Results 1-20 of 2,026 for in 'Written Answers' speaker:Noel Ahern

Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Ahern: Grants are available from local authorities towards making a dwelling more suitable for the accommodation of a member of the household who is either physically handicapped or suffering from severe mental handicap or mental illness. A grant of up to €20,320 or 90% of work is available in individual cases in respect of private dwellings, while the full cost of the work may be funded in the...

Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Ahern: A review of the disabled persons' grant scheme is being finalised in my Department at present. On its completion, I will be in a position to determine the changes, if any, required to the regulations governing the scheme to ensure that the funding available is directed at those persons in greatest need of such assistance. The administration of the disabled persons' grant scheme is a matter...

Written Answers — House Prices: House Prices (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 154 and 204 together. 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. The Government's strategy is to increase housing supply to meet demand and to improve affordability, particularly for first-time buyers, and in this way to seek to bring...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Ahern: The Housing (Private Rented Dwellings) Act 1982 confers a right to retain possession, as a tenant, of a formerly rent controlled dwelling for the lifetime of the person who was the tenant at the commencement of the Act — 26 July 1982 — and for the lifetime of their spouse. Where a member or successor members of the tenant's family succeed to the tenancy within 20 years of the commencement...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Ahern: I assume the question refers to the years 2003 and 2004. The results of the statutory assessment of local authority housing need, which was undertaken by local authorities in March 2002, indicated that a total of 48,413 households were in need of housing, compared with 39,176 households in March 1999. Detailed information on the results of the 2002 assessment was published in my Department's...

Written Answers — Affordable Housing: Affordable Housing (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 161, 194 and 199 together. The affordable housing initiative was brought forward by the parties to the Sustaining Progress pay agreement, to meet the needs of persons priced out of the housing market. In response, the Government committed to an ambitious scale of delivery of affordable housing through this initiative and the provisions of Part V. Identifying...

Written Answers — Homeless Persons: Homeless Persons (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Ahern: The assessment of homelessness is, in the first instance, a matter for local authorities. The homeless agency in conjunction with the voluntary sector is addressing the issue of putting in place a more effective system of establishing the incidence of rough sleeping. Last week, the agency and the voluntary bodies completed a street count of rough sleepers. This count commenced on 12 January...

Written Answers — Homeless Persons: Homeless Persons (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Ahern: I am aware of the concerns expressed by the voluntary bodies about this matter. The Government is committed to addressing the issue of homelessness on a sustained basis with the aim of eliminating the need for rough sleeping by the end of 2004 and of providing adequate emergency and move on accommodation and support services to enable homeless persons to achieve independent living as soon as...

Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Ahern: There are 2,419 applications for payment of the first-time purchaser new house grant being processed in my Department. Every effort is made to ensure that no undue delays arise in the processing of applications, with the service of five inspectors who had retired being retained to undertake inspections and inspectors being deployed between areas in response to fluctuating workloads.

Written Answers — Affordable Housing: Affordable Housing (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Ahern: The most recent information on the number of housing units acquired under Part V for each local authority is published in my Department's September quarter 2003 Housing Statistics Bulletin, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas Library. Information supplied by local authorities in respect of the first nine months of 2003 indicates that three authorities received payments in lieu...

Written Answers — Homeless Persons: Homeless Persons (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Ahern: While I am aware that the Depaul Trust has suggested the establishment of an ombudsman to deal with the issue of homelessness there are no proposals for such an appointment. The issue of homelessness is already being dealt with at a number of levels under the overall aegis of my Department. The Government's serious commitment to tackling the issue has been displayed in a number of ways in...

Written Answers — Homeless Persons: Homeless Persons (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Ahern: The Government's integrated and preventative homeless strategies are designed to provide a practical and flexible framework for the planning and delivery of services and support for homeless persons. It does not, therefore, seem useful or appropriate to give them statutory status at this stage. The implementation of the homeless strategies is carried out at local level through the homeless...

Written Answers — Affordable Housing: Affordable Housing (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Ahern: The Government has been responding actively to the increased level of social housing need by significantly expanding social and affordable housing output. The strong commitment of the Government to meeting the housing needs of low income groups and those with social and special housing needs is reflected in the total housing provision, Exchequer and non-Exchequer, of €1.885 billion in 2004,...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Ahern: Local authorities are responsible under the Housing Acts for the management and maintenance of their housing stock including rent collection, which is an integral part of their housing management function. My Department compiles, on an annual basis in arrears, statistical information in relation to rental income and the latest information available relating to 2002 was set out in the reply to...

Written Answers — Traveller Accommodation: Traveller Accommodation (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Ahern: My Department's responsibility in relation to Traveller accommodation is to ensure that there is an adequate legislative and financial framework in place within which local authorities, voluntary bodies and Travellers may provide or be assisted in the provision of accommodation for Travellers. The framework for the provision of Traveller accommodation is set out in primary legislation, the...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Ahern: The Minister for Social and Family Affairs, in informing the House of changes in the SWA rent supplement scheme, has stated that there will be provision for exceptions in respect of the homeless, people who are at risk of becoming homeless and other vulnerable people. She has given a specific assurance that people who have particular problems and difficulties will be cared for and that nobody...

Written Answers — Army Barracks: Army Barracks (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 467, 499 to 501, inclusive, and 503 together. The affordable housing initiative forms part of the housing and accommodation special initiative under the national pay agreement, Sustaining Progress. The parties to the pay agreement proposed the new initiative with the objective of increasing the supply of affordable housing by 10,000 units thereby meeting the...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Ahern: The Government will continue to assist low-income groups and those with social housing needs by means of a range of targeted social and affordable housing programmes. The total housing provision, Exchequer and non-Exchequer, in 2004 of €1.885 billion represents an increase of 5.5% on the 2003 provision and should enable the housing needs of more than 12,000 households to be met in 2004...

Written Answers — Traveller Accommodation: Traveller Accommodation (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Ahern: Each local authority concerned adopted a five-year Traveller accommodation programme covering the period 2000-04. Section 17(1) of the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998 required each relevant housing authority to review its accommodation programmes at least once in each three-year period. Local authorities were therefore required to undertake a review of their programmes by 31...

Written Answers — Housing Aid for the Elderly: Housing Aid for the Elderly (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Ahern: The Southern Health Board was allocated €1,055,000 for the operation of the special housing aid for the elderly scheme in 2003. An initial allocation of €1,050,000 for 2004 has been notified to the board.