Results 9,781-9,800 of 25,999 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

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

Darragh O'Brien: The main funding scheme under which my Department supports the delivery of sheltered type housing, is the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS). Under this scheme, capital funding of up to 100% of project costs may be advanced by local authorities to Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to provide housing for specific categories of housing need, with a particular focus on housing for older...

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is focused on ensuring that additional social, affordable and private housing is delivered and that existing housing stock is utilised to its fullest extent including a targeted, effective and co-ordinated approach to identifying and tackling vacancy across Ireland.  In terms of affordable housing for purchase, the statutory basis for the delivery of affordable housing...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The recently published guidance issued by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on Ministerial Appointments allow for 2 Special Advisers to be appointed to each Minister by Government, in accordance with overall staffing limits.  At this stage, no Special Advisers have been formally appointed to my Department by the Government. I have, however, assigned Ciara Shaughnessy to...

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

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

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

Darragh O'Brien: In light of the impacts of the Covid-19 emergency, the Government, on 29 March 2020, made an Order under section 251A of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, which resulted in the extension of time for a range of specified or appropriate periods and timelines in the Planning Acts and associated planning regulations. Further orders were signed on 16 April 2020 and 9 May 2020, the...

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

Darragh O'Brien: With effect from 1 August 2020, the Residential Tenancies and Valuation Act 2020 protects tenants facing rent arrears from any rent increase or tenancy termination prior to 11 January 2021, subject to the tenant making an appropriate declaration. Currently I have no plans to prohibit tenancy termination, in any other circumstance, in Dublin on foot of its rating at level 3 under the...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The specific information requested by the Deputy is not available in my Department. The staffing arrangements, including recruitment and the detailed role and functions of the posts within a local authority, are a matter for the individual local authorities. In accordance with section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, the Chief Executive of the local authority makes such staffing...

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides funding on an annual basis under the Disabled Persons Grants (DPGs) scheme to local authorities for adaptations and extensions to the existing social housing stock to meet the needs of local authority tenants.  The scheme applies to works that are necessary to address the needs of older people or people with a disability.  This may involve...

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

Darragh O'Brien: In December 2018 my Department published the National Taking in Charge Initiative Report, which considered the issues associated with residential estates that are not taken-in-charge, including a subset of estates that depend on stand-alone developer provided water infrastructure for the provision of their water services. This report included a recommendation to introduce a...

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

Darragh O'Brien: As Minister with policy and legislative responsibility for fire safety and the provision of fire services by local authorities, my primary concern, as set out in the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003, is that local authority provided fire services are meeting their statutory obligations in respect of provision of fire services and fire safety. Fire services are provided in Ireland by local...

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department uses workforce planning processes to identify the critical resource needs required to deliver its business goals.  Workforce planning is a key tool in enabling my Department to forecast its current and future staffing needs (subject to the limits of the annual estimates process, the usual budgetary constraints and approvals by the Department of Public Expenditure and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (30 Sep 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: National Parks and Wildlife Service (30 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Farm Plan Scheme, administered by my Department's National Parks and Wildlife Service, is an important instrument that allows for proactive engagement with farmers in designated sites, to trial and deliver bespoke measures that support biodiversity. Plans delivered through the Scheme have been used to inform the development of national Agri-Environment Schemes under the Rural Development...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Telecommunications Infrastructure (30 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Under Section 30 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the Act) I am specifically precluded from exercising power or control in relation to any particular planning case with which a planning authority or An Bord Pleanála is or may be concerned. Consequently, I may not seek to influence the outcome of, or comment on, any individual planning cases. It should be noted...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (30 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department offers a range of funding programmes to assist the voluntary sector with the delivery of new social housing projects, including the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS) and the Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF).  Management and maintenance of existing social housing developments are a matter for the property owners. Putting in place adequate maintenance budgets and a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Supply (30 Sep 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 Eastern and Midlands Water Supply Project has been in development since the mid-1990s, originally under Dublin City Council and under Irish Water since January 2014. It is the first comprehensive upgrade of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Appeals (30 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: In evaluating the making or varying of county and city development plans, the Office of the Planning Regulator (the Office) must have regard to provisions set out in the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the Act), including, but not limited to, the National Planning Framework, regional spatial and economic strategies, the principles of proper planning and sustainable development,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Irish Water (30 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Having regard to the provisions of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Amendment) Act 1993, Irish Water’s governing legislation, including the Water Services Acts and its Constitution, and Irish Water’s current position as a subsidiary within the Ervia Group, there is currently no scope for the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) to have a role with respect to Irish...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Land Development Agency (30 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: There are currently no staff employed by the Land Development Agency (LDA) who were transferred from the National Asset Management Agency.  Based on information provided to the Department by the LDA, on establishment there were three members of staff seconded to the LDA by the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) for a period who were later recruited by the LDA through a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Staff (30 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Following the retirement of the most recent permanent Chief Executive of Mayo County Council, in accordance with section 145(6) of the Local Government Act 2001, as amended, the then Minister with responsibility for local government, appointed a Temporary Chief Executive to the post. This temporary appointment commenced on 14 May 2020. A permanent appointment has not yet been...