Results 7,781-7,800 of 25,858 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (18 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: On 1 January 2023 Uisce Éireann (formerly Irish Water) was established as the standalone national authority for water services and is currently operating through a series of service level agreements with local authorities. A funding model was previously agreed which sees water services funded from an appropriate mix of Exchequer funding, for domestic services and capital investment, and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (18 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies (Deferment of Termination Dates of Certain Tenancies) Act 2022 was a time limited enactment which provided for a stay on eviction notices up to 31 March 2023, with deferred tenancy terminations taking effect over a staggered period from 1 April to 18 June. No specific study has been undertaken to determine the impact of the ending of the winter emergency period on...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (18 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing for All plan is linked to the National Planning Framework (NPF), which fully supports the sustainable development of rural areas and the need to ensure that they continue to be viable places to live, work and invest in. The NPF aims to support the overall rural pattern of development in Ireland and deliver strengthened and diversified rural communities consistent with Our Rural...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Reports (18 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Construction Cost Study was conducted under Action 19.1 Housing for All and is a shared Construction Sector Group (CSG)/Government initiative facilitated by my Department. The study finds that overall construction costs using Irish specifications on a cost-per-square-metre rate for the same apartment building are broadly in line with construction costs in the four European...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation (18 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department currently publishes data on a monthly basis on the number of homeless persons accommodated in emergency accommodation funded and overseen by housing authorities. These reports are based on data provided by housing authorities, produced through the Pathway Accommodation & Support System (PASS). The monthly homelessness report includes details of individuals, families and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (18 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department has made significant advances in the development of marine planning policy over the last number of years, including the launch of the National Marine Planning Framework (NMPF) and the signing of the Maritime Area Planning Act in 2021. Implementation work on those continues at pace within my Department and remains ongoing. Public consultation, including consultation with...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (18 May 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 by 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, €3.5bn in funding through the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (18 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in the ‘New Dwelling Completions’ series show 6,716 new homes were added to the national housing stock in Q1 2023. This is an increase of 19% on Q1 2022, when 5,669 new homes were completed, and the highest number of Q1 completions recorded since the series began in 2011. The rolling 12-month total of 30,898 completions has...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (18 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Planning and Development (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2018 provided for an exemption, up until the end of 2021, from the requirement to obtain planning permission in respect of the change of use of certain vacant commercial premises, including vacant or under-utilised areas over ground-floor shops and offices, to residential use. This measure was aimed at facilitating the productive...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (18 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The purpose of the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 ('the 2022 Act'), as agreed by Government on 30 November 2021, is to implement and give legislative underpinning to a series of measures to improve and enhance the current grant scheme including increasing the current 90% maximum grant to a 100% grant for all remediation options available...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (18 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All was published 2 September 2021. The first annual update of the plan's actions was published on 2 November 2022. A copy of Housing for All and the Housing for All Action Plan Update can be accessed at the following respective links: www.gov.ie/en/publication/ef5ec-housing-for-all-a-new-housin g-plan-for-ireland/ www.gov.ie/en/publication/da0d1-action-plan-update-and-q3-20...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (18 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing for All plan is linked to the National Planning Framework (NPF), which fully supports the sustainable development of rural areas and the need to ensure that they continue to be viable places to live, work and invest in. The NPF aims to support the overall rural pattern of development in Ireland and deliver strengthened and diversified rural communities consistent with Our Rural...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (18 May 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 by 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, €3.5bn in funding through the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (18 May 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 to regulate the rental sector; provide information to tenants and landlords; maintain a national register of tenancies; resolve disputes between tenants and landlords; and conduct research and provide information to inform policy. Registered...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (18 May 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,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (18 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: On 25 April 2023, the Government approved additional measures under the Housing for All Action Plan to incentivise the activation of increased housing supply and assist the achievement of the housing delivery targets set in Housing for All, while also addressing cost and viability issues faced by the construction sector. These measures included the introduction of temporary time-limited...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (18 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government commits to funding Uisce Éireann’s capital investment plan for water and wastewater infrastructure on a multi-annual basis. The National Development Plan 2021-2030 commits to almost €6 billion in capital investment by Uisce Éireann in the period 2021-2025, of which over €4.5 billion will be Voted Exchequer funding for domestic water...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (18 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All, the Government’s housing plan, puts affordability at the heart of the housing system and commits to the delivery of 54,000 affordable homes by 2030. The plan can be accessed at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/ef5ec-housing-for-all-a-new-housin g-plan-for-ireland/#view-the-plan. In terms of arrangements for the pre-purchase of affordable housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (18 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Construction costs have risen considerably over recent years. The CSO Wholesale Price Index shows a 12-month increase in price of construction materials of 13.5% to March 2023. The Building and Construction Index (i.e. Materials and Wages) fell by 0.1% in the month but rose by 8.5% in the 12 months to March 2023. My Department actively monitors the housing market at all times. The impact...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (18 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies (No. 2) Act 2021 introduced measures in July 2021 to extend the operation of Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) until the end of 2024. The designation of all existing RPZs has also been extended until 31 December 2024. The Act provides that rent reviews outside of RPZs can, until 2025, occur no more frequently than bi-annually. This provides rent certainty for tenants...