Results 11,941-11,960 of 27,055 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 Jun 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 2011 Regulations prescribe maximum net income limits for each local authority, in different bands...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Interest Rates (14 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The requested information is not available within my Department. However, it would be available from the State bodies under the aegis of my Department, and the dedicated e-mail addresses for members of the Oireachtas in respect of each such State body are as set out in tabular form below. State Body Contact E-mail Address An Bord Pleanála ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (14 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities are entirely independent corporate entities having full responsibility under law for the performance of their functions and the discharge of their governance and other responsibilities. Given the corporate independence and diversity of state bodies and agencies and multiplicity of land holdings for a range of different purposes, there isn’t currently one...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Staff (14 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: No serving Secretary General from my Department is seconded to another agency or institution. My Department has no role in respect of the careers of former Secretaries General.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Policies (14 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Social Housing Public Private Partnership (PPP) Programme represents an additional strand of delivery in order to increase the supply of social housing. The current PPP Programme will deliver 1,500 social housing units, spread across three bundles of sites. The Social Housing PPP Programme is being delivered through the ‘availability’-based PPP model. Under this type of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (14 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Local Authority Home Loan is a Government backed mortgage scheme 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....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 498, 505 and 508 together. Under the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme, eligible households source their own accommodation in the private rented sector and the tenancy agreement is between the HAP recipient and their private landlord. The local authority does not have a role in the tenancy. Each local authority has statutory discretion to agree...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Following the publication of Housing for All, I asked local authorities to prepare Housing Delivery Action Plans. In preparing these plans local authorities were asked to assess the level of housing demand with affordability constraint projected for their area based on the Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA) tool and plan their provision accordingly. Local authorities with a strong and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Regulatory Bodies (14 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2021, to operate a national tenancy registration system and to facilitate the resolution of disputes between landlords and tenants. This matter is an operational one for the RTB and my Department does not collect the data sought. However, the Clerk of the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 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 (14 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Under the Local Authority Home Loan scheme social welfare payments are not generally considered as part of repayment capacity. However, certain long-term State benefit payments may be considered as repayment income only where the main income source is of an earned nature (i.e., more than 50% of the income that forms the full Home Loan application is from a source other than State benefits...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011 prescribe maximum net income limits for each local authority, in different bands according to the area concerned, with income being defined and assessed according to a standard Household Means Policy. The Policy was revised in March 2021.  Net income for social housing assessment is defined as gross household income less income...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Supply (14 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department cannot give advise on the specific situation outlined in the details supplied. However I can advise that my Department’s Rural Water Programme, through Exchequer funding, delivers improvements to water services in areas of rural Ireland where there are no public (Irish Water) services. Grant assistance is available, through local authorities, under the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 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 (14 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides funding under the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability, to assist people in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. The grants include the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability, the Mobility Aids Grant and the Housing Aid for Older People Grant, each of which are 80% funded by...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Energy Conservation (14 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 519 and 520 together. Since 2013, Exchequer funding has been provided through my Department's Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme (EERP) to support local authorities with the retrofit of local authority owned homes requiring insulation and energy upgrade works. Since the programme commenced in 2013 over 75,000 homes have been retrofitted with a total...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme plays a vital role in housing eligible families and individuals. At the end of 2021, over 100,000 HAP tenancies had been set-up since the scheme commenced, of which there were more than 61,900 households actively in receipt of HAP support, including more than 2,300 households in Kildare. Local authorities have discretion, because of local rental...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 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 (14 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) involves a three way contractual relationship between landlord, tenant and the local authority with each party having their own responsibilities. Accommodation provided under RAS is governed by the terms of the Residential Tenancies Acts (RTA) 2004 to 2021, as amended. Section 12(1)(c) of the RTA sets out in legislation the requirements for a landlord...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 Jun 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Tenant Purchase Scheme provides for the purchase by eligible tenants, or joint tenants, of local authority homes available for sale under the scheme. Applicants must meet certain criteria, including minimum reckonable income and minimum time in receipt of social housing supports, to be eligible. The scheme was reviewed in 2021 in line with Programme for Government and Housing for All...