Results 22,441-22,460 of 26,350 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Sorry Eoin, I am not talking to you.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: That would be a first.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The uplift in commencement activity is being mirrored at local level across the country. For example, there were 1,019 new homes commenced in Cork county in quarter 1 2024, the highest for this period since records began more than a decade ago. The national surge in April was also seen in Cork county, with a record figure of 806 commencements in April. While it will take time to see recent...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: We know there is a lot more to do. There are people who want to buy their own home and are being helped by the Government schemes but we need to further ramp up supply. I thank Deputies O'Sullivan and O'Connor and other Government colleagues for their support for the delivery of housing. That is in stark contrast to the main Opposition party, whose members are serial objectors to new...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Government Deputies for their comments. I put it to Deputy Gould that if there were medals awarded for objectors, Sinn Féin would be gold medalists as objectors right the way across the country.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I think we should let Eoin come into the Chamber on his own so he can just talk to himself and get all this rage and anger out of his system.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Will the Deputy talk through the-----

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I will respond to Deputy Stanton first. Waterrock in Midleton is a magnificent development. The previous Minister deserves a lot of credit for that too with regard to the LIHAF funding. We were also able to use the affordable housing fund to deliver homes there. It is a magnificent development. It shows that government schemes working together can actually help to drive not just social...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: They got an extra 30 seconds so perhaps I could just be able to answer this. We see those mixed tenure developments across the country. On the road infrastructure issue, I will raise this with the Minister for Transport. It is important that infrastructure comes up. I might come back in if I have a supplementary response with regard to sustainable compact growth guidelines to be...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Schemes (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank Deputy O'Sullivan. The first home scheme is a radical initiative that the Government introduced to bridge the gap in finance for those with mortgage approval and a deposit but who are still short in purchasing a new home. The State is stepping in and assisting them. The average equity we are providing across the country is €66,000, so it is a significant amount. If we...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Schemes (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputy. The scheme is working. We have to acknowledge that schemes such as this one need to be supported because they help people to buy a home. The Deputy and my Government colleagues and I support homeownership. We want to help people who are working hard to own a home. That is why I would like the scheme to continue. It is working for people. The take-up rate has...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Schemes (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Bhí mo chomhghleacaí, an tAire Stáit, an Teachta Noonan, ag labhairt liom faoi na daoine atá sa Ghailearaí ó Ghaelscoil Osraí i gContae Chill Chainnigh. Cuirim fáilte rompu go léir go dtí Teach Laighean inniu. I ask Deputy Gould to give the details regarding the case he outlined and we will look at it for him. I am happy to help. The...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Who wrote that line for the Deputy? He has used it about five times. Did someone up in your research office write it?

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The regeneration of Poolbeg West is an important step in the transformation of the Dublin Docklands area, with the potential to provide for 3,500 homes. A condition of the planning scheme for the Poolbeg West Strategic Development Zone, or SDZ, as modified by An Bord Pleanála, is the provision of 15% social and affordable homes on this site in addition to the 10% standard statutory...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All includes a commitment to review income eligibility for social housing. From this review, it was recommended moving five local authorities from Band 3 to Band 2, ensuring the income eligibility thresholds better reflect housing costs in those counties. Government also agreed to increase the baseline income thresholds by €5,000 for all local authorities with effect...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department supports fire authorities by establishing policy, setting national standards for fire safety and fire service provision, providing a central training programme, issuing guidance on operational and other related matters and providing capital funding for priority infrastructural projects and the procurement of essential frontline fire appliances, ancillary vehicles and equipment....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Safety (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Since I received Government approval in January 2023 to draft legislation to establish supports for the remediation of fire safety, structural safety and water ingress defects in apartments and duplexes, constructed between 1991 and 2013, my Department has been advancing the steps to put the remediation scheme on a statutory footing as a matter of priority. Given the complexity of the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department has continual engagement with Galway City Council regarding their delivery of new social housing against their targets. In addition to the Galway Social Housing Task force meetings, quarterly technical meetings are held between my Department and the Council housing team to cover a range of issues relating to the Council's social housing programme, including reviewing progress in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All sets out the range of actions necessary to increase the supply of housing out to 2030 including 54,000 affordable homes to be delivered by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies, the Land Development Agency and through the First Home Scheme, which is a strategic partnership between the State and retail banks. In 2022, which was the first full year of delivery of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 81, 97, 98 and 102 together. The Report of the Housing Commission was submitted to me on 8th May, together with a number of reports relating to potential wording for a referendum on housing, and was noted by Government and published thereafter on 21st and 22nd May respectively. The report runs to more than 400 pages, including appendices, with 83...