Results 16,241-16,260 of 26,293 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Valuation Office (20 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I am taking the reference in the question to be to the Valuation Tribunal rather than the Valuation Office, as the Tribunal is the independent appeal body established and operating under the Valuation Acts of 1988 and 2001 to deal with, inter aliaappeals against decisions of the Commissioner of Valuation on the valuation of commercial properties for rating purposes. The judgments made by the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Traveller Accommodation (20 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Longford County Council has not recouped any capital funding from my Department for Traveller Accommodation in the past four years. In accordance with the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of multi-annual Traveller...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Pyrite Remediation Programme (20 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Budget 2020 provided an overall €40m to fund the Pyrite Remediation and Defective Concrete Blocks Grants Schemes broken down as follows: €20 million to fund the operation of the Pyrite Remediation scheme; and €20 million to fund the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant scheme for the participating counties of Donegal and Mayo. Budget 2021 includes the same financial commitment...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Budget 2021 (20 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Budget 2021 provides for an unprecedented level of funding to deliver housing programmes next year through an overall investment of €3.3 billion, an increase of €641m or 24% on 2020. This investment will ensure that the housing needs of over 28,500 households are met in 2021 and this will include the delivery of new social homes for people with a disability, older people and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Parks and Wildlife Service (20 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Irish hare [Lepus timidus hibernicus] is listed on Annex V of the E.U. Habitats Directive [92/43/EEC] and is also protected under the Wildlife Acts [1976 and 2000]. The species is considered to be in favourable conservation status. Hare coursing in Ireland is administered by the Irish Coursing Club (ICC) which is a body set up under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958. Statutory...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (20 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: In order to be eligible for Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) support and the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS), a household must first qualify for social housing support and be placed on a housing list. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Irish Water (20 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Established in 2013, Irish Water is a subsidiary of Ervia. In the period 2013 and 2014, the Board of Irish Water included non-executive Directors as well as executive Directors; these are senior executive employees of Ervia or Irish Water. Expenses and travel claims only arise in relation to the non-executive Directors and amounted to €6,007.04 in this period and details are set out...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Members (20 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government - Our Shared Future has a commitment to "implement the Moorhead Report on the Role and Remuneration of Elected Members within 12 months". Meeting this commitment is a priority within my Department with the aim of ensuring that councillors are properly supported to carry out their important functions and effectively represent local communities. In the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme (20 Oct 2020)

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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (20 Oct 2020)

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 2011 Regulations prescribe maximum net income limits for each local authority, in different bands...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (20 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 281 and 282 together. Under the Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Sustainable Rural Housing 2005, planning authorities are required to frame the planning policies in their development plans in a balanced and measured way that ensures the housing needs of rural communities are met, while avoiding excessive urban-generated housing. A working group...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Budget 2021 (20 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Cork Event Centre is included as a commitment under Project Ireland 2040 and it underlines the Government’s objectives around urban regeneration, enhanced amenity and heritage, associated quality of life standards, balanced regional development, and the regeneration and development of Cork City Centre. It was agreed in the context of Budget 2020 that responsibility at central...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Functions (20 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Cork Social Housing Delivery Group was established in June 2015. The Group is chaired by Ms Geraldine Tallon, former Secretary General of the Department of the Environment and Local Government. Its membership includes the Chief Executives of Cork City and County Councils and their senior housing officials and the CEOs of the Housing Agency, Irish Council for Social Housing and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Functions (20 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 285 to 287, inclusive, together. My Department has responsibility for the Local Government system, which in turn, has responsibility for the provision of allotments and community gardens. Further to Covid-19 public health restrictions, the classifying of essential services is a matter for the Department of Health and the National Public Health Emergency Team...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Offices (20 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides breastfeeding employees with access to flexible spaces across all our office locations in Dublin, Wexford, Ballina and in Met Éireann. These spaces include wellbeing rooms and rest rooms. Each one is shielded from view and is free from intrusion by co-workers or the public and is provided with appropriate furniture. Although currently demand does not exist...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Government Fund (20 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: In 2021, the Exchequer, via my Department's vote, will allocate €192m to the Local Government Fund, an increase of €36m on 2020. The vast majority of this funding is already committed and will be used for Local Property Tax equalisation and to support local authorities with increased pay and pension costs arising from the unwinding of FEMPI legislation. A further...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (15 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities derive their income from a variety of sources, both locally raised and from central government. Elected members have direct responsibility in law for all reserved functions of the authority, which includes adopting the annual budget. It is a matter for each local authority to determine its own spending priorities in the context of the annual budgetary process, having regard...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Strategies (15 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: While our towns and villages have shown remarkable resilience through recent crises, they require specific policy supports to ensure that they continue to function as viable, vibrant and attractive locations for people to live and work, to raise families, to act as the service, cultural and recreational hub for the surrounding areas, and to facilitate social and community interaction. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (15 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The regulations for the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant scheme came in to operation on 31 January 2020. The Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks in Construction (Remediation) (Financial Assistance) Regulations 2020 provide for a grant scheme of financial assistance to support affected homeowners in the counties of Donegal and Mayo only, to carry out the necessary...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: County Development Plans (15 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: In light of the impacts of the Covid-19 emergency, the Government, on 29 March 2020, made an Order under section 251A of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the Act), which resulted in the extension of time for a range of specified or appropriate periods and timelines in the Planning Acts and associated planning regulations. Further orders were signed on 16 April 2020 and 9 May...