Results 14,701-14,720 of 26,245 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Lease Agreements (5 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: A spending review and analysis of capital and current expenditure on housing supports has been carried out by the Irish Government Economic & Evaluation Service (IGEES) staff within the Department of Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform, published in July 2018. This report focuses on the comparative analysis of delivery streams particularly related to cost effectiveness,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (5 May 2021)

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. My Department does not collect the data sought, however the Clerk of the Dáil requested that arrangements be put in place...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Issues (5 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I have serious concerns of instances, recently reported, where investors are inappropriately purchasing entire completed houses estates, preventing their sale to families and first time buyers. Institutional Investors are regulated by the Department of Finance. The issue of sale and of purchase of land or housing are matters for the Minister for Justice. I am working with my Government...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (5 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Ireland’s underlying housing affordability challenges are clearly associated with an imbalance between supply and demand. This Government is absolutely committed to ensuring that affordable, quality housing solutions are available to everyone in Irish society and this is reflected in the Programme for Government "Our Shared Future". The Programme for Government makes commitments to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (5 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Increasing the supply of public, social and affordable homes is priority for my Department. In January, the enhanced Level 5 restrictions introduced by Government involved most residential construction being halted from 8 January until 12 April. Certain essential social housing projects, which were scheduled for completion by 30 April were allowed to continue. This has ensured that some...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme (5 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme came into operation on 1 January 2016. The Scheme is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the Scheme. To be eligible, tenants must meet certain criteria, including having a minimum reckonable income of €15,000 per annum and having been in receipt of social housing support...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (5 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 300, 301, 304, 305 and 307 together. My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity. The data is available to the end of Quarter 4 2020. The 2021 Quarter 1 statistics are currently being compiled and will be available in due course. Housing statistics are published on the statistics...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (5 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides capital funding to local authorities under the Social Housing Investment Programme (SHIP), to assist them in delivering new social homes through both the construction and acquisition of houses/apartments and also delivery through Part V arrangements. Details of this funding from 2016 to the end of 2020 by local authority is set out in the table below. While my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (5 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Estate Regeneration and Remedial Works consists of a suite of programmes including Regeneration, Remedial Works Schemes, Disabled Persons Grants (DPGs) and Improvements Works in Lieu (IWILs). The Regeneration programme consists of multi-year programmes of large-scale regeneration projects in Limerick, Cork and Dublin and smaller projects in Tralee, Sligo and Dundalk. These projects seek...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (5 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government sets out a number of commitments in respect of the important policy area of building defects and provides for an examination of defects in housing, having regard to the recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing report, "Safe as Houses". In this regard, my Department has been actively engaging with key stakeholders and I have had several...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (5 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 308 and 309 together. While the Government’s objective is to focus strongly on local authority led build activity, long term leasing is an important option available to local authorities to supplement delivery and secure high quality social housing on a long term basis. The social housing long term leasing programme allows local authorities and approved...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (5 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government has committed to increasing social housing stock by more than 50,000 over the coming five years, with an emphasis on delivering new build homes. However, leasing is an important option available to local authorities to supplement delivery and secure high quality social housing on a long-term basis. Delivering the necessary supply of social homes requires a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (5 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Under standard long term leasing arrangements, suitable properties can be leased to a local authority or an approved housing body (AHB) for periods of between 10 and 25 years. The local authority or AHB is responsible for day-to-day property maintenance. These dwellings are allocated dwellings and the social housing tenant signs a tenancy agreement with the local authority or AHB, who acts as...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payment (5 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Under the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme, a tenant sources their own accommodation in the private rented market. The tenancy agreement is between the tenant and the landlord and is governed by the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, as amended. HAP supported tenancies are afforded the same protections as all private rented tenancies. The accommodation sourced by tenants should be...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Covid-19 Pandemic (5 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Government announced that additional public health restrictions would apply under Level 5 of the Plan for Living with COVID-19 on 6 January 2021. The additional restrictions required all construction activity to cease from 6pm on Friday 8 January, with a number of exceptions. These measures were set out in The Health Act 1947 (Section 31A - Temporary Restrictions) (Covid-19) (No. 10)...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Investigations (5 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department has undertaken a very detailed analysis of the complaints in question, as well as the response of the local authority concerned, and the matter will shortly be submitted for final decision. This process must comply with the general principles of natural justice and fair procedures including, as appropriate, for third parties who have been named by the complainant. While...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payment (5 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Under the HAP scheme, tenants source their own accommodation in the private rented market. The accommodation sourced by tenants should be within the prescribed maximum HAP rent limits, which are based on household size and the rental market within the area concerned. Each local authority has statutory discretion to agree to a HAP payment up to 20% above the prescribed maximum rent limit...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grant (5 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: In respect of the Disabled Persons Grants Scheme for Local Authority Tenants, all local authorities were asked to submit details of their work proposals and related funding requirements for 2021. These work proposals are being evaluated and the individual funding allocations for 2021 will issue shortly. In the interim, in order to avoid any delay in undertaking works, local authorities were...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grant (5 May 2021)

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. The grants available operate on a sliding scale with the highest percentage grants available to those with the lowest...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Marine Protected Areas (5 May 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The final report of the MPA Advisory Group - established in 2019 to provide independent expert advice and recommendations on potential processes and requirements for expanding Ireland’s marine protected areas network - is now undergoing an extensive public consultation. The public consultation process began on Wednesday 17 February 2021 and will remain open until Friday 30 July 2021...