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

Written Answers — Remedial Works Scheme: Remedial Works Scheme (10 Feb 2005)

Noel Ahern: Riverview, Ballyhahill, was designated for funding under my Department's remedial works scheme in January of this year and approval has been given to Limerick County Council to obtain tenders for the proposed works.

Written Answers — Strategy on Homelessness: Strategy on Homelessness (9 Feb 2005)

Noel Ahern: The cross Department team on homelessness is, under the aegis of my Department, charged with monitoring and overseeing the implementation of the Government's integrated and preventative homelessness strategies. These strategies constitute a cross Department response designed to ensure that services are put in place to address the needs of homeless persons in a holistic fashion, to target...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (9 Feb 2005)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 68, 142 and 164 together. In including housing as a major area of activity under the national development plan, the Government demonstrated its commitment to increasing support for social and affordable housing programmes. Since the plan's inception in 2000 the needs of almost 60,000 households have been met under the range of social and affordable housing...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (9 Feb 2005)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 73, 85, 132, 145, 167 and 275 together. All of the provisions of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, which provides the legislative underpinning to a modernised private rental sector, are in operation. Key features of the legislation are provision for a new centralised system of tenancy registration and a statutory dispute resolution service. The Act also...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (9 Feb 2005)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 75 and 137 together. I refer to the reply to Question No. 80 of 9 December 2004. From information supplied by local authorities to my Department, a total of 390 social and affordable housing units have been acquired under Part V agreements with developers up to the end of September 2004. A breakdown by each local authority is set out in the following table.

Written Answers — Housing Policy: Housing Policy (9 Feb 2005)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 82, 151, 156 and 158 together. Report No. 112 of the National Economic and Social Council — Housing in Ireland: Performance and Policy — provides an important analysis of the Irish housing system and an agenda for the future development of housing policy. Importantly, the NESC report recognises that the general thrust of existing housing policy is well...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (9 Feb 2005)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 104, 114 and 173 together. In response to strong demand for housing in recent years, the Government has focused on a range of measures to boost housing supply. We have placed particular emphasis on the issue of affordability and put in place a broad range of targeted schemes, which have met the needs of over 13,000 households for each of the last two years. A...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (9 Feb 2005)

Noel Ahern: Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 was commenced on 1 November 2000. It provided that planning authorities prepare housing strategies by 31 July 2001 and incorporate the strategies into development plans by way of a variation before the social and affordable housing provisions of the part could apply to relevant residential planning applications. As a result it was late 2001 or...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (9 Feb 2005)

Noel Ahern: As a means of progressing the affordable housing initiative as speedily as possible, my Department has been looking at a range of options which may accelerate the delivery of housing units. One of these, a land swap option which involves the exchange of land for units which could be delivered more quickly elsewhere, is being piloted on the Harcourt Terrace site in Dublin. Expressions of...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (9 Feb 2005)

Noel Ahern: The most recent information on the total number of tenant purchase loans was contained in the 2002 census of population. The census indicated that overall there were 44,783 homes being purchased from local authorities. Information on the total value of such loans or a breakdown by interest rate is not available in my Department. Tenant purchasers are not obliged by the terms of the scheme to...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (9 Feb 2005)

Noel Ahern: While my Department has not received a proposal for the delivery of social and affordable housing on the precise lines indicated in the question, it is assumed that reference is being made to a proposal made during the course of last year by a group of builders-developers. These builders-developers presented their proposals to a sub-group of the cross-departmental team on housing,...

Written Answers — Housing Design: Housing Design (9 Feb 2005)

Noel Ahern: To assist designers of social housing, my Department has published social housing design guidelines which provide general design guidance at the levels of both the overall scheme and the individual dwelling unit. The purpose of these guidelines is to identify principles and criteria that are important for the design of social housing and to highlight specific design features, requirements and...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (9 Feb 2005)

Noel Ahern: In general, over the past decade, the resources allocated to my Department for social housing purposes have been fully spent. In fact, since the beginning of the national development plan, spending on social housing has been ahead of target. My Department, in its overall responsibility for managing housing capital budgets, seeks to ensure that these are spent as effectively as possible. Where...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (9 Feb 2005)

Noel Ahern: I am aware of the concerns expressed by some voluntary bodies about this matter. The Government is committed to addressing the issue of homelessness on a sustained basis. Government funding for the provision of accommodation and related services has increased from €12.6 million in 1999 to €51 million in 2004 and there is general agreement among the statutory and voluntary agencies that...

Written Answers — House Prices: House Prices (9 Feb 2005)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Question Nos. 159 and 178 together. The stamp duty reductions for first-time buyers announced in budget 2005 are assisting affordability for first time buyers by easing the financial burden faced by such buyers of second-hand homes with savings of up to €12,000 in some cases. This is helping some first time buyers to afford a starter home who might not otherwise have been...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (9 Feb 2005)

Noel Ahern: The 10,000 unit target figure, proposed by the parties to the pay agreement under Sustaining Progress, was reached following the Government decision of 16 November 2004 which agreed to the release to the affordable housing initiative of a series of health board lands by my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children. The release of these lands, together with the increase in...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (9 Feb 2005)

Noel Ahern: Detailed information on the number of local authority houses completed/acquired by individual local authorities for 2000-03 is published in my Department's annual housing statistics bulletins, copies of which are available in the Oireachtas Library. The information for 2004 is being finalised at present and will be published shortly.

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (9 Feb 2005)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 289 and 290 together. Details of the total acreage of land held by local authorities are not available in the precise form requested. Data on zoned land owned by each local authority as at June 2004 were sought by them as part of the national inventory of zoned residential land survey. While the overall results of this survey were published this week, the...

Social and Affordable Housing. (9 Feb 2005)

Noel Ahern: I welcome the publication of the NESC report. The report provides an important analysis of the Irish housing system and an agenda for the future development of policy. Importantly, the report recognises that the general thrust of existing policy is well directed. The Government is already examining the issues raised in the report and will consider whatever changes are required to better focus...

Social and Affordable Housing. (9 Feb 2005)

Noel Ahern: The NESC report was published before Christmas and the Government is considering it.