Results 1,501-1,520 of 2,386 for speaker:Michael Finneran

Written Answers — Housing Aid for the Elderly: Housing Aid for the Elderly (24 Mar 2009)

Michael Finneran: The allocations to The Health Service Executive under the Special Housing Aid for The Elderly Scheme (SHAE) are determined by a Task Force, which operates under the aegis of my Department. While the scheme has been closed to new applicants since 1 August 2008, having been replaced by the Housing Aid for Older People Scheme, the HSE is continuing to process applications on hand at that stage....

Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (24 Mar 2009)

Michael Finneran: Eligibility under the Housing Adaptation Grant scheme for People with a Disability and the Mobility Aids Housing Grant scheme is determined on the basis of gross household income, i.e. the income of the property owner, or tenant in the case of rented accommodation and where a tenancy agreement is in place, and his/her spouse, if applicable, in the previous tax year, in line with the...

Written Answers — Rural Housing: Rural Housing (24 Mar 2009)

Michael Finneran: Following my Department's Call for Proposals under the Remedial Works Programme for 2009, proposals were received from 30 Housing Authorities, including two from Roscommon County Council. So far, 5 projects have been approved, including one at Boyle, Co Roscommon. Approval of additional proposals from among those received will be considered further in light of available funding.

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (24 Mar 2009)

Michael Finneran: Detailed information in relation to social housing starts and completions, including acquisitions, are published in my Department's Annual and Quarterly Housing Statistics Bulletins, copies of which are available in the Oireachtas library. Bulletins from 2000 onwards are also available on my Department's website, www.environ.ie.

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (24 Mar 2009)

Michael Finneran: A statutory assessment of housing need is carried out every three years by all housing authorities. The most recent assessment took place in 2008 and preliminary results are available on my Department's website at www.environ.ie. The 2008 assessment indicates that, nationally, some 40% of households awaiting social housing have been waiting for between 1 to 3 years, with 31% waiting for less...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (24 Mar 2009)

Michael Finneran: I propose to take Questions Nos. 867 and 876 together. Information to end September 2008 on the numbers of shared ownership transactions in each local authority area is available on my Department's website at www.environ.ie. Information is also published in my Department's Housing Statistics Bulletins, copies of which are also available on the website and in the Oireachtas Library.

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (24 Mar 2009)

Michael Finneran: Aggregate details of activity under Part V of the Planning and Development Acts 2000-2007, including information on the financial contributions received by local authorities, are available on my Department's website at www.environ.ie. Details in relation to individual developments or the housing purposes to which Part V financial contributions have been applied are not collected by my Department.

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (24 Mar 2009)

Michael Finneran: Detailed information in relation to housing output, including local authority housing output, is published in my Department's Annual Housing Statistics Bulletins, copies of which are available in the Oireachtas library. Bulletins from 2000 onwards are also available on my Department's website, www.environ.ie.

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (24 Mar 2009)

Michael Finneran: Drogheda Borough Council's proposed project at the Mell has been the subject of ongoing discussion with my Department. My Department is concerned that the proposal, as currently framed, does not meet the objectives of the Government's policy document Delivering Homes Sustaining Communities and this has been expressed to the Borough Council, most recently at the Spring Housing Action Plan...

Written Answers — Local Authority Funding: Local Authority Funding (24 Mar 2009)

Michael Finneran: I propose to take Questions Nos. 879, 885 and 886 together. I am conscious of the need for local authorities to be able to deploy available resources as early as possible in order to maximise their impact for households availing of the Housing Adaptation Grant Schemes for Older People and People with a Disability. Therefore, local authorities will be notified of their capital allocations in...

Written Answers — Housing Aid for the Elderly: Housing Aid for the Elderly (24 Mar 2009)

Michael Finneran: The Housing Adaptation Grant Schemes for Older People and People with a Disability are funded by 80% recoupment available from my Department together with a 20% contribution from the resources of the local authority. In the case of the old Disabled Persons and Essential Repairs Grant Schemes, these were funded by 67% recoupment available from my Department together with a 33% contribution...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (24 Mar 2009)

Michael Finneran: In general, following consideration by the Board, the rates charged to local authority borrowers are normally adjusted by the Board of the Housing Finance Agency (HFA) in line with movements in European Central Bank (ECB) rates. The Agency notified local authorities last month of its decision to pass on, in full, the 0.5% decrease announced by the ECB in January. The effective rate for local...

Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (12 Mar 2009)

Michael Finneran: The total estimated demand by local authorities for the operation of the Housing Adaptation Grant Schemes for Older People and People with a Disability in 2009 is approximately €147 million. This estimate includes applications that have been assessed as eligible, as well as applications not yet assessed and the projected intake of new applications during the year. The estimated value of...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (12 Mar 2009)

Michael Finneran: Under the shared ownership scheme, houses are acquired by a local authority by means of borrowing through the Housing Finance Agency and leased to the shared owner, who purchases at least 40% of the value of the house and rents the remaining equity from the local authority. The rent payments that shared ownership purchasers make are intended largely to meet the cost of financing the rented...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (11 Mar 2009)

Michael Finneran: I propose to take Questions Nos. 48 and 52 together. The Housing Adaptation Grant Schemes for Older People and People with a Disability are funded by 80% recoupment available from my Department together with a 20% contribution from the resources of the local authority. In the case of the old Disabled Persons and Essential Repairs Grant Schemes, these were funded by 67% recoupment available...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (11 Mar 2009)

Michael Finneran: The 2006 Census of Population enumerates 8,751 bedsits, housing 14,480 people. Of these 1,028 were provided by local authorities. According to the census, just over 250 of these local authority units were occupied by persons aged 65 years or over, representing less than a quarter of a percentage (0.22%) of the total local authority stock in 2006 (115,386). Of the units in question, 203...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (11 Mar 2009)

Michael Finneran: I propose to take Questions Nos. 53 and 63 together. Over 1,400 prospective purchasers have formally registered interest on the dedicated Home Choice website (www.homechoiceloan.ie) and these have been contacted in recent weeks to advise that applications are now being accepted. 12 full applications have been made and a significant number of inquiries have also been received from brokers in...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (11 Mar 2009)

Michael Finneran: I propose to take Questions Nos. 54 and 86 together. Statutory responsibility for the making of agreements under Part V of the Planning and Development Acts 2000-2007 rests with the relevant planning authority. An agreement under Part V may provide for, inter alia, the developer building and transferring completed houses to the planning authority at a price determined on the basis of the...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (11 Mar 2009)

Michael Finneran: The Residential Tenancies Act 2004 introduced a new regulatory framework governing private rented residential tenancies, providing, inter alia, for: A measure of security for tenants of certain dwellings; Amendment of landlord and tenant law in relation to basic rights and obligations of each of the parties; The cheap and speedy resolution of disputes between such parties; The establishment...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (11 Mar 2009)

Michael Finneran: Section 5 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2002 defines "market value" in the context of affordable housing provided under the Shared Ownership Scheme and the 1999 Affordable Housing Scheme, as meaning the price which, in the opinion of the housing authority concerned, might reasonably be obtained in respect of such house, if sold on the open market. The application of Part V,...