Results 6,241-6,260 of 25,799 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 28, 55 and 88 together. Under Housing for All, the Government will deliver 47,600 new build social homes; 3,500 social homes through long-term leasing, and 28,500 new affordable homes in the period 2022-2026. Each local authority has prepared its own 5 year Housing Delivery Action Plan setting out their social and affordable housing delivery plans. 18...

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

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: Housing Policy (7 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The allocation of local authority dwellings, including the prioritisation of certain categories of households, is a matter for the local authority concerned, in accordance with their allocation scheme made under section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated Regulations. This legislation requires all local authorities, as a reserved function of Elected...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The First Home Scheme, which launched in July 2022, is a shared equity scheme, designed to help bridge the gap for eligible first-time buyers, eligible homebuyers, and now self-builders, between their deposit and mortgage, and the price of their new home (within price ceilings established across the country). Details are available on the First Home Scheme website, www.firsthomescheme.ie. ...

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

Darragh O'Brien: In July 2022 I launched the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant under the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund, which supports bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use as homes. In May 2023, I announced a revised grant rate of up to a maximum of €50,000 available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence and also for...

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

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: Defective Building Materials (7 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department has had a number of engagements with the Banking and Payments Federation (BPFI) on specific issues raised by Defective Concrete Block (DCB) homeowners to see what can be done to address their concerns. As part of these discussions the BPFI has confirmed to my Department that, from their perspective, once a home has been certified as remediated under the DCB Scheme it will be...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 35 and 47 together. I established the Implementation Steering Group to work through administrative issues around the Defective Concrete Blocks (DCB) scheme as they arise and make recommendations if further changes to the regulations or guidelines on the Scheme are needed. The Group comprises the relevant local authorities, my Department, the Housing...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Planning and Development Bill 2023 introduces statutory time periods for decision making for all consent processes, including for An Coimisiún Pleanála. This will bring certainty to consent processes for both the public and stakeholders involved in the delivery of key infrastructure such as housing and renewable energy. Timelines are being introduced for appeals as well as the...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 37, 53, 59 and 74 together. The Government’s Housing for All plan is focused on tackling supply and affordability issues, including those in the rental market. The plan contains targets, actions and guaranteed State investment in housing aimed at increasing supply, which in turn will help increase access to affordable rental housing. Budget 2024...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 39 and 80 together. Supporting individuals and families facing homelessness is a key Government priority. Critical to supporting households to exit homelessness is increasing the supply of housing. Record state investment of €4.5bn has been made available this year to support the largest State home building programme ever, including 9,100 new build...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Data on the number of residential dwellings purchased by all buyer types, including by first-time buyers, are published by the Central Statistics Office. These data are available in table HPM02 (Residential Property Transactions) on the CSO website. The most recent data show more than 43,700 homes were purchased at market prices by all buyer types between January and September this year....

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

Darragh O'Brien: In July 2022 I launched the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant under the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund, which supports bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use as homes. In May 2023, I announced a revised grant rate of up to a maximum of €50,000 available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence and also for...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 43 and 72 together. 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,...

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

Darragh O'Brien: In July 2022 I launched the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant under the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund, which supports bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use as homes. In May 2023, I announced a revised grant rate of up to a maximum of €50,000 available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence and also for...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Maximum rent limits for HAP were set for each housing authority area in 2016 in conjunction with the Department of Social Protection (DSP). In reviewing the rent limits, my Department worked closely with DSP and monitored data gathered from the Residential Tenancies Board and the HAP Shared Services Centre. A key principle of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is that eligible...

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

Darragh O'Brien: On 25 April 2023, as part of a suite of measures to help reduce housing construction costs and incentivise increased housing supply, the Government introduced a temporary time-limited arrangement to waiver the local authority “section 48” development contribution and a refund scheme for water and wastewater connection charges payable to Uisce Éireann. I can confirm that...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 48 and 68 together. My Department’s Rural Water Programme, through Exchequer funding, delivers improvements to private domestic water services in areas of rural Ireland where there are no Uisce Éireann water services. The Multi-annual Rural Water Programme (MARWP) is the main funding stream providing capital funding to address some of the...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as a quasi-judicial independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 (RTA), to operate a national tenancy registration system and to facilitate the resolution of disputes between landlords and tenants and as such the issue referred to is an operational matter for the RTB. My Department is not aware of the issue...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 51 and 79 together. According to the latest census data available there are almost 500,000 domestic waste water treatment systems (DWWTS), mostly septic tanks, in Ireland. Under the Water Services Acts 2007 and 2012, it is the responsibility of the owners to ensure that their DWWTS is fit for purpose, operational and kept in good order. Owners of septic tanks...