Results 701-720 of 2,386 for speaker:Michael Finneran

Social and Affordable Housing. (21 Jan 2010)

Michael Finneran: The figure of 1,300 houses represents only part of the overall delivery. In 2008, we dealt with 20,230 households.

Social and Affordable Housing. (21 Jan 2010)

Michael Finneran: We do not have figures for 2010 but I expect the rental accommodation and long-term leasing schemes to deliver between 4,000 and 4,500. On the list available to us, which I presume is the same one as Deputy Durkan has-----

Social and Affordable Housing. (21 Jan 2010)

Michael Finneran: The list is from the Custom House. It states that 20,000 out of a figure of 56,000 are already being supported by the State with rent supplement. I do not have the figures for 2009, but I believe the figure will be approximately 19,000. We are addressing the numbers on the lists. All over the world, particularly the United States which is a very wealthy country-----

Social and Affordable Housing. (21 Jan 2010)

Michael Finneran: -----there is no safety net. Our country is looked up to for the way we provided a safety net for homeless people under the rental accommodation scheme, even in the current difficulties. We are one of the few countries that have such a net. We are lucky to have had no deaths from homelessness because everybody is accommodated. There is a bed for everybody in this country and people are...

Social Housing Leasing Initiative. (21 Jan 2010)

Michael Finneran: At the end of 2009, 1,933 units had been sourced and approved under the social housing leasing initiative. Some 1,413 units - 1,331 unsold affordable units and 82 units sourced from the private sector - had received full approval by that date. A further 520 private units had been given provisional approval. Some 437 of the fully approved units are considered to be operational, as signed...

Social Housing Leasing Initiative. (21 Jan 2010)

Michael Finneran: The average cost of such units is €456 per month.

Social Housing Leasing Initiative. (21 Jan 2010)

Michael Finneran: This scheme, which was introduced in February 2009, was extended to voluntary bodies in September 2009. It was appropriate that many local authorities concentrated on dealing with their own unsold affordable stock during the first period of the scheme, as we did not want national stock to be sitting idle while people remained on the social housing lists. We will have to accept that local...

Social Housing Leasing Initiative. (21 Jan 2010)

Michael Finneran: The Deputy has asked three questions. I have already said that 1,331 affordable units have been approved under the social housing leasing initiative. The local authorities and the voluntary bodies have acquired 289 and 313 private properties, respectively. As I have said, applications in respect of hundreds of other private properties are being processed at present. The scheme has had...

Written Answers — Housing Aid for the Elderly: Housing Aid for the Elderly (20 Jan 2010)

Michael Finneran: Under the terms of the Housing Aid for Older People scheme, which is administered by the local authorities, grants of up to €10,500 are available to assist older people to have necessary repairs or improvement works carried out, including drylining and the provision of central heating, in order to facilitate the continued independent occupancy of their homes. My Department requested local...

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (20 Jan 2010)

Michael Finneran: The reply to Question No. 280 of 17 December 2009 clearly outlined both the duty of care on waste holders imposed by the Waste Management Acts 1996-2008 and the obligations arising from the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, as amended, and the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2008. Given the comprehensiveness of these provisions, there are no plans for further legislation in...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (20 Jan 2010)

Michael Finneran: The Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) was established as an independent statutory body in September 2004 and has as one of its principal functions the registration of private rental tenancies. While I have no function in the operational matters of the PRTB, I understand that at 31 December 2009, the PRTB had 234,582 active tenancies on its register, representing 399,283 tenants and...

Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (19 Jan 2010)

Michael Finneran: In order to facilitate the continued independent occupancy of their own homes by older people and people with a disability, and following a review of the old Disabled Persons and Essential Repairs Grant Schemes and the Special Housing Aid for the Elderly scheme, which was administered by the HSE, a revised suite of Housing Adaptation Grant Schemes for Older People and People with a Disability...

Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (19 Jan 2010)

Michael Finneran: I propose to take Questions Nos. 844 and 861 together. The annual allocations to local authorities under the suite of Grants for Older People and People with a Disability are calculated on foot of detailed discussion between my Department and the local authorities and on the basis of the projected level of demand for grants, taking account of the level of applications on hand that have been...

Written Answers — Sustainable Development Strategy: Sustainable Development Strategy (19 Jan 2010)

Michael Finneran: South Dublin County Council's Traveller Engagement Programme was approved for funding in September 2007 as a project to be supported under my Department's Sustainable Communities Fund, which supports innovative housing related projects, on a co-funding basis, for a maximum of three years. Over the past two years, my Department has provided €173,551 to South Dublin County Council in respect...

Written Answers — Urban Renewal Schemes: Urban Renewal Schemes (19 Jan 2010)

Michael Finneran: My Department continues to provide significant support for the regeneration project across Limerick City, through ongoing liaison with the Limerick Northside and Southside Regeneration Agencies and with the local authorities in the area. Up to the end of 2009, some €51 million was provided to support the development of the city's integrated regeneration programme, to fund an ambitious...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (19 Jan 2010)

Michael Finneran: The project concerned is being considered in the context of the programme of projects to be approved under my Department's funding schemes for voluntary and co-operative housing in 2010, details of which I intend to announce shortly.

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (19 Jan 2010)

Michael Finneran: Provisions regarding lending by local authorities for the purposes of house purchase are set out under section 11 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992. Where a loan stands in default, section 11(10) provides that a local authority may make such monetary arrangements with a borrower as they consider equitable to take account of the particular circumstances of the borrower.

Written Answers — Local Authority Schemes: Local Authority Schemes (19 Jan 2010)

Michael Finneran: I propose to take Questions Nos. 884 and 885 together. The local authority mortgage protection insurance scheme is overseen by the Mortgage Protection Committee which is a sub-committee of the County and City Managers association (CCMA) and is representative of the CCMA, local authorities, the Housing Finance Agency and my Department. Participation in the mortgage protection insurance scheme...

Written Answers — Local Authority Schemes: Local Authority Schemes (19 Jan 2010)

Michael Finneran: I understand that the error involved came to light when the revised Mortgage Protection Insurance scheme was introduced on 1 January 2009. At that time, 15 borrowers were identified as having received incorrect information from Monaghan County Council and were now outside the insurance scheme. The Council informed the borrowers concerned and these borrowers have now been given the option of...

Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (19 Jan 2010)

Michael Finneran: As part of a national energy efficiency programme, a new retrofitting initiative was announced in May 2009 to facilitate local authorities in improving the energy efficiency of authority owned apartment complexes and vacant dwellings. Each local authority was provided with an allocation proportional to the number of vacant stock in the area from a national fund of some €20 million, and was...