Results 9,861-9,880 of 25,999 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payment (6 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Despite the challenges faced throughout the period of the Covid emergency measures, local authorities and the Housing Assistance Payment Shared Service Centre (HAPSSC) have continued to provide a critical service to all HAP customers. This is evident in the high number of HAP tenancies that continued to be set-up this year. The 2020 HAP target is for 15,750 additional tenancies and, at the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (6 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department, which is represented on the Interdepartmental Committee for Island Development chaired by the Minister of State for the Gaeltacht and Sport, recently wrote to the 5 local authorities having inhabited islands within their administrative areas to ascertain the extent to which applicants for social housing have indicated a preference for housing on the islands. The responses...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (6 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Galway Social Housing Taskforce is continuing its work in line with its terms of reference, with four meetings to date in 2020, following on from the four held in 2019. The Taskforce remains strongly committed to working to improve and accelerate social housing delivery in both the Galway local authority areas. The Galway Councils have a combined target of just over 2,000 social housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Quality (6 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the supervisory authority for public water supplies in Ireland. Irish Water is responsible for monitoring the quality of public water supplies while local authorities are responsible for monitoring the quality of water provided by other suppliers. The role of the EPA in relation to public drinking water supplies is set out in the European Union...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Direct Provision System (6 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The housing of people who arrive in Ireland seeking asylum is a matter for the Department of Justice and Equality who are obliged through EU and international laws to provide shelter and subsistence to anyone who claims asylum until their claim has been determined. Once their claim has been determined, those who obtain leave to remain in the State have the same rights to apply for social...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (6 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 58 and 80 together. My Department is engaging with representatives of the local government sector and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on the financial challenges facing local authorities as a direct consequence of the pandemic, both in terms of additional costs incurred as part of the local government response and reductions in some local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Parks and Wildlife Service (6 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: There is a commitment in the Programme for Government to review the remit, status and funding of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to ensure that it is playing an effective role in delivering its overall mandate and enforcement role in the protection of wildlife. To this end, I engaged with my officials in the National Parks and Wildlife Service to discuss the review and am...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (6 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Under the Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Sustainable Rural Housing 2005, planning authorities are required to frame the planning policies in their development plans in a balanced and measured way that ensures the housing needs of rural communities are met, while avoiding excessive urban-generated housing. The National Planning Framework (the NPF) provides an important strategic...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Land Development Agency (6 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Land Development Agency (LDA) was established on an interim basis in September 2018, by way of an Establishment Order made under the Local Government Services (Corporate Bodies) Act 1971, pending the enactment of primary legislation when it will be established as a commercial State agency. On establishment, the Agency had access to an initial tranche of 9 sites including St. Kevin's...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Home Loan Scheme (6 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 62 and 88 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Special Areas of Conservation (6 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Ireland is required under the EU Habitats Directive, as well as all other Member States, to depute Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) for the protection of endangered habitats and species as listed in the Directive. Sites are evaluated by National Parks and Wildlife Service scientific staff before being proposed. Where lands are being proposed, each landowner is notified in writing and is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (6 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: A key commitment of the Programme for Government "Our Shared Future" is ensuring that affordable, quality homes are available to everyone in Irish society. The 2019 Summary of Social Housing Assesssments shows that 1,205 households are qualified for social housing support from Mayo County Council, which represents a decrease of 37% since 2016. My Department has been working hard with all...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (6 Oct 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: Social and Affordable Housing (6 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: This Government is 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 commits to putting affordability at the heart of the housing system through the progression of State-backed affordable housing. In terms of affordable housing for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Pollution (6 Oct 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. Irish Water’s primary function is to provide clean safe drinking water to customers and to treat and return wastewater safely to the environment. It is recognised that our waste water networks require ongoing and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (6 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 69 and 91 together. This Government is 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’. We will put affordability at the heart of the housing system through the progression of State-backed affordable...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (6 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: 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 allows qualified applicants to 'register an interest' in available homes. Applicants can act on their own initiative to respond to adverts and express an interest in dwellings that they would like to live in,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (6 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of local authorities in addressing homelessness at a local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless accommodation and related services rests with individual local authorities. Under the Housing Act...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (6 Oct 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 associated Regulations and are applied by all local authorities in assessing individual households for support. The Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011 prescribe...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water and Sewerage Schemes (6 Oct 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. The Government’s July Stimulus Package included €43m capital funding for investment by Irish Water in the leakage reduction programme and capital maintenance works. This investment is funding works by Irish...