Results 8,541-8,560 of 25,880 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Reports (9 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: In line with commitments in the Programme for Government and Housing for All: A New Housing Plan for Ireland, the Housing Commission was established by Government in December 2021 to independently examine and review the housing system in Ireland. The Commission has been tasked to examine issues such as tenure, standards, sustainability and quality-of-life issues in the provision of housing,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (9 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: In my first year as Minister, I introduced significant tenancy protections under the Residential Tenancies and Valuation Act 2020 with effect from 1 August 2020. The Act provides for enhanced tenancy protections by requiring a landlord to copy the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) with any 28-day warning notice (doubled from 14 days under that Act) given in writing to their tenant seeking...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (9 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Action 2.12 of Housing for All requires that, among other things an examination for the creation of a system of holding rental deposits, informed by international experience occurs. This examination has a timeline of Q2 2023. The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015 provided for the development of a deposit protection scheme to be operated by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB). ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (9 Mar 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. Under Housing for All, the Government aims to deliver 54,000 affordable homes between now and 2030, to be facilitated by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), the Land Development Agency (LDA) and through a strategic partnership between the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (9 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All recognises that in order to create the environment needed to enable supply of over 300,000 new homes by 2030, land needs to be serviced with transport, utilities and other infrastructure. Housing for All provides for this ‘whole of system’ approach. In line with Action 22.6 of the Housing for All Action Plan Update (November 2022) both Uisce Éireann and the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (9 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 234, 235 and 240 together. I refer to the reply to Question No. 235 of 26 January 2023 which sets out the position in this matter. In addition, this week, I announced further measures to increase the supply of social homes including: - an increase in the number of social housing acquisitions to 1,500 in 2023 to reduce the number of households at risk of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (9 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All sets out the range of actions intended to increase the overall supply of housing to 33,000 new homes on average per year over the next decade. Under the strategy, 54,000 affordable home interventions will be delivered between now and 2030 to be facilitated by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), the Land Development Agency (LDA) and through a strategic...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (9 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme is a flexible and immediate housing support that is available to all eligible households with a long term housing need. At end Q3 2022, over 106,700 HAP tenancies have been set-up since the scheme commenced, with almost 59,700 active tenancies being supported under the HAP Scheme. I am committed to decreasing our reliance on the HAP scheme and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (9 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Last September, I launched the Ready to Build Scheme as part of the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund. Under this scheme, local authorities will make serviced sites in towns and villages available at a discounted rate to individual purchasers who will self-build their own home and live in it as their principal private residence. It is intended that the local authority will either...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (9 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department's role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the statutory role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of emergency accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (9 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Pathway 4 of Housing for All sets out a blueprint to address vacancy and make efficient use of our existing housing stock. Many areas of cities, towns and villages of all sizes face the blight of vacant properties, which, if brought back into use, could add real vibrancy and provide new accommodation in those areas. Significant progress is being made under Housing for All including: - The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (8 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I refer to my reply of Question No. 546 of 18 January 2023 regarding this issue. Landlords and agent customers are still experiencing some issues when registering tenancies through the Residential Tenancies Board’s (RTB) new tenancy management system. As outlined previously, this is an operational matter for the RTB, whose members having been working collaboratively and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (8 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: In implementing Housing for All, each local authority has prepared and published a Housing Delivery Action Plan in respect of local authority supported or overseen delivery from 2022 to 2026. Individual five-year housing delivery targets were set for local authorities and for 18 local authorities with a strong and identified affordable housing need, including Fingal County Council, specific...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (8 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the Act) includes several legislative provisions that relate to the duration of a planning permission. Section 40 of the Act provides that the appropriate period for the completion of a planning permission shall generally be 5 years, unless otherwise specified by the planning authority pursuant to section 41 of the Act. Section 42 of the Act...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (8 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The First Home Scheme, launched on 7 July 2022, supports eligible first-time buyers in purchasing new houses and apartments in the private market through the use of an equity share model. It also supports certain other purchasers, who have previously owned a home, under the 'Fresh Start' principle. The scheme is administered by the First Home Scheme Ireland DAC, which is responsible for the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (8 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Pyrite Resolution Act 2013 provides the statutory framework for the establishment of the Pyrite Resolution Board and for the making of a pyrite remediation scheme to be implemented by the Board with support from the Housing Agency. The provisions of the Act apply only to dwellings affected by significant damage attributable to pyritic heave consequent on the presence of reactive...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (8 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies (Deferment of Termination Dates of Certain Tenancies) Act 2022 was signed into law on 29 October 2022. The Act made emergency provision to defer the termination dates of certain residential tenancies that fall, or would fall, during the 'winter emergency period', beginning on 30 October 2022 and ending on 31 March 2023. The aim of the Act was to mitigate the risk...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (8 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 regulates the landlord-tenant relationship in the rented residential sector and sets out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants. Section 123 of the Acts provides, inter alia, that the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) shall publish dispute determination orders issued by its Director. These orders can be found on the RTB website at...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (8 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I have no function in relation to the matters raised in the question and the information requested is not available in my Department. Local authorities are entirely independent corporate entities, having full responsibility under law for the performance of their functions and the discharge of their governance and other responsibilities. The policy in relation to compensating persons as...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Public Sector Pay (8 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003. My Department supports fire authorities through setting general policy, providing the legislative...