Results 23,421-23,440 of 26,666 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

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

Darragh O'Brien: Eligible retiring councillors have been paid a gratuity since 2002. The present scheme was established in June of this year under S.I. No. 276 of 2024. The present Regulations, which commenced on 14 June 2024, provide that where an elected member of a local authority ceases to hold office and has at least two years' qualifying service having – (a) reached the age of 50 years,...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Regulations for a revised non-contributory gratuity scheme for local authority elected members have recently been published under S.I. No. 276 of 2024. Related guidance has been issued to local authority staff and serving elected members. The Regulations, which commenced on 14 June 2024, provide that where an elected member of a local authority ceases to hold office and has at least two...

Sale of Tickets (Cultural, Entertainment, Recreational and Sporting Events) (Amendment) Bill 2024: First Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: No.

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am introducing the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024 which intends to make amendments to the Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) Act 2019 and the Affordable Housing Act 2021. The Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) Act 2019 provides for the regulation of approved housing bodies, AHBs, for the purpose...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Is the Deputy sure? I thought there might have been copies for Members but the speech was amended. The Deputy is okay. We will arrange for copies.

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: A slight amendment was made to the speech just beforehand. The Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) Act 2019 provides for the regulation of AHBs, for the purpose of supporting stronger governance and the financial viability of that sector. Section 25 of the 2019 Act provides for existing AHBs, approved under section 6 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992 to be...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 230 and 242 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Crime Prevention (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Minister for Justice will answer this question..

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Regeneration Projects (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The National Planning Framework (NPF) is the national plan for strategic planning and sustainable development of our urban and rural areas to 2040, with the core objectives of securing balanced regional development and a sustainable ‘compact growth’ approach to the form and pattern of future development. The NPF envisages significant city-based population and employment growth...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department has been advancing the steps to put a scheme for the remediation of eligible defects in apartments and duplexes constructed between 1991-2013 on a statutory footing as a matter of priority. Given the complexity of the issues, including the significant amount of Exchequer funding that this Government has committed to assist affected homeowners, sufficient time for drafting the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All includes a commitment to review income eligibility for social housing. From this review, completed in November 2021, 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Safety (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Services Acts, 1981 and 2003. My Department, primarily through the National Directorate for Fire & Emergency...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Under my Departments' Rural Water Programme there is grant support available to households that are dependent on a water supply from a private well for their domestic use. The grant scheme is administered by local authorities on behalf of the Department. The objective is to provide financial assistance to households where they incur capital expenditure to carry out improvements to an...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme provides for the purchase by eligible tenants of local authority houses which are available for sale under the scheme. All applications for the Scheme must satisfy the requirements outlined in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 and the Housing (Sale of Local Authority Houses) Regulations 2015, as amended. The Housing (Sale of Local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The right of local authorities to set and collect rents on their dwellings is laid down in section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. The making or amending of such schemes is an executive function and is subject to 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: Estimates Publication (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The documents referred to in the question are documents that are prepared and published by the Minister of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and & Reform. It should be noted that the Abridged Estimates for Public Services (AEV) are published as part of the Expenditure Report with the expenditure allocations for Votes limited to programme level only. As such the subhead allocations...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Land Development Agency (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: To fund the commercial activities of the Land Development Agency (LDA), the Land Development Agency Act 2021 and the National Treasury Management Agency (Amendment) Act 2014 currently provide for: €2.5bn of funding from the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF); €1.25bn of borrowings as provided for under the LDA Act, as well as; €1.25bn that can be raised by the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: State Bodies (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The funding model for Uisce Éireann was agreed by Government, in September 2017 in the context of the decision to move away from charges for domestic water services and based on recommendations made by the Working Group on the Future Funding Model for Uisce Éireann. The funding arrangements are based on different approaches to the domestic and non-domestic sectors. The cost of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Budget 2025 (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: 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 €50,000 is available for the refurbishment of vacant...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Expenditure (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The information requested in respect of my Department is set out in the following table. Consultant Purpose of Consultancy Expenditure 2023 Expenditure 2024 Irish Centre for Diversity Diversity Policy Development 15,990 Risk and Resilience Audit Support Services for Business Continuity Management...