Results 14,761-14,780 of 26,245 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Data (28 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Social housing completions for Q1 of 2021 under the range of delivery programmes, including the Buy & Renew Scheme, are currently being collated and will be published as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Data (28 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing Agency has been provided with direct capital funding to facilitate the acquisition of suitable portfolios of vacant properties for social housing from financial institutions and investors.  An Acquisitions Fund of €70m was established with effect from 1 January 2017, with the objective of acquiring some 1,600 homes over the period to 2021, for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Data (28 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: In terms of the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund  (LIHAF) funding drawdown, thus far, most infrastructure projects have been at the design, planning and procurement stages, and the bulk of expenditure will arise during the construction phase.  This is reflected in the level of expenditure to end 2020, with approximately €59.916m in Exchequer funds drawn...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water and Sewerage Schemes (28 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: As part of Budget 2021, I secured funding of over €1.4 billion to support water services. This includes €1.3 billion in respect of domestic water services provision by Irish Water. This overall investment will deliver significant improvements in our public water and wastewater services, support improved water supplies right across Ireland, including rural Ireland, and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Data (28 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme for 2021 is a newly revised Programme which involves a move from a 'shallow' to a 'deeper' retrofit of local authority homes. The new programme has been designed around the Programme for Government commitment to retrofit 500,000 homes to a B2/Cost Optimal BER standard by 2030. Approximately 36,500 of those homes are expected to be...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Climate Change Policy (28 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: While my Department has an overarching role in terms of local government, the recruitment and appointment of local authority staff is a matter for each local authority in accordance with section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, which provides that each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (28 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department received correspondence from Clare County Council in October 2020, requesting the extension of the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant to County Clare. A comprehensive reply was subsequently issued to the Council in November 2020.   My Department informed the Council that before any extension of the scheme can be considered the same rigorous analysis as that...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Data (28 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Supporting individuals and families facing homelessness is a key Government priority. The Programme for Government, Our Shared Future, commits to reducing and preventing homelessness and provides detail on how the Government is approaching this work as a priority. Homelessness is complex and causal factors and family circumstances vary considerably as do the responses needed....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Data (28 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, the implementation of a planned maintenance programme and carrying out of responsive repairs, are matters for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966.  Notwithstanding the legal obligation on local authorities to manage and maintain...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Irish Language (28 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 484 and 485 together. My Department is committed to its obligations under the Official Languages Act and associated legislation.  Section 11 of the Act provides for the preparation by a public body of a scheme, specifying the details of the services it proposes to provide through the official languages. My Department published its fifth Language Scheme in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (28 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Local Government (Charges) Act 2009, as amended by the Local Government (Household Charge) Act 2011, provides the legislative basis for the NPPR charge.  The NPPR charge, which has since been discontinued, applied in the years 2009 to 2013 to any residential property in which the owner did not reside as their normal place of residence.  The self-assessed charge was set at...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Residential Tenancies Board (28 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 487 and 488 together. 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. On 1 July 2019, the changes to the Residential Tenancies Act 2004...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rent Data (28 Apr 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.    Section 134 of the Acts requires a landlord to apply to the RTB to register a tenancy of a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wildlife Conservation (28 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 491 and 492 together. For reasons of operational security, the Department does not provide details of staffing in the manner requested.  Some 368 staff work in the area of natural heritage through the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.I am not aware of any District Conservation Officer ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Issues (28 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2021 regulate the landlord-tenant relationship in the private rented sector and sets out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants. The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Acts to operate a national tenancy registration system and to resolve disputes between landlords and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Programme for Government (28 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The commitment in the Programme for Government: Our Shared Future to increase funding to political parties to support youth, gender and diversity programmes is part of an ambitious programme of work to be progressed by the relevant Government Departments. My Department, in recognition of the need to promote gender equality in local government, introduced a funding scheme in March...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Contracts (28 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (28 Apr 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. My Department...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Expenditure (28 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 500 and 501 together. The information requested by the Deputy is currently being compiled and will be forwarded in accordance with Standing Orders.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 3) Regulations 2021 and Planning and Development (Street Furniture Fees) Regulations 2021: Discussion (27 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I am aware that the Chairman is tied for time so I will keep my remarks brief. I wish to follow in the vein of Deputy Ó Broin. I spoke with Deputy Murphy this morning. Even though we crossed swords quite a great deal, members of the committee worked well together, particularly in respect of student rent. It is quite coincidental that tomorrow we will begin with student rents again in...