Results 7,381-7,400 of 25,844 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (11 Jul 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing Agency Acquisition (HAA) Fund of €70 million was established with effect from the 1 January 2017 with the objective of acquiring vacant property portfolios of financial institutions that could then be sold onto AHBs and used for social housing. The target for the HAA fund was to acquire 1,600 units over a four year period to 2020 with this target subsequently extended out...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (11 Jul 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I can confirm that my Department is in the final stages of completing comprehensive Framework documentation to support the application process for the upcoming Multi-annual Rural Water Programme. Extensive engagement with stakeholders, including a Rural Water Working Group made up of key stakeholders in the Sector, was a valuable and necessary requirement to allow my Department finalise this...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (11 Jul 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Framework for Future Delivery of Water Services (June 2022) was developed following a comprehensive process of engagement with unions under the aegis of the Workplace Relations Commission and enables the integration of public water services into Uisce Éireann's organisational structure. The Framework provides that local authority water services staff have the option to transfer...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (11 Jul 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The identification of new social housing opportunities in their areas of operation and the advancement of such projects, are matters that are directly managed by our local authorities. I understand that in the case of projects in the Carrigart area being considered by Donegal County Council, that they have a site in the locality which they had hoped to develop however, the original...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Legislative Measures (11 Jul 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The draft Planning and Development Bill 2022 (the Bill), published in January 2023, is the culmination of a fifteen-month review of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the Act), led by the Office of the Attorney General. The Bill proposes to concolidate, reform and streamline more than two decades of planning legislation into a single piece of legislation which is more...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (11 Jul 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is supporting local authorities in the delivery of their social housing targets under Housing For All through a range of different initiatives and schemes, including the construction of social homes on their own lands, construction delivery in conjunction with approved housing bodies and also, local authorities are working in partnership with private developers to deliver social...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (11 Jul 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not hold data in relation to the average length of time spent on the social housing list. However, 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 most recently published summary for all counties, conducted in November...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (11 Jul 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Mortgage to Rent (MTR) scheme was introduced in 2012 for borrowers of commercial lending institutions and is targeted at those households in mortgage arrears who have had their mortgage position deemed unsustainable by their lender under the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (MARP), who agree to the voluntary surrender of their home and who have very limited options, if any, to meet...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (11 Jul 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not hold information of the specific type requested. The data may be sought from the local authority or approved housing body directly.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (11 Jul 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not hold information in relation to the total numbers of local authority housing units in the State. This information may be sought from the local authorities directly. Details of the total rent collected by local authorities and the levels of arrears are contained in the annual local authority Audit Reports prepared by the Local Government Audit Service and published by my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (11 Jul 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 422, 423 and 424 together. My Department is currently undertaking a focused review of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines. The review is addressing a number of key aspects including noise, setback distance, shadow flicker, community obligation, community dividend and grid connections. Guidance on the noise aspect, which is highly technical in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (11 Jul 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 an average of 10,000 new build social homes each year in the period to 2030. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4bn per annum, through an overall combination of €12bn in direct Exchequer funding,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (6 Jul 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputy. We have reached Question No. 42, given there have been so many others missing right the way through.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (6 Jul 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: As regards modern methods of construction, MMC, I brought a cost-of-construction report to Cabinet a few weeks ago and published it. It is a comparative between costs in Ireland, those in five other EU countries and those in Britain. The report highlights the practice as well. We are looking at the MMC piece. I have a further report to bring to Cabinet. This year and next, 1,500 social...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Water Services (6 Jul 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Understood. To respond to Deputy O'Sullivan, he is correct that for whatever reason, the local authority did not apply for Shannon Vale to enter into the scheme I brought forward. Post Question Time, however, and with regard to Drinagh, I will follow up particularly with Shannon Vale. I will reach out again to the local authority. We need to get Uisce Éireann and the local...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Wastewater Treatment (6 Jul 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I know that Deputy Crowe has been pushing this very hard and has been very supportive, as many others have, of this scheme. It is new. I announced €50 million for it in 2022. Effectively, we asked local authorities to apply to me in respect of schemes that would not have been brought forward under the Uisce Éireann capital programme. In April 2022 I announced a new funding...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Wastewater Treatment (6 Jul 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: A number of schemes came in right across the country. If we can get this scheme right, and I believe we can, this will evolve into a multi-annual programme. This is in addition to what we are investing already. The Deputy is 100% correct that our villages and towns across the country can play a major role in housing provision. That is why we have moved forward with the vacancy grants, for...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Wastewater Treatment (6 Jul 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputy is looking for a pre-announcement, which we cannot do. All I will say is that if schemes are good, there is no restriction per county, like one or two per county. That is not the question. We received just over 20 applications across the country - not a lot, to be frank, but enough for us to be able, in my view, to start this pilot programme. Where the land is purchased, the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Homeless Accommodation (6 Jul 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I assure the Deputy that I am not ignoring anything. I did not get to some of the other measures we have brought in, including the tenant in situpurchase scheme, which we have rolled out and extended since January as a mitigation measure. I have set a target of a minimum of 1,500 homes. This involves converting housing assistance payment, HAP, and rental accommodation scheme, RAS,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Homeless Accommodation (6 Jul 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: There indeed is-----