Results 4,021-4,040 of 4,700 for speaker:Noel Ahern
- House Prices. (9 Feb 2005)
Noel Ahern: I was not pretending anything. I simply stated that the rate of house price increase was at 10.6% for new houses and 10% for second-hand houses, whereas sadly, a couple of years ago house price increases were running at more than 30%.
- House Prices. (9 Feb 2005)
Noel Ahern: VAT on new houses is 13.5%. I accept there was a 1% increase in recent years, increasing the price by â¬2,000 on a â¬200,000 house. I also accept the first-time buyer's grant of some â¬3,800 was abolished. However, I cannot understand why people are upset and keep focussing on relatively small matters like this.
- House Prices. (9 Feb 2005)
Noel Ahern: The stamp duty reduction gave many people a reduction of more than â¬11,500, which puts the 1% VAT increase into perspective. The 1% increase was buttons compared to the stamp duty reduction.
- House Prices. (9 Feb 2005)
Noel Ahern: The first-time buyers are back in the second-hand house market in a huge way and are moving back into areas to which Deputy Gilmore referred, where there were elderly populations. If the type of people who bought new houses are now buying second-hand houses, this should relax the pressure on the new house market. Let us concentrate on the big picture which is that many people have saved...
- House Prices. (9 Feb 2005)
Noel Ahern: It is right and proper that landowners who make a fortune should make a contribution to the services necessary for the houses that will be built.
- House Prices. (9 Feb 2005)
Noel Ahern: Deputy Morgan referred to auctioneers. We saw one of them on television on the night of the budget saying that it is their job to increase the price as best they can. One must understand where these people are coming from. I met the gentleman afterwards and he said that the programme was edited badly and that he was embarrassed by what was shown.
- House Prices. (9 Feb 2005)
Noel Ahern: He was honest about his job which is to maximise the price he gets for the seller. Once we understand that, we can be selective in listening to people. First-time buyers of a second-hand house will be â¬12,000 better off in bidding for the house than they were before the budget.
- House Prices. (9 Feb 2005)
Noel Ahern: Deputy Cuffe is correct. The amount of social housing being built in percentage terms vis-Ã-vis overall house production has not kept pace.
- House Prices. (9 Feb 2005)
Noel Ahern: At one time, we built approximately 6,000 or 7,000 local authority houses when the total house production was 25,000.
- House Prices. (9 Feb 2005)
Noel Ahern: The level of social housing output, by and large, decreased significantly in the late 1980s because there was no demand for it, there were empty houses in many estates in Dublin and, while the level of overall house production has increased significantly, the level of social housing output has not increased commensurate to that. When the Government gets around to dealing with the NESC report,...
- House Prices. (9 Feb 2005)
Noel Ahern: That is a small segment of the market. At that level, we must be very close to the point where supply equals demand.
- Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (8 Feb 2005)
Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 377 and 378 together. I refer the Deputies to my reply to Questions Nos. 216 to 224, inclusive, 226 and 227 of 1 February 2005.
- Written Answers — Security of the Elderly: Security of the Elderly (8 Feb 2005)
Noel Ahern: Following a review of the scheme of community support for older people in 2004 the maximum funding available to any individual participant voluntary organisation was set at â¬30,000. In previous years a small number of organisations received sums in excess of â¬30,000; however, the vast majority of applicants were small community-based voluntary groups which received average amounts of less...
- Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (8 Feb 2005)
Noel Ahern: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No. 220 and others of 1 February 2005 on this matter and to my response to the Adjournment Debate on this matter on 26 January 2005. The decision to discontinue funding of the community workers co-operative was taken in a context where I have been progressively concentrating the focus of my Department's resources directly on communities experiencing...
- Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (8 Feb 2005)
Noel Ahern: In July 2004 my Department introduced a special programme for the installation of central heating in existing local authority rented dwellings. The closing date for receipt of applications under last year's scheme was 31 August 2004. The programme has recently been extended for a further period with the objective of ensuring that all local authority rented dwellings have central heating....
- Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (8 Feb 2005)
Noel Ahern: The Government has been conscious of the increased level of social housing need and has responded actively to this situation by expanding social and affordable housing output. My Department is allocating record levels of funding to local authorities for their social and affordable housing programmes in 2005. The total Exchequer capital funding available for social and affordable housing in...
- Written Answers — Local Authority Funding: Local Authority Funding (8 Feb 2005)
Noel Ahern: There are no current applications with my Department from Sligo Borough Council for the designation of an estate for refurbishment under the remedial works scheme. However, I understand that the borough council intends to submit proposals shortly to my Department to undertake refurbishment work on houses in an estate which has already been designated for funding under the scheme.
- Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (8 Feb 2005)
Noel Ahern: The most recent statutory assessment of local authority housing need was undertaken by local authorities in March 2002. The number of households in need of housing in the two local authorities in County Longford at that time is set out in the following table. Local authority No. of households on the waiting list at end March 2002 Longford County Council 374 Longford Town Council 159...
- Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (8 Feb 2005)
Noel Ahern: Information on the number of houses completed by the two local authorities in County Longford for each of the past five years under the local authority housing construction-acquisition programme is set out in the following table. Local authority housing completions-acquisitions Local authority 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 (end September) Longford County Council 49 138 93 74 19 ...
- Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (8 Feb 2005)
Noel Ahern: Information on activity under the various affordable housing schemes in each local authority area is published in my Department's Housing Statistics Bulletins, copies of which are available in the Oireachtas Library.