Results 8,921-8,940 of 25,880 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 163 and 164 together. The First Home Scheme, launched on 7 July 2022, uses an equity share model to support first-time buyers nationally in purchasing new houses and apartments in the private market. Further information is available on the Scheme website at:www.firsthomescheme.ie. The Scheme is overseen and managed by the First Home Scheme Ireland Designated...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Affordable Housing Fund is available to assist all local authorities in bringing forward affordable housing schemes. Following the publication of Housing for All in September 2021, I asked local authorities to prepare Housing Delivery Action Plans. Each local authority was asked to assess the level of housing demand with affordability constraint projected for their area based on the...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Government recently agreed to increase the baseline income thresholds by €5,000 for all local authorities with effect from 1 January 2023. My Department has also recently begun work to scope options for a new social housing income eligibility model and I expect proposals for a new model to be submitted for my consideration in Q1 2023. Pending completion of this work, it would be...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998 provides that the role of my Department is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in place to assist housing authorities in providing accommodation for Travellers, including a national framework of policy, legislation and funding. The Act provides that housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Energy Policy (2 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS) is a scheme for the repair and conservation of structures on the local authority Record of Protected Structures (RPS). It is designed to leverage private capital for investment in small-scale conservation projects across the country and to support the employment of skilled conservation professionals. Match-funded grants of up to €15,000 may...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Pension Provisions (2 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The award of any pension entitlements is a decision of the employing organisation.  Any dispute in this regard is primarily a matter between the employee and that organisation/pension administrator, which, in this case, is Dublin City Council. I have no role in this regard.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Nursing Homes (2 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Valuation Office have the statutory responsibility for determining if a property is liable for rates. The Valuation Office is independent in the discharge of its function. Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy and collect rates on any property used for commercial purposes, in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by the independent...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Road Projects (2 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Staff of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department have been working with Galway County Council in relation to this project. A method statement prepared by Galway County Council, which outlined the methodology for the topographical survey along the N59 (Bunnakill to Oughterard) as part of the overall N59 Maam Cross-Oughterard Project, was approved in July...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Land Issues (2 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Under the Property Registration Authority (PRA) Digital Mapping Project (2005-2010), Land Registry plans and boundaries were transferred from the paper maps to the digital map. This digitisation was carried out in accordance with the guidelines as set out in the PRA Digitisation Protocol Document. All matters relevant to the transfer of mapping data during the Digital Mapping Project are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Energy Policy (2 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: In accordance with section 58 of the Housing Act 1966, local authorities are responsible for the management and maintenance of their housing stock including carrying out pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, the implementation of a planned maintenance programme and carrying out responsive repairs. Local authorities also have a legal obligation to ensure that all of their tenanted...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (2 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, including the enhanced lease, of privately owned dwellings can be entered into by either local authorities or Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs). Under these arrangements...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (2 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The fire service is operated at local authority level by 27 Fire Services. There are 218 fire stations throughout the country and as of November 2022 there were 3,245 serving fire service personnel, of whom 1,206 are full-time and 2,039 are retained (on a 24 hour basis).  As the Local Authority/Fire Service is the direct employer, detail as to specific numbers of fire fighters in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Advertising (1 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Advertising (1 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I am aware of no such instances within my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: State Bodies (1 Feb 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 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). The remit...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (1 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Addressing vacancy and maximising the use of existing housing stock is a primary objective of this Government, as demonstrated by the focus given to this priority area in Pathway 4 of the Government’s Housing for All plan. In this regard, Action 19.10 of Housing for All provides that local authorities will work with the appropriate stakeholders to resolve issues within estates still...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (1 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. The delivery of the affordable home interventions will be facilitated by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), the Land...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Budgets (1 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 110 and 111 together. My Department's Appropriation Accounts which are published by the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) set out the full details of expenditure for the relevant years and can be found at www.audit.gov.ie/en/ by clicking on "Appropriation Accounts".   Summary details of the Allocations and Final outturn of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (1 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government sets out a number of commitments in respect of the important policy area of addressing building defects. These include a commitment to examine defects in housing, having regard to the recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing’s report Safe as Houses? Housing for All, the Government’s national plan on housing to 2030,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Domestic Violence (1 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: In 2017, my Department issued policy and procedural guidance to housing authorities relating to the role they can play to assist victims of domestic violence. The issuing of this 2017 policy and guidance was a significant action in the second national strategy on Domestic, Sexual & Gender-Based Violence (DSGBV) 2016-2021, and has since played an important role in addressing the...