Results 8,621-8,640 of 25,880 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (28 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Minister is empowered under section 31 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 to direct a planning authority to take measures to ensure that its development plan complies with national or regional planning policy, upon receipt of a recommendation from the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR). The decision to issue or not to issue a Direction rests with the Minister, or the Minister of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (28 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Persons granted international protection status (refugee status or subsidiary protection status) can access State provided supports and services on the same basis as Irish nationals. The rights to family reunification are set out in the International Protection Act 2015. Any household assessed as eligible for social housing is immediately eligible for housing support through the Housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation (28 Feb 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 role of local authorities in addressing homelessness at a local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless accommodation and related services rests with individual local authorities. The International...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Building Regulations (28 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The minimum standards for rental accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 and specify requirements in relation to a range of matters, such as structural repair, sanitary facilities, heating, ventilation, natural light, fire safety and the safety of gas, oil and electrical supplies. These Regulations apply to all properties let or available for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Elections (28 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Electoral Reform Act 2022, which provides for, among other matters, the establishment of a statutory, independent Electoral Commission - An Coimisiún Toghcháin, amends Part V of the Local Government Act 1991 in respect of the review of local electoral areas. Under Chapter 8 of Part 2 of the Electoral Reform Act 2022, future reviews of local electoral areas are now a function of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (28 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Building Control Management System (BCMS) is centrally hosted by the National Building Control and Market Surveillance Office on behalf of the 31 local authorities. The BCMS is readily available and searchable at the following weblink: nbco.localgov.ie/ Using the BCMS as its data source, my Department publishes commencement notice data, broken down by local authority area, on a monthly...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Legislative Measures (28 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Schedule 1 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as inserted through the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2010 allows for “Reserving land for use and cultivation as allotments and regulating, promoting, facilitating or controlling the provision of land for that use.” The identification and implementation of recreational and amenity spaces is a matter for local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (28 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides funding to local authorities in respect of the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability, to assist eligible people in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. The suite of grants include the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability (max grant €30,000), the Mobility Aids Grant (max grant...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (28 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 new homes per year over the next decade. Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) is used to describe a range of offsite manufacturing and innovative onsite techniques that provide alternatives to traditional building construction, including innovative systems such as cross laminated timber...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (28 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: A €5 million project management fund has been put in place to assist local authorities in the administration and management of the Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme (EERP). This funding, available as part of the yearly allocations, was introduced to cover consultancy costs, tendering costs, training costs to upskill staff, such as becoming qualified BER assessors, for resourcing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (28 Feb 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. To be eligible, applicants must meet certain criteria, including minimum annual reckonable income and minimum time in receipt of social housing supports. The minimum income requirement has a dual purpose. It ensures the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (28 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The First Home Scheme, launched on 7 July 2022, primarily 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 DAC, and further information is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (28 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity in all local authorities, including information on social housing acquisitions. This data is available until the end of Quarter 3 2022 and is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link:...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (28 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP) supports the delivery of social housing by providing financial support to local authorities for the leasing of houses and apartments. Long term lease arrangements of privately owned dwellings can be entered into by either local authorities or Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs). Under these arrangements the local authority or AHB acts as...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wildlife Protection (28 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is aware that Emo Court House hosts an important roost for Brown Long-Eared Bats, and is further aware that complex stabilization and restorations works were undertaken by the OPW at the House over recent years. My Department has been in ongoing contact with the OPW in regard to its obligations under the Wildlife Acts and the modalities of compliance in the context of its...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (28 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The relevant details are being compiled and will be provided to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (28 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The relevant details are being compiled and will be provided to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (28 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The €70 million revolving Housing Agency Acquisitions Fund (HAA fund) was established with effect from the 1 January 2017 with the objective of acquiring vacant property portfolios from banks and financial institutions that could then be 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (28 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All (September 2021), is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 new homes per year over the next decade. This includes the delivery of 90,000 social homes by 2030. As part of the objective to increase social housing delivery, the plan recognises the significant role that Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) have played as partners in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (28 Feb 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...