Results 9,261-9,280 of 25,999 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

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

Darragh O'Brien: This Government, and I, are absolutely committed to ensuring that affordable, quality housing solutions are available to everyone in Irish society and this is reflected in the Programme for Government - Our Shared Future. The Programme for Government commits to ensuring that local authorities are central to delivering housing. This Government will increase the social housing stock by...

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

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 carrying out of responsive repairs, are matters for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. My Department actively encourages local authorities to ensure all vacant properties in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (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 level. Irish Water as a single national water services authority is taking a strategic, nationwide approach to asset planning and investment, and meeting customer requirements. In relation to overall funding, my Department approved...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The commencement of section 53 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 is not currently planned in 2020. The potential for future commencement of the section is being considered in the context of the differential rent regime review proposal included in the Programme for Government.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Rates (21 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. The Local Government Rates and Other Matters Act 2019, modernised the legislation governing commercial ratesand contains provision for...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 278, 280, 281 and 282 together. In terms of social housing delivery data to date in 2020, data gathering and collation was impacted by COVID-19, where the focus was on maintaining the essential housing services. The data collection and collation process has since resumed and social housing statistics for Q1 and Q2 2020 will be published together.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Home Loan Scheme (21 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department publishes information on the overall number and value of (i) local authority loan approvals and (ii) local authority loan drawdowns. Local authority approval means that an official letter of offer has been sent to a borrower (and therefore relates to a specific property and loan amount). My Department recently issued data requests for the first two quarters of 2020 and figures...

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

Darragh O'Brien: In accordance with the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of multi-annual Traveller Accommodation Programmes in their areas. My Department’s role is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in place to...

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

Darragh O'Brien: On the commencement of every Dáil, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform issues guidelines setting out the arrangements for the staffing of Ministerial Offices. The Guidelines for the 33rd Dáil are currently awaiting Government approval. It should be noted that the appointment of individual Special Advisers is a matter for each Government Minister subject to the...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 285, 292 and 300 together. 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....

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

Darragh O'Brien: Under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the Act), all development, unless specifically exempted under the Act or associated Regulations, requires planning permission. In this regard, Class 31 of Schedule 2 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, as amended, provides that certain classes of development carried out by a statutory undertaker authorised to provide a...

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

Darragh O'Brien: 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 local authorities, net income for social housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (21 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: 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 all local authorities. As a short term measure, €136m was made...

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

Darragh O'Brien: In advance of the formal establishment of the Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority, as provided for by the Housing (Regulation of the Approved Housing Bodies) Act 2019, the oversight of approved housing bodies (AHBs) is conducted through the Voluntary Regulation Code (the Code), "Building for the Future, A Voluntary Regulation Code for Approved Housing Bodies in Ireland" underpinned...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme (21 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 290 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...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The table below sets out the amount of funding allocated by my Department each year since the introduction of the Lead Remediation Grant in 2016. It also shows the number of households that have benefited from the grant and the amount of funding recouped by my Department to local authorities each year. The Lead Remediation Grant is a demand-led scheme. Year Funding...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The objective of Government is to focus strongly on new build, and in particular local authority-led new build activity. Delivering the necessary supply of social homes, however, requires a multi-faceted approach, harnessing capacity and delivery from all available channels including leasing. A traditional construction programme obviously requires significant year-on-year capital expenditure....

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

Darragh O'Brien: Under the Serviced Sites Fund (SSF), €310 million is available to provide infrastructure to support the delivery of more affordable homes on local authority lands. With a maximum SSF funding amount of €50,000 available per home, at least 6,200 affordable homes, to buy or rent, can be facilitated. To date, SSF funding of €127 million has been allocated in support of 35...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I have established a High Level Homelessness Taskforce, to provide a forum for engagement with key organisations working to address homelessness. The Taskforce will input on the implementation of the commitments on homelessness in the Programme for Government. The membership of the taskforce consists of the Chief Executives of the Dublin Region Homeless Executive, Crosscare, Depaul, Focus...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government provides that: the Government will establish a Commission on Housing to examine issues such as tenure, standards, sustainability, and quality of life issues in the provision of housing. Further scoping is necessary as to the most appropriate type of structure for the Commission and to flesh out the issues that it will be tasked with examining. The establishment of...