Results 23,401-23,420 of 26,778 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Official Engagements (1 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Consultations (1 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Land Issues (1 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Tailte Éireann is an independent Government agency under the aegis of my Department. Tailte Éireann provide a property registration system, property valuation service, and national mapping and surveying infrastructure for the State. Under Section 8(6) of the Tailte Éireann Act 2022, Tailte Éireann is independent in the performance of its functions. It is understood from...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Derelict Sites (1 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Derelict Sites Act 1990 imposes a general duty on every owner and occupier of land to take all reasonable steps to ensure that the land does not become, or continue to be, a derelict site. The Act also imposes a duty on local authorities to take all reasonable steps, including the exercise of appropriate statutory powers, to ensure that any land within their functional area does not...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Staff (1 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not generally keep a record of the qualifications held by staff members, and accordingly there may be staff working in various roles in the Department who are qualified Conservation Architects but who have applied for different positions. However, please see the table below which sets out in FTE terms, the number of staff working as Architects as of the 31st August 2024....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (1 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority administrative area is provided in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA). The most recently published summary for all counties, conducted in November 2023, is available on my Department's website at In relation to the number of households on the social housing lists...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation (1 Oct 2024)

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 role of local authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual local authorities. My Department...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (1 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Louth County Council has already delivered their first local authority led affordable purchase scheme. My Department, in conjunction with the Housing Delivery Co-ordination Office of the Local Government Management Association and the Housing Agency, is continuing to advise and support Louth in developing further affordable housing schemes that are well-aligned with the local housing market...

Financial Resolutions 2024 - Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (2 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Níl mé cinnte faoi sin. Like the four budgets before it, this year's budget is unprecedented. It provides more than €6 billion in capital to help us to deliver social and affordable homes for our people. It is the most that any Government has ever invested in housing. It is made up of more than €3.1 billion in Exchequer funding, an additional €1.25 billion...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: State Bodies (2 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: An Bord Pleanála (the Board) is the national independent statutory body with responsibility for the determination of planning appeals and direct applications for strategic infrastructure and other developments under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, and certain other Acts. The information requested is not held by my Department. Arrangements have been put in place by all...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Seanad Elections (2 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Seanad Electoral (University Members) (Amendment) Bill 2024 was published on 27 September. The provisions in the Bill respond to the Supreme Court decisions last year which found that sections 6 and 7 of the Seanad Electoral (University Members) Act 1937 were unconstitutional because they were not consistent with Article 18.4.2 of the Constitution, as amended. The Court deemed that the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Electoral Process (2 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government – Our Shared Future contains a specific commitment to examine the Scottish experience of reducing the voting age in order to draw conclusions. The Programme for Government also committed to the establishment of a statutory, independent Electoral Commission. This was established on the 9 February 2023. An Coimisiún Toghcháin, Ireland’s...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (2 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Under the Planning and Development Act 2000 (Act of 2000) if a person wishes to seek an alteration of a permission from the planning authority they submit an application under section 34 of the Act. Applications for permission under section 34 are subject to a 5 week period for public submissions or observations under Article 29 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001. Under section...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (2 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, has responsibility for the overall development of national planning policy and legislation. Anaerobic digestors require an application for planning permission in accordance with section 34 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended. This ensures that planning authorities can give proper consideration to a range of factors,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (2 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department operates a number of funding programmes that assist local authorities to work in partnership with Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to construct and purchase homes and make them available for social housing. One such programme that local authorities and AHBs progress Social Housing projects through is the Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF). CALF funding is capital support...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (2 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I commenced the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 ('the 2022 Act') on 22 June 2023, which contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023. The Housing Agency wrote to me and recommended that an order under Section 5(9) of the Act designating Sligo County Council in respect of the whole of its...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (2 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: In December 2023, I approved funding for a number of projects under my Department's funding scheme for the Waste Water Collection and Treatment needs of Villages without access to public waste water services. I can confirm that Wexford County Council applied and were approved funding under the Programme for a project in the village of Ramsgrange. Each local authority has a Rural Water...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (2 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 139 and 140 together. Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. This includes the delivery of 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost rental homes. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4bn per annum,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (3 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The First Home Scheme, which launched in July 2022, is a shared equity scheme, designed to help bridge the gap for eligible first-time buyers, eligible homebuyers, and self-builders, between their deposit and mortgage, and the price of their new home (within price ceilings established across the country). Full details are available on the First Home Scheme website, www.firsthomescheme.ie. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (3 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 107 and 109 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, introduced in July 2022 under the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund, supports bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use as homes. A grant of up to...