Results 9,441-9,460 of 25,999 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Accommodation Scheme (28 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: As of 31 December 2019, there were 18,154 active tenancies supported under the Rental Accommodation Scheme.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Estates (28 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department issued Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas and an accompanying Design Manual in 2009.  These are available on my Department’s website at the following links: . These guidelines put in place a framework for planning authorities to consider residential development applications.  The design manual criteria...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (28 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: In 2018, 4 year overall social housing delivery targets were set for each local authority to end 2021. These targets, broken down by local authority, can be accessed at the following link: . Since coming into Office I have met collectively with the Chief Executives of local authorities and I have established a Top Level Group of social housing delivery partners, including...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: EU Directives (28 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is currently undertaking a focused review of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines in line with the “preferred draft approach” which was announced in June 2017 by the then Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, in conjunction with the then Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment. The review is addressing a number of key...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (28 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The “Call for Housing 2020” was launched on 21 July 2020 as a short-term intervention, to stimulate interest in social housing delivery, primarily through acquisitions and leasing from opportunities arising in the property market. In particular, 1 bedroom units required to support single homeless households, larger family homes and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Home Loan Scheme (28 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Covid-19 situation has had an unprecedented economic impact and unfortunately some applicants for the RIHL have been affected. In order to address this issue, my Department has issued guidance to local authorities on the process for dealing with applicants already in the application/approval process whose economic circumstances have changed for the worse. These options could...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (28 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 338 and 339 together. The Part V requirement arises where a development plan objective requires that a specified percentage of any land zoned for residential use be made available for social and affordable housing. Paragraph 2.1 of the 'Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 Guidelines' issued in January 2017 outlines the circumstances whereby the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (28 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Under the voids programme, my Department supported Clare County Council in their efforts to return 43 units to productive use in 2018 and 62 units in 2019. This figure does not include homes which were returned to productive use by local authorities using funding from their own resources. In relation to data requests for individual addresses, that information should...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (28 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The day-to-day operation of social housing allocations to eligible applicants, including applications under the Choice Based Letting system (CBL), is a matter entirely for the relevant local authority. Choice Based Letting (CBL) is a method whereby available social housing stock is let by being openly advertised by local authorities to persons on the social housing waiting list. This...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Commercial Rates (28 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 342 and 343 together. The levying and collection of rates are legally matters for each individual local authority. Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes.  An initial three-month waiver of rates for businesses forced to close business due to COVID-19 was announced in early...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Domestic Violence Refuges Provision (28 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 344, 345, 346, 349 and 350 together. Responsibility for the development and provision of services to support victims of domestic violence rests with my colleague the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and I understand that the delivery of these services is managed by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency.  As such, the matters raised by the Deputy...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Domestic Violence Services (28 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The allocation of housing to households on social housing waiting lists by either Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) or local authorities is a matter for individual local authorities in line with their allocation scheme. My Department does not hold information on the allocations of the specific type requested by the Deputy. Section 22 of the 2009 Act requires all local authorities, as a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Domestic Violence Services (28 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The table below provides details of ongoing and completed projects funded under the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS) for victims of domestic violence.  As well as CAS-funded schemes, the housing needs of victims of domestic violence can also be addressed by the provision of accommodation by local authorities from their own stock of housing.  CAS funding remains available to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (28 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities already have a range of legislative powers available to them to deal with under-utilised and derelict properties in their functional areas, including through the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) powers under Derelict Sites and Housing legislation.  A number of local authorities have already been particularly proactive in utilising their CPO powers and all local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (28 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The 2005 Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines are framed in the context of the National Spatial Strategy (NSS) 2002.  Given the changes in planning policy since then, including the publication of the National Planning Framework in 2018 and other factors such as, inter alia, the work of the Working Group on foot of the “Flemish Decree” case, there is merit in reviewing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (28 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority area is provided in the statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA). The SSHA has been conducted on an annual basis since 2016, prior to which it was carried out once every three years, with the last Summary under this approach having taken place in 2013. The most recent summary,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme (28 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme came into operation on 1 January 2016. The Scheme is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the Scheme. The Housing (Sale of Local Authority Houses) Regulations 2015 governing the Scheme provide for a number of specified classes of houses to be excluded from sale, including...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (28 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: During 2019, expenditure of some €26.6 million was recouped to local authorities under the Voids Programme. This year, on 26 May, there was an initial call for proposals for COVID-19 related Voids funding for vacant units. The majority of works approved under this element of the programme are complete. My Department has approved funding of €4.8 million to support...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (28 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Action to deal with anti-social behaviour is primarily a matter for An Garda Síochána.   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. These emergency laws initially applied for a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (28 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department has not received a funding application from Dublin City Council to acquire homes in this development for the purposes of providing cost-rental accommodation.