Results 23,861-23,880 of 26,666 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (7 Nov 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 for purchase and rent. These homes will be delivered by Local Authorities, Approved Housing Bodies, the Land Development Agency, through the First Home Scheme, and by bringing vacant homes back into use. Significant public funding is being made available to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (7 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, the implementation of a planned maintenance programme and carry out of responsive repairs, are matters for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. Local authorities also have a legal obligation to ensure that all of their tenanted properties...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (7 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 233, 235, 237 and 240 together. The Local Authority Home Loan is a Government-backed mortgage for creditworthy for first-time buyers and fresh start applicants who cannot get sufficient funding from commercial banks to purchase or build a home. It replaced the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan. It has been available nationwide from local authorities since 4...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (7 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Under Housing for All, each local authority was required to prepare a Housing Delivery Action Plan. This Plan sets out details of both social and affordable housing delivery as appropriate over the period 2022-2026, in line with targets set under Housing for All. Monaghan County Council's Plan has been published on its own website at this link:...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (7 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 238 and 241 together. The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, the implementation of a planned maintenance programme and carrying out of responsive repairs, are matters for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. Local authorities also have a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (7 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 239 and 242 together. The Mortgage to Rent (MTR) scheme was introduced in 2012. It offers households with acute, unsustainable mortgage arrears who have little or no prospect of a significant change in circumstances, the chance to surrender a property to a lender and in turn become a social housing tenant whilst staying in their own home and community. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (7 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Addressing vacancy and making efficient use of existing housing stock is a key priority for Government, as set out in Pathway 4 of Housing for All. 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....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (7 Nov 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 Act 1981. My Department supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central training...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (7 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department publishes the Social Housing Construction Status Report (CSR), which provides details of social housing developments and their location that have been completed, are under construction or are progressing through the various stages of the design and tender processes. The most recent publication was for Quarter 2 2024. All Construction Status Reports are available at the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (7 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as a quasi-judicial, independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2024 (the RTA) to facilitate the resolution of residential tenancy disputes and operate a national tenancy registration system. A dispute may be referred to the RTB under Part 6 of the RTA - please see www.rtb.ie for information on the RTB's dispute...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Detention Centres (7 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The maximum number of children that can be detained in Oberstown Children Detention Campus at any time is set by the Minister by way of a Certificate issued under sections 195 and 196 of the Children Act 2001. The Certificate currently in place sets the maximum number of children who may be detained in Oberstown Children Detention Campus at 46, to include a maximum of 40 boys and 6 girls.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Staff (22 Jan 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I am satisfied that my Department properly implements the provisions of Circular 4/2013 in respect of staff returning from career breaks. Staff returning from career breaks are included in workforce planning considerations with a view to filling any appropriate existing or forthcoming vacancies in my Department. The Department has reassigned any staff returning from career breaks during...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (22 Jan 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I commenced the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) on 22 June 2023 which contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023. The Grant Scheme applies to the owners of dwellings located in designated local authorities, which are damaged due to the use of defective concrete blocks and provided the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (22 Jan 2025)

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. Under the HAP scheme, tenants source their own accommodation in the private rented market. The accommodation sourced by tenants should be within the prescribed maximum HAP...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Reports (22 Jan 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department publishes comprehensive programme-level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) in each local authority. This data is available to the end of Q3 2024, and is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link:. My Department also publishes the Social...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (22 Jan 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Interim Remediation Scheme for Fire Safety Defects in Eligible Apartments and Duplexes (‘Scheme’) provides for the funding, through Owner Management Companies (OMCs), of emergency fire safety defect works in order to provide an acceptable level of fire safety in affected buildings pending completion of the full remedial works. As of 31st December 2024, 193 applications...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (22 Jan 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Government has approved the principle of allowing remediation costs already incurred or levied to be covered under the forthcoming statutory remediation scheme, once such costs fall within the scope and defined parameters of the latter. The details and mechanics of such retrospective funding are being addressed as the legislation is drafted. To this end, a pathfinder exercise from a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Reviews (22 Jan 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All targets the delivery of 18,000 new Cost Rental homes to 2030. A strong pipeline is in place and under continuous development by Local Authorities, Approved Housing Bodies the Land Development Agency, and now also private providers under the Secure Tenancy Affordable Rental (STAR) scheme. The Cost Rental model ensures rents are based on the costs of delivering, managing,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (22 Jan 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme 2016 came into operation on 1 January 2016 and allows tenants of local authority houses to apply to purchase their home. The scheme is governed by the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 and Housing (Sale of Local Authority Houses) Regulations 2015, as amended, and is open to eligible tenants of local authority houses that are available for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: State Bodies (22 Jan 2025)

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. Recruitment of all staff is a matter for the Board. However, the workforce plan of the Board is...