Results 9,361-9,380 of 25,999 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (23 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 2) Regulations 2019 introduced legislative changes last year in relation to the regulation of short-term letting sector through the planning code 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 system...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme (23 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme 2016 is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the Scheme. The legislative underpinning for the Scheme is provided by Part 3 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 and associated regulations. As part of a package of social housing reforms, the Programme for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (23 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 21 and 23 together. Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority area are set out in the statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA). The most recent summary (June 2019), shows that 68,693 households were assessed as qualified for and being in need of social housing support, a decrease of 3,165...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Data (23 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities, are experiencing some delays on construction projects due to the impact of COVID-19 restrictions. However, Kerry County Council is actively working with all stakeholders to ensure that any delays are kept to an absolute minimum and that badly needed projects proceed with a view to completion in the most timely manner possible. Since taking up office in late June, I...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Data (23 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Supporting individuals and families experiencing homelessness is a priority for this Government. The Programme for Government ‘Our Shared Future’ commits to reducing and preventing homelessness and provides detail on how the Government will approach this challenge. Homeless services are overseen at regional level and Clare County Council is part of the Mid-West Region. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Stations (23 Jul 2020)

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 supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Staff (23 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Galway City Council sought sanction approval from my Department for an additional post of Biodiversity Officer on 6 December 2019. Formal sanction approval was communicated to the Council on 11 December 2019 for the post on a permanent basis, subject to Galway City Council being satisfied that it has sufficient budgetary resources to meet the salary of this post. The recruitment and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Data (23 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 28 and 115 together. The Programme for Government commits to delivering 50,000 social homes with a greater emphasis now on new build activity. The pre-existing overall target set for 2020 was to provide social housing support to over 27,000 households including 11,000 through built, bought or leased social homes. Despite the challenges faced through...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (23 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) is a flagship element of Project Ireland 2040. Under the stewardship of the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the Fund was established to support more compact and sustainable development, through the regeneration and rejuvenation of Ireland’s five cities and other large towns, in line with the objectives of the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Rates (23 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government – Our Shared Future commits to a number of actions, including reforming and reimagining our public life. This mission sets out commitments that relate to local authority funding, including setting out how commercial rates will be treated for the remainder of 2020, as a priority action. The Programme also commits to bringing forward legislation for the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (23 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 31, 38 and 43 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. Since 2014, Exchequer...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Home Loan Scheme (23 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: There is no blanket ban on applications or drawdowns for Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan (RIHL) applicants. All local authorities are receiving and processing RIHL applications and are incorporating increased flexibility to accommodate applicants during the COVID 19 Pandemic. As is the case with any lender, local authorities must lend mortgages on prudent basis, taking into account the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (23 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government commits to address homelessness, increase the social housing stock by over 50,000 and to put affordability back at the heart of our housing system. I recently had a videoconference meeting with the Chief Executive’s all of the local authorities during which I highlighted these key priorities. Since taking up office in late June, I established a High Level...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Reviews (23 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I refer to the reply to Question No. 2 on today’s Order Paper which sets out the position in this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Irish Water (23 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 35 and 60 together. I refer to the replies to Question Nos. [16507/20] and [17528/20] of 21 and 22 July, 2020, respectively. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (23 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: Approved Housing Bodies (23 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The new Programme for Government 'Our Shared Future' commits to the development of a new Cost Rental sector in Ireland, whereby the rents charged will cover the cost of delivering, managing, and maintaining the homes. Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) form a key element in the delivery of social housing in Ireland and have a well demonstrated capacity in both the construction of new homes and in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Regeneration Projects (23 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Each individual local authority is responsible for ensuring that their social housing stock is maintained to an appropriate standard. In order to support local authorities in this work my Department provides exchequer funding for eligible improvement works to local authority housing, including through the voids and energy efficiency programmes. Furthermore, under the National...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (23 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government 'Our Shared Future', confirms the Government's commitment to introduce "Cost Rental" housing in Ireland where the rents charged cover the cost of delivering, managing, and maintaining the homes only. Cost Rental is not intended to overlap with or replace traditional social housing for low-income households In 2019 an inter-departmental multi-agency Cost Rental...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Legislative Programme (23 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government – Our Shared Future identifies a range of legislative reforms in the housing area. The top three priority Bills that I plan to bring forward in relation to current housing shortages include measures to: - increase notice periods in relation to notices of termination served on tenants for failure to payrent due during a further period after the expiry of...