Results 6,221-6,240 of 25,799 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I assure the Deputy it will be addressed and we will work with him on that. The Department of Health is working on the matter and we are concluding the drafting of the legislation. For the information of the House, as of 1 October last, there were over 1.6 million medical card holders and over 595,000 GP visit card holders. This means more than 42% of the population has access to free GP...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: This Bill is a major step forward and that is why it is important that we work together to get it passed as expeditiously as possible. There were some who accused us of rushing this Bill but we have not done so. We have engaged with stakeholders in the planning forum and right the way through. We had detailed pre-legislative scrutiny of this Bill but Committee Stage will be important. I...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: It is not.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: It is not. I will come back in.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I know the Deputy is earnest about this issue and that he raises it regularly. For the Deputy’s information, the price ceiling for the first home scheme in Dublin is €475,000 for a home and €500,000 for an apartment, and we review those ceilings every six months. On that scheme, we have had more than 7,000 registrations and more than 3,000 approvals, many of which were...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: We will

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Through our local authorities alone I have approved funding for more than 4,500 local authority-led affordable homes, starting from on or about €160,000 or €166,000. That is working and I have met people who are moving into those homes. The first home scheme ceilings will be reviewed at the end of this year. I have given the Deputy the real ceiling; it is €475,000 in...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: What we need to do and what we are doing is to increase supply across all tenures. Deputy Paul Donnelly knows that very well because he has been out turning sods with me his own constituency at the largest social and affordable housing schemes in the country. These are in Mulhuddart and in Donabate-Portrane, which is my own area. There are 1,200 homes, which the Deputy’s party...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Withdraw it.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: What did you do?

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Cad a dhearna thú? What did you do?

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: One amongst many of you.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank Deputy Bacik for her question on this important issue. She will know we have commenced Second Stage of the Planning and Development Bill. As I have said, this is the most significant reform of our planning legislation that probably ever has taken place. It is a 700-page Bill that seeks to provide clarity, certainty and consistency in our planning legislation and system. That is...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Indeed. We are filling those roles now. There are now 15 board members and 314 posts have been approved in the board. We were as low as five members last year with all the controversies that came about in An Bord Pleanála. We had to stabilise it and get it moving. I will happily work with the Deputy and colleagues in the Opposition to strengthen this further if that is required....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Anois, an fhírinne. Ar dtús, caithfidh mé a rá go bhfuil ár bplean ag obair. Tá sé ag obair anois. Níl na buntáistí á fháil ag gach duine fós. Thógamar 30,000 teach nua anuraidh agus tá mé cinnte go mbeimid ábalta níos mó ná sin a dhéanamh i mbliana. Thógamar níos mó...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputy cannot.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (7 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Government agreed on 7 March that the ‘Winter Emergency Period’ under the Residential Tenancies (Deferment of Termination Dates of Certain Tenancies) Act 2022 would come to an end on 31 March 2023, with deferred tenancy terminations taking effect over a staggered period from 1 April to 18 June 2023 as planned and legislated for under that Act. The Government at that time...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (7 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme provides for the purchase by eligible tenants, or joint tenants, of local authority homes available for sale under the scheme. The Programme for Government and Housing for All commit to maintaining the right of social housing tenants to purchase their own home, subject to a number of reforms. The Scheme was originally introduced during 2016. A...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Energy Conservation (7 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department launched the Energy Efficiency Retrofitting Programme (EERP) in 2013 with the aim of funding retrofit of social homes requiring insulation and energy upgrade works. Since the programme commenced in 2013, over 77,500 local authority social housing dwellings have been retrofitted with a total exchequer spend of over €251 million. In 2021 a new holistic approach was...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (7 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 27 and 67 together. Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) has been identified as a key measure to address increased housing delivery and methods to support increased use of MMC are set out in Pathway 5 of Housing for All. The development of MMC will improve productivity in construction and increase efficiency in residential construction. The Housing for All...