Results 9,041-9,060 of 25,880 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Emergency Accommodation (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The continuing increase in the numbers accessing emergency accommodation is a serious concern for me and for the Government. We are doing everything in our power to tackle this problem, both by increasing housing supply and investing in homelessness prevention. The Government is investing significantly in social and affordable housing, with record funding allocated for current and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Policies (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 149 and 170 together. Embodied Carbon of Construction materials is being considered under emissions from the Industry Sector in Climate Action Plan 2023. Through Climate Action Plan 2023, Government will actively deliver a series of measures to reduce embodied carbon in construction materials, and emissions from cement production including: - Specifying...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Road Projects (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Narrow Water Bridge is a cross-border project led by Louth County Council and supported by the Shared Island Fund, which is designed to fund strategic north-south projects that implement the commitments and objectives on Shared Island set out in the Programme for Government. The bridge will connect Cornamucklagh near Omeath, Co Louth with Narrow Water near Warrenpoint, Co. Down. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: An Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) application was submitted by Mayo County Council to my Department last year to support a development of 13 affordable purchase homes in Springfield, Westport. I granted approval in principle to this application in November 2022 and scheduled delivery of these affordable homes will be in 2024. To date, my Department has not received any AHF applications in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All sets out national housing policy and implementation measures for the period to 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 social housing delivery and will continue to play. Over the past decade, the Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF) funding...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Greater availability and choice of well-located apartment development, together with enhanced affordability and related supports, will assist in encouraging a move towards apartment living. This forms part of the range of housing solutions being progressed further to Housing for All, and is essential in ensuring that Ireland’s urban areas can develop sustainably in accordance with the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides funding to local authorities for the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability Scheme. These schemes assist eligible applicants living in privately owned homes to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs, with Exchequer funding of €65 million available nationally in 2022. Voted capital funding of €66.5 million...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (26 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 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The purpose of the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 is to implement and give legislative underpinning to a series of measures to improve and enhance the current grant scheme, as agreed by Government on 30 November 2021. The current and enhanced defective concrete block (DCB) grant schemesare not compensation or redress schemes. They are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (26 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 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: Wastewater Treatment (26 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 Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme 2022-2025, for the waste water collection and treatment needs of villages and settlements that do not have access to public waste water services. To fund this measure, an allocation of €50 million has been committed...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Under Housing for All, the Government will 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 State and retail banks. 2022 represented the first year of a very ambitious programme of affordable housing delivery. Significant funding...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Traveller Accommodation (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998 provides that housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of multi-annual Traveller Accommodation Programmes (TAPs) in their areas. My Department’s role is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in place to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability facilitates older people and disabled people to remain living independently in their own homes. Voted capital funding of €66.5 million is available in 2023, which is an increase of €1.5 million on the 2022 provision of €65 million, continuing the year on year increases since 2014. My...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The key aim of the review and consolidation of the Planning and Development Act 2000, which was led by the Attorney General, was to put plan-making at the centre of the planning system by bringing increased clarity and streamlining to the legislation and improving the functioning of the planning system for both practitioners and the general public. This Review and the Draft Bill it has...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Under Housing for All, the Government will 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 State and retail banks. 2022 represented the first year of a very ambitious programme of affordable housing delivery. Significant funding...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Building Regulations (Part M Amendment) Regulations 2022 will greatly improve community participation and social inclusion for people with complex care needs. The key objectives of the Building Regulations (Part M Amendment) Regulations 2022 are to increase the provision of changing places toilets in certain new buildings, and to improve the accessibility and usability of existing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not provide specific allocations to local authorities, rather funding for housing programmes is made to the local authorities as programmes and projects advance and relevant claims fall due for payment. Funding provided by my Department to each Local Authority for Housing programmes in each of the years 2017 to 2021 is set out in the table below. The funding details for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I wish to explain at the outset that my role as Minister in relation to the planning system is primarily to provide a policy and legislative framework under which the planning authorities, An Bord Pleanála (the Board) and the Office of the Planning Regulator (the OPR) perform their statutory planning functions. The legislative framework chiefly comprises the Planning and Development...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is currently undertaking a focused review of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines. The review is addressing a number of key aspects including noise, setback distance, shadow flicker, community obligation, community dividend and grid connections. Guidance on the noise aspect is currently being finalised by the Department in conjunction with the Department of...