Results 8,941-8,960 of 25,880 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Galway Housing Task Force is continuing to provide a strong focus to social and affordable housing delivery and related areas across the two Galway Local Authorities. At the meeting of the Galway Social Housing Taskforce on 15 February 2022, it was proposed that a subgroup on Homelessness, with a particular focus on Traveller Homelessness, be established and report back to the Taskforce....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 313 to 315, inclusive, together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Construction Cost Study, as committed to under Housing for All, is a shared initiative between the Construction Sector Group and Government, with agreed Terms of Reference, which my Department is now facilitating. A public procurement process was carried out by my Department to appoint consultants to carry out the study and a Steering Group, comprising stakeholders from...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 317 and 325 together. In January 2022, the Government announced a Covid-19 recognition payment for frontline healthcare workers to recognise their unique role during the pandemic. This once-off payment is ring fenced to staff who were ordinarily onsite in Covid-19-exposed healthcare environments within the period from 1 March 2020 to 30 June 2021. It...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: State Bodies (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The current membership of the Board of An Bord Pleanála (as at 25 January 2023) is set out in the table below. Three temporary ordinary members were appointed to the Board of An Bord Pleanála in early January 2023, and I intend to make further temporary appointments in the near future. In addition, there is an ongoing competition in the Public Appointments Service (PAS) to recruit...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Emergency Accommodation (31 Jan 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. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Local Authority Home Loan has been available nationwide from local authorities since 4 January 2022. The Housing Agency provides a central support service that assesses applications for the Local Authority Home Loan, on behalf of local authorities and makes recommendations to local authorities to approve or refuse applications. The final decision on loan approval is a matter for the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Mortgage to Rent (MTR) scheme allows an Approved Housing Body (AHB) or since 2018 a private company, Home for Life, acquire ownership of a property with an unsustainable private mortgage from a lender and enables the household to remain in their home as a social housing tenant. The scheme is an established part of the overall suite of social housing options and an important part of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I understand the Question is referring to the new funding measure which I announced on the 28 April 2022, as an advance stage of the new Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme, for the waste water collection and treatment needs of villages and settlements that do not have access to public waste water services.  I can confirm that €50 million has been allocated under the National...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 323 and 348 together. The funding provision for 2023 for the Private House Grants, which includes the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability and other schemes such as the Thatching grant, is €67 million, an increase of €2 million on the 2022 provision of €65 million, continuing the year on year increases...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 324 and 344 together. 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,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Ukraine War (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The launch of the unoccupied homes call 'Offer a Home', which is being led by local authorities with oversight from my Department, took place on 24 November 2022. Property owners can offer homes at offerahome.ie or by contacting the local authority in which their property is located. Properties offered need to be habitable and must meet certain health and safety standards, developed...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (31 Jan 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Staff (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The information requested in relation to the appointment of Special Advisers is set out in the tables below.  All three advisers were reappointed following the Government rotation in 2022.  The formal process in relation to these appointments is currently under way and should be complete in the coming weeks. Minister Adviser Payscale ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Electoral Commission (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Electoral Reform Act 2022 ('the Act') provides for, among other matters, the establishment of the Electoral Commission - which will be titled An Coimisiún Toghcháin.  In addition, the Act provides for the review of Dáil and European Parliament constituencies to be undertaken by the new Coimisiún following its establishment.  Under the provisions of the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (31 Jan 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Derelict Sites (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Derelict Sites Act 1990 imposes a general duty on every owner and occupier of land to take all reasonable steps to ensure that the land does not become, or continue to be, a derelict site. The Act also imposes a duty on local authorities to take all reasonable steps, including the exercise of appropriate statutory powers, to ensure that any land within their functional area does not...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Domestic Violence (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: While my Department does provide support through the Capital Assistance Scheme for accommodation for victims of domestic violence, responsibility for the development and provision of accommodation and related services to support victims of domestic violence rests with my colleague the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. I understand that the delivery of these...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Emergency Accommodation (31 Jan 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.    ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Emergency Accommodation (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not fund any homeless service directly but provides funding to housing authorities towards the operational costs of homeless accommodation and related services under Section 10 of the Housing Act, 1988.  Under Exchequer funding arrangements, housing authorities must provide at least 10% of the cost of services from their own resources.  Furthermore, housing...