Results 11,881-11,900 of 27,055 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Regeneration Projects (21 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Acting Chairperson, Senator Boyhan. I thank Senator Fitzpatrick for her ongoing interest in this issue and, indeed, for tabling this important Commencement matter. I visited the markets with Senator Fitzpatrick not so long ago. I am acutely aware of them. I visited them when I was much younger when they were a bustling place that was full of life, full of enterprise and an...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Regeneration Projects (21 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach. He is 100% correct. I have been in the buildings with Senator Fitzpatrick and, fortunately, they are in good shape. I remain to be convinced of the level of restoration work required to bring the market back into use. We can look to the English Market in Cork, El Nacional in Barcelona and others. We can see what they add to their areas. I have...

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Second Stage (21 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach agus le gach Seanadóir a ghlac páirt sa díospóireacht thábhachtach seo ar Bille an-tábhachtach, agus go háirithe na Seanadóirí Fitzpatrick agus Cummins, mar bhaill den choiste, as ucht a gcuid oibre. I thank the Senators for their contribution to the debates. I was not here for the first part. My...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (21 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 247 and 272 together. The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as a quasi-judicial independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2021 (RTA), to operate a national tenancy registration system and to facilitate the resolution of disputes between landlords and tenants.   My Department does not collect the data...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (21 Jun 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. Funding of €81.25 million is available nationally in 2022 which is an...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (21 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I announced funding on 28 April 2022 for a new funding measure under 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. Details of the announcement can be found at the following link: ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (21 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Part 4 of the Affordable Housing Act 2021 provides for the establishment of the ‘First Home’ affordable purchase shared equity scheme to support purchases in the private market. The Scheme aims to support c. 8,000 households in acquiring new homes in the private market in the years 2022 to 2026. First Home will help applicants to afford new homes in the private market...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (21 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Tenants in the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme are required to sign a rent contribution agreement to pay a weekly rental contribution to the relevant local authority, in line with the local authority’s differential rent scheme. As set out in the rent contribution agreement, this weekly rental contribution must be paid by them so that they remain eligible for the HAP scheme. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (21 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: In July 2020, my Department received an application for Serviced Sites funding (SSF) from Dublin City Council for 375 Cost Rental units at Emmet Road. Approval in principle was granted for funding of €18,750,000 (€50,000 per affordable unit), the maximum amount allowable under the SSF.  The Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) has now replaced the SSF. Dublin City...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (21 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The regeneration of Poolbeg West is an important step in the transformation of the Dublin Docklands area, with the potential to provide for 3,500 homes. In June 2021 following a comprehensive international open market campaign, a consortium of Ronan Group Real Estate, Oaktree Capital Management, and Lioncor Developments (“the Consortium”) acquired a controlling 80%...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (21 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity. This data is available to the end of 2021, and is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-hou sing-provision/. My Department also publishes the Social Housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (21 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: In May Government granted approval to proceed with the construction of 597 homes, including 200 social housing, 306 cost rental and 91 affordable purchase homes at Shanganagh Castle, the first such development in the State.  This flagship project is intended to act as a pathfinder for other mixed tenure schemes which are key to delivering public housing on public land.  It is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (21 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) are making an important contribution to social housing delivery, as envisaged under the Housing for All Plan. The Government is committed to increasing social housing delivery and plans to deliver more than 90,000 social homes to 2030. My Department operates a number of funding programmes that assist local authorities to work in partnership with AHBs to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (21 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Mortgage Allowance scheme provides for an allowance of up to €11,450 payable over a 5 year period, to tenants or tenant purchasers of local authority housing, to assist them to purchase or have a private house built with a mortgage. The current rates are underpinned by the Housing (Mortgage Allowance) Regulations 2001 and have been in place since 1 January 2002. New...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (21 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Local Authority Home Loan is a Government backed mortgage for those on modest or low incomes who cannot get sufficient funding from commercial banks to purchase or build a home. It has been available nationwide from local authorities since 4 January 2022. The loan can be used both for new and second-hand properties, or to self-build. It is the successor to the Rebuilding Ireland Home...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (21 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Following Government approval, I shortly intend to introduce  the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill, 2022 to the Oireachtas.  The purpose of this Bill is to implement and give legislative underpinning to a series of measures to improve and enhance the defective concrete blocks grant scheme as agreed by Government on 30 November...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (21 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 266 and 269 together. I understand the stressful circumstances which the owners and residents of buildings face when defects occur in their homes. 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 to examine defects in housing, having regard to the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (21 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme was reviewed in 2021 in line with Programme for Government and Housing for All commitments. The amendments, which came into effect on 1st February 2022, include a reduction in the minimum reckonable income required to be eligible under the scheme from €15,000 to €12,500. The time an applicant is required to be in receipt of social...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (21 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Local Authority Home Loan is a Government backed mortgage for those on modest or low incomes who cannot get sufficient funding from commercial banks to purchase or build a home. It has been available nationwide from local authorities since 4 January 2022 for first-time buyers and fresh start applicants. The loan can be used both for new and second-hand properties, or to self-build. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (21 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Government, under Housing for All, will deliver 47,600 new build social homes and 3,500 social homes through long-term leasing in the period 2022-2026. Our clear focus is to increase the stock of social housing through new build projects delivered by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHB), and with this, to reduce the numbers of social homes delivered through acquisition...