Results 3,361-3,380 of 4,700 for speaker:Noel Ahern

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: The most recent assessment of need for local authority housing took place at end March 2005. My Department is finalising the analysis of returns furnished by local authorities. I anticipate publishing the results shortly. The 2005 assessment of need is more detailed than previously and requires local authorities to submit data in electronic format to the Local Government Computer Services...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: Following initial work on business process mapping and standard coding methods, a two-phase approach has been adopted for the integrated housing project. Consequently, an interim package to meet some of the housing needs of local authorities is being rolled out to all authorities, with the exception of Dublin City Council, which owing to the scale of its operations, has appointed a company to...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: Under the rental accommodation scheme, RAS, announced by the Government in July 2004, local authorities will, over a four-year period, progressively assume responsibility for accommodating supplementary welfare allowance, SWA, rent supplement recipients of 18 months or more continuous duration with a long-term housing need. The RAS is a collaborative project between my Department, local...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: A comprehensive feasibility assessment on the site at Darrara, Clonakilty, was carried out in terms of strategic land use planning, financial viability, affordability and suitable infrastructural solutions. The feasibility study was approved by Cork County Council on 30 September 2005. Following this, public consultation took place during October 2005 culminating in a council decision to...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: I am concerned to ensure that house purchasers are not adversely affected by any practices that might make it more difficult or expensive to access a home in certain circumstances. My Department has been considering the practice of stage payments with a view to clarifying the issues involved and identifying likely implications of possible options, including potential legislative action, and...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: I assume the question refers to the unit cost limits under the voluntary housing capital assistance scheme, which were last revised in 2001. The information requested is set out in the following table: Unit Rate Rural Urban* Certain offshore Islands â'¬ â'¬ â'¬ Category 1 (1/2 person units) 88,900 120,700 114,300 Category 2 (3 or more person units) 108,000 139,700...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: The Government is fully committed to developing and expanding the voluntary and co-operative housing sector by supplying the necessary financial resources and support to enable it to become an important and significant force and provider in the housing area. Provision of funding for the schemes has been increased significantly from €44 million in 1999 to €237 million in 2005. As a result,...

Seanad: Security of the Elderly. (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: I thank Senator Finucane. As he said, the scheme of community support for older people was transferred to the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs in 2002 from the Department of Social and Family Affairs. The scheme was originally established in the mid-1990s in response to a spate of burglaries of homes of older people and was based on the concept of contact with people at...

Seanad: Security of the Elderly. (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: I do not see how that is possible. Perhaps they should shop around for better value. Some groups that provide a service to community groups and senior citizen groups take good care of the groups but they are not cheap. It may be that some products are better than others but I do not think major differences exist. The Department is flexible, even if an application was received two or three...

Social and Affordable Housing. (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: The most recent three yearly assessment of need for social housing was carried out by local authorities in March 2005. Returns were received in my Department over the summer and the overall date is being finalised and will be published very shortly. The Government has made substantial progress addressing the concerns raised in the NESC report, with increased housing output levels and record...

Social and Affordable Housing. (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: The last assessment of need calculated 48,000 families were on waiting lists, although 30% comprised single people and another 30% comprised one adult and one child. A housing policy is always in place and it is not a case of waiting eight years to publish a housing policy. We are updating and reviewing the housing policy in response to the NESC report and that work is ongoing in the Department.

Social and Affordable Housing. (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: The NESC report is a valuable document and it makes a useful contribution.

Social and Affordable Housing. (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: The NESC report will not be the Bible of all time because account must be taken of what is happening on an ongoing basis. We have ploughed significant resources into social housing. The amount allocated to the social housing programme this year is up €110 million on last year. Our response is to generate a greater output through increased investment so that the number of people on waiting...

Social and Affordable Housing. (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: I did not refer to rent supplement. I stated investment in local authority housing this year increased by €110 million.

Social and Affordable Housing. (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: That is correct. Approximately 60,000 people are in receipt of rent supplement.

Social and Affordable Housing. (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: No. Under the rental accommodation scheme, a programme will be rolled out over four years whereby people in receipt of rent supplement for more than 18 months will become the responsibility of local authorities.

Social and Affordable Housing. (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: It does. People will be provided with homes, which is what they want. People in receipt of rent supplement felt they were only on short-term leases. I refer to the PRTB legislation and the rental accommodation scheme, under which people become the responsibility of the local authority if they have been in receipt of rent supplement for more than 18 months.

Social and Affordable Housing. (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: The scheme will give those on waiting lists security of tenure and permanent homes. That is what people want.

Social and Affordable Housing. (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: Up to the end of June 2005, a total of 1,294 housing units had been acquired under Part V arrangements, comprising 485 social and 809 affordable units. In addition, the Department estimates 736 social and 1,477 affordable units are under construction. The social units are being provided to both local authorities and voluntary housing bodies for letting to households on the waiting lists. The...

Social and Affordable Housing. (25 Oct 2005)

Noel Ahern: The output arising from Part V is growing and, with the level of housing produced and 2,200 houses under construction, the dividend from Part V will be significant. If construction commences on a new estate there may be no provision under Part V as planning permission was granted before the law took effect. The dividend from Part V is slow. I reported on housing needs assessment in the last...