefield Estate under my Department's remedial works scheme at a cost of over €11.5 million and it is understood that...