Results 16,521-16,540 of 26,293 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 (the 2016 Act) introduced new streamlined arrangements to enable planning applications for strategic housing developments (SHDs) of 100 housing units or more, or student accommodation or shared accommodation developments of 200 bed spaces or more, to be made directly to An Bord Pleanála (the Board) for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 393 and 403 together. Section 5.0 of Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments Guidelines for Planning Authorities, published by my Department in 2018, addresses the ‘Build-to-Rent’ and ‘Shared Accommodation’ sectors. Paragraphs 5.13 to 5.24 of the Sustainable Urban Housing document, including Specific...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: An application under the cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme was received by my Department from the individual referred to in the Deputy’s Question. With respect to 36 raised bog natural heritage area sites, the qualifying criteria for the scheme are that: - The applicant must have had a legal interest (ownership or a turbary right (right to cut turf)) in one...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The oversight and management of housing waiting lists, including the allocation and transfer of tenancies, is a matter for the relevant local authority in accordance with the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, and associated regulations. Section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, requires all local authorities, as a reserved function, to make an allocation...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not hold information on the availability of social housing on a local authority by local authority basis. However, in terms of the delivery of additional social housing my Department publishes comprehensive statistics on a quarterly basis on all additional social housing delivery activity under programmes supported by Exchequer Funding. This is published on...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Legislative Measures (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The oversight of Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) is currently conducted through the Voluntary Regulation Code (the Code), "Building for the Future, A Voluntary Regulation Code for Approved Housing Bodies in Ireland" which is underpinned by three standards: Financial, Governance and Performance. The Code is overseen by an interim Regulatory Committee supported by a Regulation Office which is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The main funding scheme under which my Department supports the delivery of sheltered type housing, is the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS). Under this scheme, capital funding of up to 100% of project costs may be advanced by local authorities to Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to provide housing for specific categories of housing need, with a particular focus on housing for older...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is focused on ensuring that additional social, affordable and private housing is delivered and that existing housing stock is utilised to its fullest extent including a targeted, effective and co-ordinated approach to identifying and tackling vacancy across Ireland.  In terms of affordable housing for purchase, the statutory basis for the delivery of affordable housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Ministerial Advisers (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The recently published guidance issued by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on Ministerial Appointments allow for 2 Special Advisers to be appointed to each Minister by Government, in accordance with overall staffing limits.  At this stage, no Special Advisers have been formally appointed to my Department by the Government. I have, however, assigned Ciara Shaughnessy to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Under the Serviced Sites Fund (SSF), €310 million funding has been made available to local authorities to provide infrastructure to support the delivery of more affordable new homes on local authority lands.  With a maximum of €50,000 infrastructure funding available per home, at least 6,200 more affordable homes, to buy or rent, can be facilitated.  The funding...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (29 Sep 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, 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 2020, the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Tenancy Protection Scheme (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: With effect from 1 August 2020, the Residential Tenancies and Valuation Act 2020 protects tenants facing rent arrears from any rent increase or tenancy termination prior to 11 January 2021, subject to the tenant making an appropriate declaration. Currently I have no plans to prohibit tenancy termination, in any other circumstance, in Dublin on foot of its rating at level 3 under the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Sites (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The specific information requested by the Deputy is not available in my Department. The staffing arrangements, including recruitment and the detailed role and functions of the posts within a local authority, are a matter for the individual local authorities. In accordance with section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, the Chief Executive of the local authority makes such staffing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Grant Payments (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides funding on an annual basis under the Disabled Persons Grants (DPGs) scheme to local authorities for adaptations and extensions to the existing social housing stock to meet the needs of local authority tenants.  The scheme applies to works that are necessary to address the needs of older people or people with a disability.  This may involve...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Issues (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: In December 2018 my Department published the National Taking in Charge Initiative Report, which considered the issues associated with residential estates that are not taken-in-charge, including a subset of estates that depend on stand-alone developer provided water infrastructure for the provision of their water services. This report included a recommendation to introduce a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: As Minister with policy and legislative responsibility for fire safety and the provision of fire services by local authorities, my primary concern, as set out in the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003, is that local authority provided fire services are meeting their statutory obligations in respect of provision of fire services and fire safety. Fire services are provided in Ireland by local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Staff (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department uses workforce planning processes to identify the critical resource needs required to deliver its business goals.  Workforce planning is a key tool in enabling my Department to forecast its current and future staffing needs (subject to the limits of the annual estimates process, the usual budgetary constraints and approvals by the Department of Public Expenditure and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Regeneration Projects (24 Sep 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: Invasive Plant Species (24 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Invasive alien species legislation is contained within the Wildlife Acts and the European Communities (Birds & Natural Habitats) Regulations, SI 477 of 2011. Legal responsibility for the eradication, containment or management of invasive alien species resides with the landowner.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (24 Sep 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 energy retrofitting,...