Results 16,001-16,020 of 26,290 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Budgets (17 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not make specific provision for contingent liabilities in the accounts.  They are disclosed by way of a standard note with regard to legal proceedings in the Appropriation Account.  In the case of my Department this reference relates to the Mahon Tribunal. The contingent liability for the Mahon Tribunal is set through consultation with the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Covid-19 Pandemic (17 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies  Act 2020  was enacted and came into operation on 24 October 2020 to help mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on tenants and to support the efforts of Government in restricting the movement of people in order to suppress the spread of Covid 19. The Act modifies the operation of the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2020 to prevent any notices of termination...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing for People with Disabilities (17 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: It is a matter for local authorities to ensure that the number and specific types of dwellings provided in their social housing developments meet local needs. My Department does not hold details on the proportion of local authority housing stock that is accessible for disabled persons, that granular information dwelling level information...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing for People with Disabilities (17 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides Exchequer funding to local authorities to support the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older Persons and Persons with a Disability.  The grants are available to applicants to assist in the carrying out of works which are reasonably necessary for the purposes of rendering a privately owned home more suitable for the accommodation needs of an older person...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (17 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The regular management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, is a matter for each relevant local authority, and it is open to each authority to address maintenance or improvements to their housing stock from within their own resources. However, my Department also supports local authorities to improve their social housing stock through a range of programmes including energy...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (17 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The oversight and management of the lists of qualified households awaiting accommodation, including the allocation and transfer of tenancies, is a matter for the relevant local authority in accordance with Sections 20 and 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated Social Housing Assessment and Allocation Regulations, respectively. Under Regulation 28 of the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (17 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 397 and 399 together. Households wishing to obtain social housing support from a local authority or an approved housing body must first apply to the relevant local authority for a social housing assessment. Where the household is deemed qualified for support it is placed on the housing authority’s waiting list, and offers of suitable accommodation...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (17 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: There are two primary funding mechanisms provided by my Department to facilitate the delivery of properties for social housing purposes by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs). Under the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS), funding of up to 100% of project costs may be advanced by local authorities to AHBs to provide accommodation for people with specific needs. The persons being...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Residential Tenancies Board (17 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2020, to operate a national tenancy registration system and to facilitate the resolution of disputes between landlords and tenants. Due to the quasi-judicial nature of work of the RTB, it would be inappropriate for me as Minister or this Department to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (17 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Following a judgment in March 2019 by the Court of Justice of the European Union on Ireland's non-compliance with the urban wastewater treatment directive, my Department, accompanied by Irish Water, met with European Commission officials in June last year and proposed a programme of measures to ensure that the findings in the judgment were addressed.  My Department is maintaining regular...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation (17 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 405, 406 and 408 together. My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the statutory role of local authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and related services for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Rates (12 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The closure of power plants in Offaly and Longford will have a negative impact on the commercial rates income of Offaly and Longford County Councils, an impact which has been fully recognised by my Department. In recognition of this, my colleague, the Minister of State for Planning and Local Government, Peter Burke, T.D., and I recently announced the allocation of compensatory funding for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (12 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels including information on current population equivalent in terms of the operating capacity of the Drogheda Waste Water Treatment Plant. Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (12 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is currently undertaking a focused review of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines in line with the “preferred draft approach” which was announced in June 2017 by the then Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, in conjunction with the then Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment. The review is addressing a number of key...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Offices (12 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not have lease arrangements with co-working real estate companies. The majority of offices used by staff in my Department are managed by the Office of Public Works.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Offices (12 Nov 2020)

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

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Deer Hunting (12 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The license in question issued from my Department earlier this week.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Inspections (12 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 specify requirements in relation to a range of matters, such as structural repair, sanitary facilities, heating, ventilation, natural light and the safety of gas, oil and electrical supplies. With very limited exemptions, these apply to all private rented residential accommodation. All landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Private Rented Accommodation (12 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Part IV of the Housing Act 1966 deals with overcrowding and establishes effective limits on the numbers of people that can occupy the same bedroom. The Act requires, inter alia, that there is at least 400 cubic feet of free air space for each person in a bedroom. Local Authorities are responsible for the enforcement of this legislation. Under the Act, a housing authority may request...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Private Rented Accommodation (12 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2020, to operate a national tenancy registration system and to facilitate the resolution of disputes between landlords and tenants. The Clerk of the Dáil requested that arrangements be put in place to facilitate the provision of information by State...