Results 13,801-13,820 of 27,055 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I assure Senators that this is not a long goodbye and it is not a signal at all. This is about bringing in legislation that will endure, improve on what was there before and end a planning process that has been in place since 2016. One does not just rip it up, throw it in the bin and say that it is done. It is more legally complex than that. We are going in the right direction. This will...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank Senator Boyhan for his kind words. Turning to these two amendments, vacancy in residential units is an issue, there is no question about that. One of the four pathways in Housing for All policy is concerned with how we can tackle vacancy. It applies to existing and new stock. We discussed the zoned land tax. It is going to be significant and a major change from what exists now....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Septic Tanks (16 Nov 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 273, 283 and 284 together. Under the Water Services Acts 2007 and 2012 (Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems) Regulations 2012, the owner of a domestic waste water treatment system is responsible for its maintenance and renewal and shall ensure that its parts and components are fit for purpose, operational where appropriate and kept in good order and repair...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (16 Nov 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: As part of Housing for All, I announced a reformed successor to the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan Scheme, the 'Local Authority Home Loan'. The Local Authority Home Loan will include an increase in the income ceiling for single applicants. For counties where the scheme’s house price limit is €320,000 (Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Louth, Meath and Wicklow), the income ceiling...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Stations (16 Nov 2021)

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 Acts, 1981 and 2003. My Department supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (16 Nov 2021)

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 Service Acts, 1981 and 2003. My Department supports fire authorities by establishing policy, setting national standards for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (16 Nov 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 277 and 278 together. There are estimated to be c.140,000 local authority social housing properties in the State. The proper maintenance of this valuable state asset will not only provide the appropriate levels of comfort to current local authority tenants but will also allow for currently vacant local authority homes to be tenanted as quickly as possible....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (16 Nov 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: There is no statutory scheme available to persons whose apartments are subject to defective issues such as the need for fire remediation works. However, the Programme for Government sets out a number of commitments in respect of the important policy area of building defects; it provides for an examination of defects in housing, having regard to the recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Waste Management (16 Nov 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I have not received any correspondence from the Minister for Agriculture in Northern Ireland in relation to the Farm Nutrient Management Scheme. In terms of protecting our water resources, primary responsibility for the monitoring, management, protection and improvement of water quality is assigned to local authorities under the Local Government (Water Pollution) Acts and related...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (16 Nov 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities when processing Rebuilding Ireland Home Loans (RIHL) must lend mortgages on a prudent basis, taking into account the most recent income and employment data available. It would not be appropriate to lend when there is an identifiable risk that the person’s income and ability to pay might not return to the level required to support the borrowing requested. This is both...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Regeneration Projects (16 Nov 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 286 and 290 together. Along with O’Devaney Gardens and Oscar Traynor Road, Emmet Road (4.9 hectare brownfield site, formerly St Michael’s Estate) is one of three significant sites, which is currently being brought forward for development by Dublin City Council (DCC). I have confirmed support for the proposed development, as being a project of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (16 Nov 2021)

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 Acts, 1981 and 2003. My Department supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation (16 Nov 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of local authorities in addressing homelessness at a local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless accommodation and related services rests with individual local authorities. While responsibility...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (16 Nov 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) are independent, not-for-profit organisations providing affordable rented housing for people who cannot provide housing from their own means and for particular groups, such as older people or homeless people. AHBs also include housing co-operatives, which are housing organisations controlled by their members/tenants who actively participate in setting their...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Communications (16 Nov 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The dedicated e-mail addresses for members of the Houses of the Oireachtas in respect of the State bodies under the aegis of my Department are as set out in tabular form below. State Body Contact E-mail Address An Bord Pleanála oireachtasqueries@pleanala.ie An Fóram Uisce (the Water Forum) info@nationalwaterforum.ie...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (16 Nov 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I can confirm that the figures given for total number of homeless HAP tenancies in Dublin, at the end of each quarter from Q1 2016 to Q1 2021 and used in the third table of the reply to Parliamentary Question Nos. 320 and 321 of 9 November 2021, represent cumulative Homeless HAP tenancy set-ups.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (16 Nov 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: A list of relevant reports commissioned by my Department is set out below. The Framework for Enhancing Fire Safety in Dwellings where concerns arise Eamonn O’Boyle and Associates Published July 2017 Report of the Expert Panel on Concrete Blocks Expert panel Published June 2017 In the course of its work on the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (11 Nov 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I am aware of the history of this and a lot of this predates me, let us be straight about it.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (11 Nov 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: For the record of the House, I want to be clear that I am speaking in general terms. Where it is found that anyone has misled the RTB in their intentions, the RTB has powers to investigate, move forward and prosecute. I will personally engage with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown again following the question tabled by the Deputy. He tabled questions in May and we answered questions last...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (11 Nov 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett. To reiterate, I know this is a serious situation for the families who are worried about whether they will have a home in a number of months' time. At my direction, we sought to buy or lease those units. We will go back again following the Deputy's representation here today. Once I have an update, I will engage with the Deputy directly. I am open to using...