Results 9,761-9,780 of 25,999 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I am engaging with my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform as part of the budgetary process, including ensuring that we have sufficient capital, and current, budgets to meet the targets, and most importantly the need arising for households in 2021 and beyond. Of course, the term public capital housing programme is not reflective of the full breadth of social housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Home Loan Scheme (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Following a review of the two existing local authority home loan schemes, the House Purchase Loan and the Home Choice Loan, a new loan offering was introduced, from 1 February 2018, known as the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan.  In line with the previous schemes, the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan is designed to enable credit worthy first time buyers to access sustainable mortgage...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Stations (29 Sep 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Pyrite Incidence (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: In relation to the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant scheme, Regulations under sections 2 and 5 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1979 provide for a grant scheme of financial assistance to support affected homeowners in the counties of Donegal and Mayo to carry out the necessary remediation works to dwellings that have been damaged due to defective concrete blocks, entitled...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department publishes comprehensive statistics on a quarterly basis. Social housing delivery data gathering and collation was impacted by COVID-19, where the focus for local authorities was on maintaining the essential housing services. The data collection and collation process has resumed and the social housing statistics for Q1/Q2 2020 together with the Quarter 2 Social Housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The revised ceiling on the Single-Stage Approval Process for local authority social housing Capital Construction Projects increased from €2m to €6m in September 2020.  Quarter 2 2020 covers the period to end June, therefore the increased ceiling for single stage construction projects was not applicable at that time and will not be detailed in the Construction Status...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Staff (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The information requested is set out in the Table below. The figures for 2016, 2017 and 2018 give the total number of all approved staffing resources by each local authority, i.e. not just additional staffing resources as my Department did not record the requests for staffing sanctions by the particular category "additional staffing resources" at that time. The 2019 figures provide the figure...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: It is a matter for individual housing authorities to bring forward project proposals to my Department for funding to deliver additional social housing stock under various initiatives.  No proposal has been submitted by Kerry County Council to my Department in relation to provision of social, voluntary or temporary homeless emergency accommodation at the property referenced.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Electoral Process (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government - Our Shared Future sets out a range of commitments in relation to electoral reform.  My Department is currently advancing this electoral reform agenda and this will include bringing forward legislative proposals where necessary. The issues that arose in relation to the operation of section 62 of the Electoral Act 1992 at the Dáil...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Register of Electors (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government – Our Shared Future – includes a number of commitments in relation to the registration of electors including the creation of a rolling register; the use of PPSNs to verify identity; simplified forms and the roll out of optional online registration. Together, these reforms will simplify and streamline the entire process of registration making it...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Architectural Heritage (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I am informed that the inclusion of the site mentioned on the Council’s Record of Protected Structures (RPS) is presently a matter under consideration by Dublin City Council and as such is a matter for the local authority itself.  Part IV of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, gives primary responsibility to local authorities to identify and protect the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Policy Reviews (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is currently drafting a new National Policy on Architecture which will support long–term planning strategies and will assist in addressing key issues including societal well-being, climate change and urban regeneration. The adaptation of existing as well as the design of new buildings will, of course, be critical to meet the targets set by the Climate Action Plan...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (29 Sep 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. The most recent summary, conducted in June 2019, shows that 68,693 households were assessed as...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: On 21 September, I announced allocations under the new multi-annual capital investment programme for the progressive resolution of housing estates with “developer provided water services infrastructure”, to enable the taking in charge of these estates. The announcement followed an independent Expert Panel review of all valid bids. The Panel’s recommendations are based on...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 (the 2016 Act) introduced new streamlined arrangements to enable planning applications for strategic housing developments (SHDs) of 100 housing units or more, or student accommodation or shared accommodation developments of 200 bed spaces or more, to be made directly to An Bord Pleanála (the Board) for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 393 and 403 together. Section 5.0 of Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments Guidelines for Planning Authorities, published by my Department in 2018, addresses the ‘Build-to-Rent’ and ‘Shared Accommodation’ sectors. Paragraphs 5.13 to 5.24 of the Sustainable Urban Housing document, including Specific...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: An application under the cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme was received by my Department from the individual referred to in the Deputy’s Question. With respect to 36 raised bog natural heritage area sites, the qualifying criteria for the scheme are that: - The applicant must have had a legal interest (ownership or a turbary right (right to cut turf)) in one...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The oversight and management of housing waiting lists, including the allocation and transfer of tenancies, is a matter for the relevant local authority in accordance with the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, and associated regulations. Section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, requires all local authorities, as a reserved function, to make an allocation...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not hold information on the availability of social housing on a local authority by local authority basis. However, in terms of the delivery of additional social housing my Department publishes comprehensive statistics on a quarterly basis on all additional social housing delivery activity under programmes supported by Exchequer Funding. This is published on...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Legislative Measures (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The oversight of Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) is currently conducted through the Voluntary Regulation Code (the Code), "Building for the Future, A Voluntary Regulation Code for Approved Housing Bodies in Ireland" which is underpinned by three standards: Financial, Governance and Performance. The Code is overseen by an interim Regulatory Committee supported by a Regulation Office which is...