Results 3,781-3,800 of 4,700 for speaker:Noel Ahern

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

Noel Ahern: It is appropriate that the private sector should play a considerable role in the provision of social and affordable housing. Under Part V of the Planning and Development Acts 2000-02, private developers provide dwellings to local authorities for letting to households on their waiting lists. It is anticipated that in 2005 local authorities will acquire some 600 social housing units from...

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

Noel Ahern: Action plans for local authority social and affordable housing measures for the period 2004-08 have been prepared by local authorities in consultation with my Department to provide a co-ordinated approach to all local authority housing measures in a strategic manner. The plans have been prepared on a county wide basis to incorporate town councils and separate plans have been prepared in...

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

Noel Ahern: My Department is not involved in the financing or supervision of this scheme which, I understand, is being undertaken by the approved voluntary housing association under an agreement with Dublin City Council. Information relating to the procurement, management or progress of the scheme may appropriately be sought from Dublin City Council.

Written Answers — Homeless Persons: Homeless Persons (13 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: The number of transitional and move-on accommodation units funded under section 10 of the Housing Act 1988 in various local authority areas in 2004 was 568. This does not include social housing units provided directly by local authorities or voluntary bodies or units sourced in the private sector by resettlement services, the housing access unit operated by Threshold on behalf of the homeless...

Written Answers — Misuse of Drugs: Misuse of Drugs (13 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: As the Deputy may be aware, the British-Irish Council was established under the Strand Three Provisions of the Good Friday Agreement as a forum to promote the harmonious and mutually beneficial development of relationships among the peoples of these islands for its members to exchange information, discuss, consult and co-operate on matters of mutual interest within the competence of relevant...

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

Noel Ahern: The unprecedented demand for housing, fuelled mainly by rapid economic growth and demographic changes, has been the major driver of house price increases in recent years. While precise information is not available, it is clear that there has been significant activity over this period by investors and owners of second properties. This is to be expected in a growing economy. While at different...

Written Answers — Housing Provision: Housing Provision (13 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: Total State spending on affordable housing, including non-Exchequer financing, for each of the past five years is set out in the following table. Information on expenditure by local authorities on the provision of affordable housing is not available in my Department. 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 â'¬,000 â'¬,000 â'¬,000 â'¬,000 ...

Written Answers — Housing Provision: Housing Provision (13 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: The total amount of capital expenditure on the local authority housing construction-acquisition programme for the years 2000 to 2004, which is funded by a combination of Exchequer capital grants and local authority internal capital receipts, and expenditure under the voluntary housing schemes is set out in the following table 1. The number of units completed in the years 2000 to 2004 under...

Written Answers — Housing Provision: Housing Provision (13 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: I refer to the reply to Question No. 682 of 17 November 2004. Following the receipt of the documentation from Donegal County Council, which is responsible for the detailed administration of the voluntary housing scheme in its area, further clarification has been sought from the council and is awaited. When this is to hand the application will be further considered by my Department and the...

Written Answers — Housing Provision: Housing Provision (13 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: Over recent years, the Government has introduced a broad range of targeted measures to address equally diverse housing needs. Affordable housing measures seek to support low income households by providing access to housing at discounted prices while housing loans are provided for those who cannot access finance from private institutions. To ensure effective targeting of resources to support...

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

Noel Ahern: My Department does not have information on the total amount of land utilised for housing purposes in the past seven years. For the past number of years my Department has monitored overall levels of zoned residential lands. The results of the sixth national inventory of such land indicated that there were 12,500hectares of serviced residential land as at 30 June 2004. This would give an...

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

Noel Ahern: Available information on the number of units provided in each local authority area in respect of the voluntary housing schemes is published in my Department's quarterly and annual housing statistics bulletins. Copies of the bulletins, including September 2004, are available in the Oireachtas Library and the information contained in the bulletins is also available on the Departments website at...

Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (13 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: There is no record of the receipt of an application for a new house grant from the person named at the address given. Applications for a grant, which was terminated as and from 14 November 2002, were required to be received in my Department by 4 December 2002.

Seanad: Grant Payments. (13 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: I thank Senator Browne for giving me the opportunity to speak about the disabled persons grant scheme. He will be glad to learn that a review of the scheme is well advanced in my Department. The grant scheme serves a useful purpose in helping to meet the housing needs of disabled persons. The grant is available for the provision of additional accommodation or the carrying out of adaptation...

Seanad: Grant Payments. (13 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: I hope the Senator is right. There are building regulations in place but they may not cover every case. There are regulations for door width and fewer steps but higher density housing could cause difficulties for disabled people in future. Even higher density developments, however, are built with full life living in mind. The review is more or less complete, it must be approved by certain...

Local Authority Housing. (13 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: Persons, including former prisoners, who are unable to provide housing for themselves from their own resources are entitled to apply for social housing provided either by a local authority or a voluntary body. It is a matter for individual local authorities to decide on the allocation of tenancies to various categories of needs on their waiting lists in accordance with their schemes of...

Local Authority Housing. (13 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: I agree that it is a serious, difficult and sensitive situation. The question is whether a blanket rule should be issued by the Department or whether matters be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. I understand the sensitivity but legislation exists to deal with this issue. Letting priority schemes are administered by local authorities according to guidelines. They have the right to exclude...

Local Authority Housing. (13 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: I regard the matter as serious but we must consider how to deal with it. Legislation exists in the Sex Offenders Act 2001 which places responsibility on the prison authorities, Garda and health services. The Deputy has not convinced me. How did the information get out in the case to which he referred?

Local Authority Housing. (13 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: People coming out of prison, no matter what they have been convicted of, have a right and entitlement to apply for housing.

Local Authority Housing. (13 Apr 2005)

Noel Ahern: They must be housed somewhere. However, legislation exists and local authorities are not in the loop.