Results 14,081-14,100 of 26,025 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Real Estate Investment Trusts (3 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not collect data in relation to the ownership of individual housing units purchased and sold in the housing market. I understand that data published by market commentators indicates that approximately 15,500 units were owned by investment trusts at the end of 2020.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (3 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Both the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan website and call centre are managed by the Housing Agency which has indicated that the chat function is available.  However the Agency has advised that under GDPR the user must activate the Zendesk permissions offered in order to initiate the chat function. Visitors to the site can update their preferences should they wish to avail of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (3 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020 provided that a rent increase was not permitted to take effect during the relevant emergency period from 27 March 2020 to 1 August 2020. From 1 August 2020, the blanket ban on rent increases inside or outside of a Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ) was lifted. Despite the lifting of the ban, the standardised average rent rose by just...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (3 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: In order for a household to qualify for the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), they must first be assessed as eligible for social housing support by their local authority. Any household assessed as eligible for social housing is immediately eligible for HAP. Legislation provides that HAP is considered to be a form of social housing support and households in receipt of HAP are therefore, not...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Safety (2 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Statutory responsibility for mitigation and dealing with fire emergencies in wildland areas and areas of ecological sensitivity are distributed appropriately across a range of Government Departments and Agencies. The Inter-Agency group referred to was established and chaired by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The Group was tasked with exploring issues including the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (2 Jun 2021)

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 oversight and management of the lists of qualified households awaiting accommodation, including the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Public Private Partnerships (2 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: All Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects should be managed and implemented in line with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform guidelines which make provision for the appropriate review of the Project following its completion, by requiring the Sponsoring Agency to prepare a Project Completion Report. In the case of the Social Housing PPP Programme, which consists of three...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Harbours and Piers (2 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department has no function in relation to the maintenance and development of local authority piers and harbours. The provision and maintenance of such facilities at a local level is a matter for the local authorities themselves. My colleague the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine recently announced, on 3 May 2021, details of a €38.3 million Capital Investment...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (2 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I met with representatives from the Donegal Mica Action Group on three occasions. The first was at the launch of the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant scheme, which took place in Buncrana on 6 August 2020. The second meeting was held virtually on 4 February 2021. The third meeting was also held virtually on 20 May 2021. One of my special advisors was present at these meetings.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (2 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks in Construction (Remediation) (Financial Assistance) Regulations 2020 came in to operation on 31 January 2020 and the resulting Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme has only been open for applications since the end of June last year. A total of 352 stage one confirmation of eligibility applications have been...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (2 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Defective Concrete Blocks Grant scheme is underpinned by regulations made under Sections 2 and 5 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1979, with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, to provide for a grant scheme of financial assistance to support affected homeowners in the counties of Donegal and Mayo to carry out the necessary...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Land Issues (2 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: In relation to any specific cases with the Property Registration Authority (PRA), arrangements have been put in place to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas.  Further information in relation to the specific case referred to may be obtained by contacting the dedicated e-mail address in respect of the PRA at reps@prai.ie.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (2 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Government is clear in its policy position that the public water system run by Irish Water should remain in public ownership. The Programme for Government specifically provides that the Government will retain Irish Water in public ownership as a national, standalone, regulated utility. The realisation of this commitment will complete the broad policy and legislative reforms...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (2 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The ‘Programme for Government - Our Shared Future’ commits to ensuring that there is an appropriate mix of housing design types provided, including universally designed units, and accommodation for older people and people with disabilities.  In addition, the joint policy statement 'Housing Options for our Ageing Population', launched by my Department and the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Real Estate Investment Trusts (2 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) is within the remit of the Minister for Justice and any reviews of that programme will be undertaken by the Department of Justice. The regulation of the REIT sector is within the remit of the Minister for Finance, and any changes to the regulatory framework for REIT investment would be a matter for the Department of Finance. The Government is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (2 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks in Construction (Remediation) (Financial Assistance) Regulations 2020 came in to operation on 31 January 2020 and the resulting Defective Concrete Blocks Grant scheme has been open for applications since the end of June 2020. The scheme was informed by the work of an Expert Panel and the current maximum grant amounts...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (2 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020 provided that a rent increase was not permitted to take effect during the relevant emergency period from 27 March 2020 to 1 August 2020. From 1 August 2020, the blanket ban on rent increases inside or outside of a Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ) was lifted. Despite the lifting of the ban, the standardised average rent rose by just...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Environmental Policy (1 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: As the Minister responsible for the development and implementation of marine environmental policy and the safeguarding of our seas and ocean, I recognise that transboundary cooperation plays a significant role in marine conservation and prevention and elimination of pollution.  Our primary mechanism for marine environment cooperation is through the European Union and the Marine...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (1 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The current maximum grant amounts payable under the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant scheme were finalised in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. This process also took account of the comprehensive engagement that took place between my Department and both Donegal and Mayo County...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (1 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing Agency provides a central support service which assesses applications for the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan on behalf of local authorities and makes recommendations to the authorities to approve or refuse applications. Each local authority must have in place a credit committee and it is a matter for the committee to make the decision on applications for loans, in accordance...