Results 3,761-3,780 of 4,700 for speaker:Noel Ahern

Written Answers — Security of the Elderly: Security of the Elderly (14 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: The scheme of community support for older people encourages and assists local support for older people by means of a community-based grant scheme to improve the security of its older members. Funding under the scheme can be provided for: window locks, door locks and door chains designed to strengthen points of entry to the dwelling; security lighting; smoke alarms; and for the once-off cost...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (14 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Question Nos. 114 and 115 together. As I indicated in my reply to Question No. 274 on 22 February, decisions on the disbursement of funds from dormant accounts moneys are currently a matter for the Dormant Accounts Fund Disbursements Board, an independent body established under the Dormant Accounts Acts. The board engaged Area Development Management Limited, ADM, to...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (14 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: As the Deputy is aware, my Department has overall responsibility for co-ordinating the implementation of the national drugs strategy for 2001 to 2008. It also has responsibility for the work of the local and regional drugs task forces and the young people's facilities and services fund, YPFSF. Some €95 million has been allocated or spent to implement a broad range of projects contained in...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (14 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: An agreement under Part V of the Planning and Development Acts 2000 to 2004 may provide for, inter alia, the developer building and transferring completed affordable units to the planning authority. The number and description of the units will be specified in the agreement and will be transferred at a price determined on the basis of the site cost of the units, calculated at existing use...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (14 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 163 and 165 together. The making and amending of rent schemes is the responsibility of local authorities as an integral part of their housing management functions subject to the following broad principles laid down by my Department: the rent payable should be related to income and a smaller proportion of income should be required from low income households;...

Written Answers — Disabled Drivers: Disabled Drivers (14 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: The review of the disabled persons grant scheme, which was first signalled in March 2003, is currently being finalised in my Department. On its completion, it will be possible to determine the changes, if any, required to the regulations governing the scheme to ensure that the funding available is directed at those persons in greatest need of such assistance. While the administration of the...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (14 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: I assume that the question refers to the progress of the housing scheme proposed for the site at Darrara Agricultural College in Clonakilty that was released to the Sustaining Progress affordable housing initiative by the Department of Agriculture and Food. Given the size of the site, which is approximately 15 hectares, and the scale and impact of any proposed development, Cork County...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (13 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: Management fees are not applied by local authorities to their tenants in addition to differential rents. Rents paid by local authority tenants are used by local authorities to defray management and maintenance costs. The same position applies in relation to tenants of approved housing bodies. However, where houses are provided under the capital loan and subsidy scheme an annual management and...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (13 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: Draft proposals to introduce a tenant purchase scheme for local authority flats were forwarded to my Department by Dublin City Council in June 2004. Arising out of this a working group, consisting of departmental and local authority officials, was set up to consider the matter. The group has met on a number of occasions and its work is continuing. The present position is that revised...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (13 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: The voluntary and co-operative housing sector has an important contribution to make in the provision of social housing. By working in close partnership with local authorities, it plays a significant role in supplementing the efforts of local authorities in providing social housing in areas where particular housing needs have been identified. It is supported by my Department through two...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (13 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: My Department has been examining an additional strategy as a means of speeding up delivery of affordable units under the affordable housing initiative, AHI, under Sustaining Progress. This consists of a land swap option which proposes that high value land in State ownership, which has been made available to the AHI, be exchanged with builders-developers in return for housing units already...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (13 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 79, 128 and 135 together. Part V of the Planning and Development Acts 2000-2004 is fully operational and all relevant residential planning applications are now subject to a Part V agreement. Apart from the provision of housing units to the local authority on or off-site, an agreement under Part V may provide for a range of other options. Notwithstanding the...

Written Answers — House Prices: House Prices (13 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: Detailed information on house prices is set out in my Department's housing statistics bulletins, copies of which are available in the Oireachtas Library. The rate of house price increase has generally declined in recent quarters and is now considerably lower than in the late 1990s. The figures for the third quarter of 2004 show this trend continuing with rates of increase well below those in...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (13 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: Having arranged for the provision of land sufficient to support the target figure of 10,000 potential units under the affordable housing initiative, the priority now is to ensure the earliest possible delivery of these housing units. While some time is necessarily required between a decision to build housing units and their being finally occupied, my Department is working closely with local...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (13 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: I understand that apartment complex management companies are generally constituted as companies under the Companies Acts and required to comply with the provisions of company law, which is a matter for the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The operation of such companies under their relevant memorandum and articles of association, including the employment of any property manager...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (13 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 102, 106 and 130 together. The Government is giving careful consideration to the findings of Report No. 112 of the National Economic and Social Council, Housing in Ireland: Performance and Policy, and other recent reports with a bearing on the issues arising. The NESC report provides an important analysis of the Irish housing system and an agenda for the...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (13 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 103, 151 and 154 together. Statutory assessments of housing need are undertaken by local authorities every three years. The results of the last such assessment, which was undertaken by local authorities in March 2002, indicated that a total of 48,413 households were in need of housing. Detailed information on the results of the 2002 assessment was published in...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (13 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: While many housing units will also have been provided at affordable prices by the operation of the housing market around the country, some 2,000 units were provided through the various Government affordable housing schemes in 2004. I am satisfied, given current levels of activity on these schemes, that this figure will be exceeded in 2005.

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (13 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: The estimate mentioned in the question, while referred to in the NESC report, does not arise from NESC but from a team of researchers assembled by four non-governmental organisations to study the first round of housing strategies prepared by local authorities. This study, entitled An Analysis of Housing Strategies and Homeless Action Plans, 2002, did estimate that approximately one-third of...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (13 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: The Private Residential Tenancies Board is an independent statutory body established by the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 and has statutory responsibility for the implementation of Part 7 of the Act dealing with the registration of tenancies. Requests for information relating to the matters raised in the question may appropriately be directed to the board at Canal House, Canal Road,...