Results 14,461-14,480 of 26,245 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Legal Cases (25 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department seeks, where possible, to minimise legal costs and avails of the services of the Chief State Solicitor's office, the Attorney General's Office and the State Claims Agency in terms of the provision of legal advice and representation of the Department in Court cases. The table below sets out details in relation to external legal services provided directly to my Department by legal...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Investigations (25 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department has received correspondence relating to a number of allegations regarding certain matters in County Wicklow. An assessment and analysis have been carried out of the various allegations raised. Some of the matters raised in the correspondence have been the subject of previous reviews or investigative processes by a person with suitable expertise or an appropriate statutory body...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (25 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The National Vacant Housing Reuse Strategy, which was published by my Department in 2018, strives to provide a targeted, effective and co-ordinated approach to identifying and tackling vacancy across Ireland. All local authorities have prepared a Vacant Homes Action Plan for their administrative area. The Vacant Home Action Plan identifies the scale of vacant homes in a local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (25 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan is designed to enable suitable first time buyers who cannot access sufficient mortgage finance from commercial lenders, to access sustainable mortgage lending to purchase new or second-hand properties in a suitable price range or to self build. However, it does not include undertaking refurbishment of existing houses. There are no plans currently to include...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (25 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The “Call for Housing 2020” was launched on 21 July 2020 as a short-term intervention to stimulate interest in social housing delivery, through acquisitions and leasing, from opportunities arising in the property market. The campaign has been run on behalf of my Department by the Housing Agency, in consultation with the local authorities. Up to 25 May 2021, the total...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (25 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government - Our Shared Futureincludes the specific action to strengthen the regulatory and enforcement mechanisms with regard to short-term letting, and the ongoing approach in this regard is currently being considered. However, as some elements of potential regulation of the short-term letting market fall outside the remit of my Department, I have been in contact with my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (25 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The delivery of housing supports is a key priority of Government and this is reflected in the Programme for Government commitment to increase the social housing stock nationally by more than 50,000, with a key emphasis on delivering new build homes. We are ambitious to ramp up the delivery at local authority level and we are committed to developing housing on public land. The Government...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (25 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank Deputy Ó Broin. I am happy with that. I know this is a large grouping but I will do my best to address each amendment where it is relevant and then the grouping in general. I hope that as we work through this long list of amendments the debate will become more seamless and efficient. I am happy to facilitate in whatever way I can.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (25 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: This goes to the heart of what the differences are between the Government and the main Opposition party. Our public deserve better and they want to see the lands we have developed and put to productive use for homes, affordable, social and cost-rental, for our people. Amendment No. 13, and the other two related amendments tabled by Sinn Féin, would fundamentally change what this agency...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (25 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Deputy McAuliffe has covered the issue really well. Deputy Boyd Barrett has stated his opposition, effectively, to the LDA being set up in this manner yet further along his amendment No. 136 seeks to ensure that, with the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and the LDA, the agreement for Shanganagh Castle is honoured by the agency. On the one hand, the Deputy is saying that this is...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (25 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I will respond to a couple of the queries and try to address the amendments in the interests of moving this along. Deputy Gould spoke about cost rental and how it is framed. I will welcome his party's support for the Affordable Housing Bill because cost rental will basically cover the cost of the development and maintenance of those properties, with rent set accordingly. The Deputy...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (25 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I will address the specific block of amendments first. To be clear, the LDA will have to be fully compliant with public procurement and the public spending code. The four-stage approval process is a different matter. I have altered the four-stage approval process for local authorities, as the Deputy knows. The single stage can be used up to €6 million, and I will seek to review...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (25 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: In response to Deputy Boyd Barrett on amendment No. 44, I covered that issue. I reiterate that the LDA is a public body. It is State body. We own it but it is being portrayed by some as if we are selling our land bank off to the Trump organisation. This is about us managing our own land productively, as Deputy Higgins so rightly said. We need to get on with doing this and people know...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (25 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Amendment No. 85 seeks to delete section 13(1)(f). This section enables the LDA to appraise sites, prepare master plans and planning submissions, make planning applications and obtain development consents and approval. Obviously, that would be crucial to the development and to how the agency would operate. To delete that section would further neuter this agency and is not something I can...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (25 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I will be brief. That is not what Deputy Higgins was referring to at all. I just want to make a point. Pre-legislative scrutiny was not denied on this legislation. I could not let that remark go unchecked. There was detailed pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft scheme in the previous Oireachtas that I participated in. Deputy Ó Broin did as well. There were full hearings....