Results 20,041-20,060 of 26,350 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (14 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities set and collect rents on their dwellings in accordance with section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. The making or amending of such rent schemes is generally a matter for local authorities within broad principles set out by my Department, including that rent levels should be based on income and reflect tenants’ ability to pay. Local discretion and flexibility are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a form of social housing support available for people who have a long-term housing need. Any household assessed as eligible for social housing is immediately eligible for HAP. Eligible households can source their own accommodation in the private rental sector which should be within the HAP rent limits provided to them by the local authority. At the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (14 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities are constitutionally recognised, independent statutory bodies with their own democratically elected councils, and management and governance structures. The elected council has the primary oversight role in the governance of a local authority, and the chief executive is fully accountable to the council. Elected councils have extensive powers to request information, issue...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (14 Feb 2024)

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

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (14 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The minimum standards for rental accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 and specify requirements in relation to a range of matters, such as structural repair, sanitary facilities, heating, ventilation, natural light, fire safety and the safety of gas, oil and electrical supplies. These Regulations apply to all properties let or available for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Student Accommodation (14 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: With effect from 15 July 2019, the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2019, as amended, applied the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, as amended, to a licence agreement between a student and an owner of student accommodation. The Act defines ‘student accommodation’ to mean ‘a building, or part of a building, used for the sole purpose (subject to paragraphs (a), (b) and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Student Accommodation (14 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 (the Acts) regulate the landlord-tenant relationship in the residential rental sector and set out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants. The Acts apply to every dwelling that is the subject of a tenancy, subject to a limited number of exceptions. Dwellings covered by the Acts include the private rental sector, the cost rental sector, the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Reviews (14 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The elected council of a local authority has the primary oversight role in the governance of the local authority, and the role of the chief executive is to carry into effect all lawful directions of the elected council in relation to the exercise of their reserved functions. The chief executive is also fully accountable to the elected council through, for example, the furnishing of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (14 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Arising from the Government Decision of 30 November 2021 in respect of the enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks (DCB) grant scheme, the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) was tasked with delivering a programme of work to carry out reviews of a number of technical matters, including a review of the impact of pumped cavity wall insulation on cavity wall construction and within homes...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (15 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 73, 74 and 115 together. At its core, the Government's Housing for All plan is about significantly increasing the supply of housing of the right type, in the right place, and at an affordable price. To this end, the plan comprises a suite of priority measures to transform our housing system, seeking to secure its sustainability into the future and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (15 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 76, 83, 118 and 139 together. Pathway 4 of Housing for All sets out a blueprint to address vacancy and make efficient use of our existing housing stock. The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant supports bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use. A grant of up to a maximum of €50,000 is available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (15 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Tackling vacancy is a key priority for this Government. The Vacant Homes Action Plan, which I launched in January 2023, outlines the significant progress that has been made in addressing vacancy, along with the actions that are being pursued to return vacant properties back into use as homes. Under the Action Plan, a CPO Activation Programme was launched in April 2023. The Programme...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (15 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: As the Deputy is aware I commenced the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) on 22 June 2023, which provides for the enhanced grant scheme, and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023. A total of 1,880 applications have been submitted to the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme (Enhanced and previous) since its launch in June...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (15 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: First-time buyer activity remains robust, with recent data showing a year-on-year increase in the number of homes purchased and mortgage approvals at historic levels. Data published by the Central Statistics Office show more than 55,100 homes were purchased at market prices by all buyer types between January and November last year. Some 15,600 or 28% of these were purchased by first time...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (15 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Under Housing for All, the Government will deliver 47,600 new build social homes; 3,500 social homes through long-term leasing, and 28,500 new affordable homes in the period 2022-2026. Each local authority has prepared its own 5 year Housing Delivery Action Plan setting out their social and affordable housing delivery. The plan for Roscommon County Council is available on its official...