Results 16,541-16,560 of 26,293 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Home Loan Scheme (24 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing Agency provides a central support service which assesses applications for the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan on behalf of local authorities and makes recommendations to the authorities to approve or refuse applications. Each local authority must have in place a credit committee and it is a matter for the committee to make the decision on applications for loans, in accordance with...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (24 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: An Bord Pleanála was established in 1977 under the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1976 and is an independent statutory body responsible for the determination of appeals and certain other matters under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, and the determination of applications for strategic infrastructure development including major road and railway cases....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Accommodation Scheme (24 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: As of 30 June 2020, there were 17,887 active tenancies supported under the Rental Accommodation Scheme.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Hare Coursing (24 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 121 and 124 together. On 16 September last my Department issued licenses under the Wildlife Acts to the Irish Coursing Club on behalf of its affiliated clubs to net and tag hares for the forthcoming 2020/2021 coursing season.The licenses are published on the website of the National Parks and Wildlife Service at the following link: .

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (24 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The most recent amendments to the taking in charge provisions of the planning code were made in the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2018 with a view to further strengthening and streamlining the taking-in-charge process. I have no current plans to conduct a review of the taking-in-charge provisions of the Act. Management companies are not covered under the taking in charge process,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Charges (24 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning and delivery. Irish Water charging policy is also subject to approval by the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU). In this regard, my Department is maintaining close contact with Irish Water in relation to its response to the COVID-19 Emergency, while also liaising with...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (24 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I am aware that that there have been a number of deaths of individuals accessing homeless services this year and I would take the opportunity to offer my condolences to the family and friends of those individuals. However, my Department does not hold specific details in this regard. Supporting households experiencing homelessness is a priority for this Government and the Programme for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Licence Applications (23 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I understand that a license has issued in this case.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Animal Culls (23 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Both species of seal in Irish waters - the Harbour or Common Seal and the more numerous Grey Seal - are protected under the EU Habitats Directive and Ireland is obliged to maintain their numbers at a favourable conservation level. We are also required to monitor their populations and report to the European Commission on their conservation status. A standardised monitoring programme has been...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Accommodation Scheme (23 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 requires all housing authorities, as a reserved function, to make an allocation scheme determining the order of priority to be accorded in the allocation of dwellings to households qualified for social housing support and to households approved for a transfer, the allocation of which would, in the opinion of the authority, meet the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Emergency Accommodation (23 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: 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 housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. My Department does not fund any homeless service directly but provides funding to housing authorities towards these costs. Under the funding arrangements, housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (23 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority area is provided in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA). The purpose of the SSHA is to capture the total number of households qualified for social housing support across the country whose social housing need has not yet been met, in order to better inform policy and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (23 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides Unit Cost Ceilings (UCCs) to each local authority as a key benchmark for the development and costing of new build social housing. The tables below outline the current UCC values for houses and apartments being developed by local authorities. HOUSES 1 bed 2 bed (1 storey) 2 bed (2 storey) 3 bed 4 bed ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation (23 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Social housing supports are available to eligible households on the local authority waiting lists. If a household is homeless, and eligible for social housing, then the appropriate structure for their support will be determined by the relevant local authority having regard to their scheme of allocations. The cost of delivering additional social housing homes is largely dependent on a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (23 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government contains a commitment to explore expanding Part V to encompass affordable purchase and cost rental units and the cost of such measures will be considered as part of that work. The costs associated with Part V vary depending on the numbers of units developed in any given year by the private sector, the existing use value of the sites, and the type, size and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (23 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Census 2016 figures indicate that there were approximately 183,000 vacant homes (down from 230,000 in 2011) but, in considering that figure, it should be noted that those numbers were recorded at a single point in time and included houses for sale or for rent, as well as homes that are not recoverable for occupancy for a wide range of reasons. More recent GeoDirectory (An Post and OSi) data...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Issues (23 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is committed to supporting older people to live in their own home with dignity and independence for as long as possible, as this has the best outcomes both for the individual and for society as a whole. To this end, my Department, in conjunction with the Department of Health, is developing policy options for supported housing/housing with care so that older people have a wider...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (23 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Part V units can be delivered through a range of programmes funded by my Department, including: - The Social Housing Capital Investment Programme which is Local Authority (LA) led and 100% capital funded - The Capital Assistance Scheme which is Approved Housing Body (AHB) led and 100% capital funded - The Capital Advance Leasing Facility which is AHB led and operates with a range of 0% to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (23 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 94, 95 and 97 together. Cost information on the delivery of social homes through the local authority construction and turnkey programmes and through the Capital Assistance Scheme, is collated by my Department at development level rather than at granular or individual housing unit level. Disaggregating such development level information into individual unit...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (23 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF) funding is capital support provided to Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) by local authorities to facilitate the funding of construction, acquisition or refurbishment of new social housing units. This loan facility can support up to 30% of the eligible capital cost of the housing project, with the housing units provided to local authorities for social...