Results 9,241-9,260 of 25,999 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (14 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 the statutory role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. A National Quality Standards Framework for homeless services has been implemented to ensure a consistent approach in how local authorities and service providers...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Building Regulations (14 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The European Union (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations 2019 set higher building energy performance standards for dwellings, in accordance with the Nearly Zero Energy Building requirements (NZEB) contained in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. These Regulations apply to works in connection with the design and construction of a new dwelling, where the relevant works...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Covid-19 Pandemic (14 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Department of Health provides guidance and advice on preventing the spread of COVID-19, which can be found at: . A Covid-19 public information booklet was delivered to all households as part of the Government efforts to suppress the spread of the virus. Stay Safe Guidelines at Home are available at the link above along with various Covid-19 information posters for use in homes, including...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payment (14 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: At the end of Quarter 4 2019, there were more than 52,500 households having their housing needs met via HAP and over 30,000 landlords and agents in receipt of HAP payments. 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 rent limits, which are based on household size...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (14 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department operates the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan, which is targeted at first time buyers who wish to own their own home, have access to an adequate deposit and have the capacity to repay a mortgage, but who are unable to access a mortgage sufficient for them to purchase their first home. As part of the eligibility criteria applicant(s) of the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan must have...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Public Inquiries (14 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: There are no tribunals, public investigations or commissions of investigation currently underway in relation to functional areas relevant to my Department. There are still claims and payments being processed following the completion of the Tribunal into Certain Planning Matters and Payments (Mahon Tribunal) in 2012.It is estimated that this process will be completed in 2022. The Tribunal has...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (15 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: As an initiative of the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF) is primarily designed to fund the provision of public off-site infrastructure to relieve critical infrastructure blockages and enable housing developments to be built on key sites at scale. In 2018, 30 projects received final LIHAF approval with an...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (15 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 95 and 96 together. This Government is absolutely committed to ensuring that affordable, quality housing is available to everyone in Irish society and this is reflected in the Programme for Government "Our Shared Future" which commits to putting affordability at the heart of our housing system and delivering 50,000 social housing homes. My initial focus is on...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Data (16 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 89 to 92, inclusive, together. The primary objective of the legislative changes introduced last year in relation to the regulation of short-term letting sector through the planning code is to help address its impact on the supply of private rented accommodation, particularly in urban centres of high housing demand i.e. rent pressure zones (RPZs). The planning...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (16 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 93 and 95 together. Applications for social housing support are assessed by the relevant local authority, in accordance with the eligibility and need criteria set down in section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended. Under the Household Means Policy, which applies in all...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (16 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 the statutory role of local authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Under the Housing Act 1988 it is a matter for each local authority to determine whether a person is regarded as homeless; section 2 of the Act sets out the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Land Development Agency (16 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Land Development Agency (LDA) was established on an interim basis in September 2018, by way of an Establishment Order (S.I. 352 of 2018, as amended by S.I. 603 of 2018) made under the Local Government Services (Corporate Bodies) Act 1971, pending the enactment of primary legislation when it will be established as a commercial State agency. On establishment, the LDA had access to an...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Commercial Rates (16 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on the occupiers of rateable property in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by the independent Commissioner of Valuation under the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2015. In order to support the local government sector, my Department is continuing to keep local authority income, expenditure and cash...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (16 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: With effect from 27 March 2020, under new emergency measures introduced into law to protect tenants during the COVID-19 emergency period, tenants cannot be forced to leave their rental accommodation, other than in exceptional circumstances. The measures also prohibit any increase to rent for the duration of the emergency period. These emergency laws initially applied for a period of 3 months...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Energy Efficiency (16 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: As set out in the Programme for Government, a national retrofitting scheme is due to be rolled out in 2021. The national retrofitting scheme will be managed by a newly designated National Retrofitting Delivery Body which is to be in place by the end of 2020. Responsibility for the National Retrofitting Scheme rests with my colleague, the Minister for Communications, Climate Action &...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grant (21 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Regulations S.I. 670 of 2007 and S.I. 104 of 2014 provide the statutory basis for the operation of the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability. Article 8 of the Regulations provides that the applicant must occupy the house as his or her normal place of residence on completion of the works. The administration of the grants scheme, including the assessment,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Planning Framework (21 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Project Ireland 2040 comprises two principal elements, both of which were published by Government in 2018. The National Planning Framework (NPF) is Ireland’s long-term national spatial planning strategy to accommodate projected future population and economic growth over a 20-year period to 2040. The other principal element of Project Ireland is the current National Development...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Proposed Legislation (21 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: In January 2020 my Department published the finalised General Scheme of the Marine Planning and Development Management Bill, which will provide the legislative basis for Ireland's new marine planning regime. The commitment in the Programme for Government to enact this legislation in nine months reflects the priority it has been accorded. In order for this legislation to be enacted within...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Pollution (21 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. The Irish Water Strategic Funding Plan 2019-2024 sets out Irish Water’s multi-annual strategic business planning funding requirement of €11bn to 2024, comprised of a €6.1bn investment in infrastructure...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Property Tax (21 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The current system of local retention of Local Property Tax (LPT) began in 2015 and since then 80% of the estimated LPT liability in each local authority area for a given year is retained in that area to fund public services, notwithstanding any local variation decisions. The remaining 20% of LPT is re-distributed to provide equalisation funding to those local authorities that have lower...