Results 9,141-9,160 of 25,999 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Affordable Housing: Motion [Private Members] (7 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputy is wrong.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Just Transition Fund (7 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: As part of the Just Transition proposals for the midlands region, Budget 2020 made provision for €20 million to fund energy efficiency upgrades to local authority houses in the affected midland counties as a pilot programme. The programme also envisages the grouping of housing upgrades together so opportunities for retrofitting will arise for private housing with support from the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Rates (7 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 268, 269, 272 and 328 together. I intend to continue supporting measures taken by my Department to assist local authorities with the financial difficulties they are experiencing since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. At the outset and to minimise cash flow challenges, my Department arranged for the early payment of Local Property Tax (LPT) to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Pyrite Resolution Board (7 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Pyrite Resolution Act 2013 provides the statutory framework for the establishment of the Pyrite Resolution Board and for the making of a pyrite remediation scheme to be implemented by the Board with support from the Housing Agency. The provisions of the Act apply only to dwellings affected by significant damage attributable to pyritic heave consequent on the presence of reactive pyrite...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (7 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I am unaware of any specific request from Kilkenny County Council to my Department in relation to its financial circumstances due to the Covid-19 pandemic. My Department is engaging directly with the County and City Management Agency in respect of the local government sector as a whole, on commercial rates and impacts on other income. Regarding the range of financial supports that will be...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (7 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Local Government (Financial Provisions) Act 1997 removed the power of a local authority to make charges for domestic water services. Subsequently, the Water Services (No.2) Act 2013 provided Irish Water with the power to charge for water services. The Water Services Act 2017 discontinued charges for domestic customers of Irish Water with the exception of charges for network connections...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (7 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Part 4 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 specifies, in accordance with Section 33 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, the provisions with respect to applications for permission for development of land. An applicant is required to publish a notice of proposed development in an approved newspaper and erect or fix a site notice on the land or structure where the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (7 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 275 and 291 together. The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme, which came into operation on 1 January 2016, is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the Scheme. To be eligible, tenants must meet certain criteria, including having a minimum reckonable income of €15,000 per annum...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation (7 Jul 2020)

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 and support the statutory responsibility of housing authorities to provide emergency accommodation for homeless persons.. My Department does not fund any homeless service directly but provides funding to housing authorities towards the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (7 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Under my Department's Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS), funding is available to Approved Housing Bodies (AHB's) towards the provision of accommodation for people with disabilities, the elderly and homeless who are social housing qualified by way of application through the local authority to my Department. My Department also provides funding under the Capital Advance Leasing Facility...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Programme for Government (7 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government agreed in June 2020 includes a number of commitments that are relevant to my Department. My Department will be developing proposals to give effect to these commitments and such proposals will be costed in the normal manner with due regard to budgetary considerations and the annual Estimates process. The briefing materials provided by Government Departments,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Consultancy Contracts (7 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Department’s People Strategy 2018-2020 (WELL - Wellbeing, Engagement, Learning and Development and Leadership) was developed in partnership with staff and sets out the strategic priorities, objectives and actions to engage, support, develop and lead staff. The strategic goals identified under the ‘WELL’ Strategy reflect the evolving nature of working life in the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Legal Costs (7 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department seeks, where possible, to minimise legal costs and avails of the services of the Chief State Solicitor's office, the Attorney General's Office and the State Claims Agency in terms of the provision of legal advice and representation of the Department in court cases. The following table sets out details in relation to external legal services provided directly to my Department by...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Arts Centres (7 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Cork Event Centre is included as a commitment under Project Ireland 2040 and it underlines the Government’s objectives around urban regeneration, enhanced amenity and heritage, associated quality of life standards, balanced regional development, and the regeneration and development of Cork City Centre. It was agreed in the context of Budget 2020 that responsibility at central...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Functions (7 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The statutory transfer of functions process to give effect to the changes in respect of the heritage portfolio is underway, with the aim of completing the transfer as soon as possible, guided by the Transfer of Functions Guidelines and Best Practice Handbook. The effective date of the transfer will be determined by the Transfer of Functions Order. Accordingly, the functions and the State...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Functions (7 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 283, 305 and 306 together. I can confirm that my Department is retaining all of its current functions, including its planning functions. The Heritage functions currently under the remit of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht will be transferred to my Department. This will include the National Parks and Wildlife Service. The statutory...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (7 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 284, 285 and 286 together. Cost information on local authority and approved housing body direct construction and turnkeys, is collated by my Department at development level rather than at granular individual housing unit level. Disaggregating such development level information into individual unit costs, across all of the various types of units, would require...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Programme for Government (7 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The commitments in relation to Constitutional reform in the Programme for Government provide for the holding of a referendum on housing. I intend to consult with my colleagues in Government as to the proposal that should be put to the electorate and the appropriate timeframes that should apply to the process.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (7 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government provides that the Government will retain Irish Water in public ownership as a national, stand-alone, regulated utility. In this context, in September 2018, the Director General of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) reported on a process of engagement, undertaken with the parties involved in the water sector transformation programme, including ICTU and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Issues (7 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Irish Government submitted updates in respect of a number of collective complaints in its “Report on the Implementation of the Revised Social Charter of the Council of Europe” on 23 December 2019. My Department fed into this report and presented an update in relation to Collective Complaints 100/2013 and 110/2014. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission submission...