Results 11,061-11,080 of 27,055 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: State Bodies (18 Oct 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Land Development Agency Act 2021 was developed taking account of legal advice in relation to State Aid. The Department’s approach, based on advice received, is that the economic functions of the Land Development Agency (LDA) do not give rise to an advantage either to the LDA or other parties under State Aid rules. The European Commission was informed about the Land Development...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (18 Oct 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Planning statistics are compiled by each planning authority on an annual basis for collation and publication on my Department’s website, at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/service/9e4ee-get-planning-statistics/. The data collected relates to the total number of applications and decisions for all developments that require planning permission, broken down by year and planning...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (18 Oct 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 348 and 349 together. Local authorities set and collect rents on their dwellings in accordance with section 58 of the Housing Act 1966.  The making or amending of such rent schemes is generally a matter for local authorities within broad principles set out by my Department, including that rent levels should be based on income and reflect...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (18 Oct 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 357 and 358 together. Housing for All provides a new housing plan for Ireland to 2030 with the overall objective that every citizen in the State should have access to good quality homes through a steady supply of housing in the right locations, with economic, social and environmental sustainability built into the system. The strategy sets out, over four...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (18 Oct 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Building Regulations set out the minimum requirements for the construction of new buildings and certain works to existing buildings. The primary responsibility for compliance with the requirements of the Building Regulations rests with the designers, builders and owners of buildings. My Department has no function in assessing whether any particular proposal complies with the Building...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Supply (18 Oct 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels in accordance with Section 7 of the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013. This includes the connection of new houses to the water services network. Irish Water has been given statutory responsibility in this...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Stations (18 Oct 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Services Act, 1981. My Department supports fire authorities through setting general policy and progressing legislation,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (18 Oct 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential tenancies Board (RTB) was established as a quasi-judicial independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 , to operate a national tenancy registration system and to facilitate the resolution of disputes between landlords and tenants. From 6 July 2022, Part 11 of the Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (18 Oct 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Data on the repair and leasing scheme in respect of all local authorities to end Q2 2022 is published on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provis ion/#repair-and-leasing-scheme-rls. This includes the number of units delivered by each local authority since the launch of the scheme. My Department does not hold details of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (18 Oct 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 366 and 367 together. The Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS) brings vacant properties in need of repair back into use for social housing. The scheme is a crucial initiative in tackling vacancy under Housing for Allas, in addition to providing social housing, it also has additional benefits in terms of regeneration, employment and investment in local areas. It...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Judicial Reviews (13 Oct 2022)

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

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: State Bodies (13 Oct 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: A Framework for the future delivery of water services was identified with unions at the Workplace Relations Commission on 24 June 2022. My Department also hosted parallel engagement with unions on a number of policy matters of relevance to workers in the context of the overall water transformation programme, including a referendum on water ownership. A paper entitled Irish Water...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (13 Oct 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Government's Housing for All strategy commits to delivering a total of 18,000 Cost Rental homes over the period to 2030. Significant funding has been secured and is being made available to support delivery of Cost Rental by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), Local Authorities and by the Land Development Agency (LDA). Delivery will increase incrementally, to an average of 2,000 Cost...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (13 Oct 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides Unit Cost Ceilings (UCCs) to each local authority as a key benchmark for the development and costing of new build social housing. As UCCs are based on previously tendered social housing construction projects, they act as useful guide costs for local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies against which to benchmark their projects. A copy of these UCC’s in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Correspondence (13 Oct 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The acquisition of properties for social housing is a matter for each local authority. Local authorities currently have delegated sanction, which allows them to acquire any property up to the upper acquisition threshold of the acquisition cost guidelines, without having to seek Department approval. These guidelines were issued to local authorities last May. Should the local authority...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (13 Oct 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Following on from the Government decision of the 30 November 2021 in respect of the enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant scheme, the Government approved the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022 on 21 June and the Bill passed through both Houses of the Oireachtas and was subsequently signed into law by the President on the 23 July, 2022. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (13 Oct 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I recently approved changes to the social housing income eligibility bands. From 1 October, five local authorities - Carlow, Clare, Galway County, Laois and Westmeath - moved from Band 3 to Band 2. Accordingly, the baseline income eligibility threshold for these areas increased from €25,000 to €30,000. A table setting out the details of the three bands and the limits currently...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (13 Oct 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: In response to the difficulties that homeowners are facing due to the presence of deleterious material in their houses, my Department has put a number of measures in place to support homeowners including providing considerable financial assistance to remediate their homes. These include the Pyrite Remediation Scheme and the Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme, both of which are underpinned by...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (13 Oct 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a form of social housing support available for people who have a long-term housing need. Any household assessed as eligible for social housing is immediately eligible for HAP. Eligible households can source their own accommodation in the private rental sector which should be within the HAP rent limits provided to them by the local authority. The HAP...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (13 Oct 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 (RTA) regulate the landlord-tenant relationship in the private rented sector and set out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants. The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Acts to operate a national tenancy registration system and to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants....