Results 341-360 of 10,466 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien in 'Written Answers'

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Commercial Rates (9 Apr 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes in accordance with the details entered in the valuation list prepared by Tailte Éireann under the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2022. Tailte Éireann has independent responsibility for all valuation matters, except appeals of valuation procedures set out under the Valuation Acts...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (9 Apr 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Public ownership is a core principle governing the development of water services and the Government has given its full commitment to holding a referendum on ownership of water services. It should also be noted that the establishment of Uisce Éireann in public ownership is already firmly secured under the Water Services Acts 2007 to 2022. I have previously committed to bringing forward...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (9 Apr 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) Rent Index is designed to measure developments in rental prices faced by those taking up new tenancies in the private rental sector and from Q2 2023 utilising Annual Registration data, existing tenancy rent price developments. The addition of the Existing Tenancies Index beginning in the Q2 2023 index, significantly strengthens the ability to understand...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (9 Apr 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I established an Implementation Steering Group for the enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant scheme and a sub-group was established within this existing group structure, to examine an emerging issue relating to financial aspects of the scheme. The sub-group met on 11 January 2024. Due to operational reasons it was not possible to proceed with the scheduled follow up meeting of 21...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Elections (9 Apr 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The legislative position in respect of local authority membership is set out in the Local Government Act 2001. The Act sets out the categories of individuals who are disqualified from being elected or co-opted to, or from being a member of a local authority. Section 161 (1)(a) provides that member of a local authority is not to be employed by a local authority. However, Section 161 (1) (b)...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (9 Apr 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All sets out the range of actions necessary to increase the supply of housing out to 2030 comprising of 54,000 affordable homes to be delivered by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), the Land Development Agency (LDA) and through the First Home Scheme, which is a strategic partnership between the State and retail banks. Local authorities have published 5 year...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (9 Apr 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 to operate a national tenancy registration system and to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants. When landlords, tenants and third parties bring disputes to the RTB through mediation, adjudication or tribunal, they receive a legally binding...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (9 Apr 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Government has agreed to extend the Rent-a-Room Relief scheme disregard to social welfare recipients, extend the disregard into medical card criteria, and permit local authority tenancies access the scheme. The commitment to extend the Rent-a-Room Relief Scheme was included as a supplementary action in Housing for All. My Department provided for the extension of the scheme to local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (9 Apr 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 683 and 705 together. Under Housing for All, the Government will deliver 47,600 new build social homes and 3,500 social homes through long-term leasing in the period 2022-2026. Our clear focus is to increase the stock of social housing through new build projects delivered by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs). Social Housing is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (9 Apr 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. This includes the delivery of 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost rental homes. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4bn per annum, through an overall combination of €12bn in direct...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: House Prices (9 Apr 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the nine year period of the plan to 2030. This includes the delivery of 54,000 affordable homes to be facilitated by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), the Land Development Agency (LDA) and through First Home, which is a strategic partnership between the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (9 Apr 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: An Bord Pleanála (the Board) is the national independent statutory body with responsibility for the determination of planning appeals and direct applications for strategic infrastructure and other developments under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, and certain other Acts. The Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment) Act 2022, which was signed into law in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (9 Apr 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 687 and 688 together. The Land Development Agency (LDA) was established on an interim basis in September 2018 through S.I. No. 352/2018. The Land Development Agency Act 2021 was signed into law in July 2021. Following the commencement of the relevant provisions of the LDA Act, the interim LDA entity was dissolved and all functions and staff of the interim LDA...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (9 Apr 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The relevant details are being compiled and will be provided to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (9 Apr 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority administrative area is provided in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA). The SSHA provides a breakdown of categories such as age, household size and basis of need. The most recently published summary for all local authority areas was conducted in November 2023 and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Office of Public Works (9 Apr 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department currently provides capital funding support for the construction of new Domestic Violence Refuges, via the Capital Assistance Scheme. All other services and facilities for victims of domestic violence are matters for my colleague the Minister for Justice, working in conjunction with Cuan, the new statutory agency dedicated to tackling and reducing domestic, sexual and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (9 Apr 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Delivery under the repair and leasing scheme in respect of all local authorities, including Longford, to end 2023 is published on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provis ion/#repair-and-leasing-scheme-rls.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (9 Apr 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Tackling vacancy is a key priority for this Government. The Vacant Homes Action Plan, which I launched in January 2023, outlines the significant progress that has been made in addressing vacancy, along with the actions that are being pursued to return vacant properties back into use as homes. Under the Action Plan, a CPO Activation Programme was launched in April 2023. The Programme...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (9 Apr 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All commits to supporting local authorities to drive expanded take-up of the ongoing enhanced repair and leasing scheme (RLS). To this end, in July 2023, I increased the maximum cost of repairs allowable under this scheme from €60,000 (including VAT) to €80,000 (including VAT) per unit delivered. The 2024 Housing for All target for RLS is 130 units. In January...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (9 Apr 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities are encouraged to acquire vacant/derelict properties to be upgraded as new, value-for-money social homes via the Buy & Renew Scheme. Since it was introduced in 2016, in excess of 900 properties have been delivered under this arrangement. The first table below shows the number of such units delivered as new social homes per annum since 2016 and the total cost. The...