Results 10,541-10,560 of 27,055 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Staff (6 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Croke Park Agreement encompassed all civil servants in my Department. No distinction was made between categories of civil servants under the Agreement. My Department does not hold the requested information in respect of public servants employed by the State Bodies under its aegis.  Arrangements have been made that these State Bodies may be contacted directly by e-mail by members...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (6 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Applications for social housing support are assessed by the relevant local authority, in accordance with the eligibility and need criteria set down in section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended. The allocation of local authority dwellings, including the prioritisation of certain...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Inquiries (6 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: In November 2019, my predecessor, the then Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, appointed an authorised person under section 224 of the Local Government Act 2001 to prepare a report into the alleged role, if any, of Dublin City Council regarding payments made to certain individuals for the purpose of facilitating the protection of social housing developments in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (6 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides grant funding on an annual basis to local authorities for adaptations and extensions to the existing social housing stock to meet the needs of local authority tenants. The scheme applies to works that are necessary to address the needs of older people, people with a disability or overcrowded situations. This present funding also extends to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (6 Dec 2022)

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. As part of the annual budgetary process the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (6 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Increased supply across all tenures is key to eradicating homelessness.  Housing supply is increasing under Housing for All. There is a strong pipeline, with 44,715 dwellings granted planning permission in the 12 months to the end of June 2022. 27,773 new homes were completed in the twelve months to end September 2022 - greater than the total for 2021 or any full year since the CSO...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (6 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The allocation of social housing support to qualified households is a matter for the local authority concerned, in accordance with its allocation scheme made in accordance with Section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated Social Housing Allocation Regulations 2011.  This legislation requires all local authorities, as a reserved function, to make an...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Policies (6 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The legislative basis for my Department's work on marine protected areas (MPAs) stems from the EU Directive 2008/56/EC (The Marine Strategy Framework Directive - MSFD) and, more specifically, area based conservation measures under Article 13.4. In this regard it is Ireland's entire maritime area, which comes under the MSFD's implementation regime, that is of relevance. It follows that all...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Planning Issues (1 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Tá ár gcuid oibre beagnach críochnaithe.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Policies (1 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: B'fhéidir nach raibh an Teachta ag éisteacht le mo fhreagra ar an gceist sin. I answered it very clearly. We have set targets. We are using modern methods of construction. I suggest the Deputy be careful not to blur the lines, if I may. The emergency response to provide safe harbour to our friends from Ukraine, as Deputy O'Dowd has eloquently said, is separate to what we are...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Policies (1 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Níl mé críochnaithe fós. Let us be very clear that the targets with regard to additional delivery on modern methods of construction are very clearly set out and we will manage that centrally. This is different. There is a real opportunity to further ramp up the delivery of social and affordable homes, which I know the Deputy is asking for, but that is a separate...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Policies (1 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: We will deliver more new-build social homes in 2022 than we have done in decades. Approximately 10,500 social homes will be delivered for people who are on the social housing list. Some of the sheltered response we have for our friends from Ukraine are not permanent homes, such as the refurbished properties. I know the Deputy is not suggesting we would use that same response for people on...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Policies (1 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: No, they have not.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Policies (1 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: What I am saying is that we very clearly set out under Housing for All what our social housing targets are. What I am looking to do next year is to further accelerate that delivery through the use of off-site and modular construction. I have already mentioned in my response to the Deputy that we have provided €100 million with regard to pay-down debt for local authorities, not just...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Policies (1 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: What part of my answer does the Deputy not understand? I have just said for the past few minutes that, of course, we are using modern methods of construction and modular construction. We are already doing that but we will be using additional good-quality, off-site construction builds under modern methods of construction, next year, in the programme we have set and has been debated in this...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Policies (1 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Let us not blur the lines.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Policies (1 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an cheist, which is a very important one. We need to look at how we can utilise modern methods of construction, including off-site construction and modular builds, to ramp up the supply of housing. We clearly set out that objective in pathway 5 under the Government's Housing for All plan. The development of modern methods of construction, MMC, will...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Policies (1 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Hear, hear.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Policy (1 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I have been in all of the 31 local authority areas throughout the country. Let us not catastrophise this with regard to supply. The Deputy cannot just take one figure and say everything is going in a downward trajectory. It is not. We are aware of the challenges which, by the way, are not unique to Ireland. There are the rising cost of funding and inflationary pressures. We saw positive...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Policy (1 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: It was not a script.