Results 9,901-9,920 of 25,999 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

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

Darragh O'Brien: No fines have been issued to the State in relation to conservation of the Irish hare or under the Habitats Directive, in that respect.

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department publishes information on the overall number and value of (i) local authority loan approvals and (ii) local authority loan drawdowns. Local authority approval means that an official letter of offer has been sent to a borrower (and therefore relates to a specific property and loan amount). My Department has issued data requests for the first two quarters of 2020 and figures for...

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

Darragh O'Brien: In light of the temporary ‘stay at home’ measures introduced earlier this year in response to 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 (the 2000 Act) which resulted in the extension of time for a range of specified or appropriate periods and timelines in the Planning Acts and...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Officials of the National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department are actively continuing with their criminal investigations into this concerning and very serious incident. There are no further updates since the matter was last raised in the House.

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

Darragh O'Brien: To date in 2020, two of the six National Parks were affected by significant illegal fires. These were Killarney National Parkand Wicklow Mountains National Park. Significant environmental damage is caused by wildfires and the setting of such fires is particularly irresponsible during 2020 as it creates an unnecessary draw on our emergency services. While the primary responsibility in terms of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority 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. The 2011 Regulations prescribe maximum net income limits for each local authority, in different bands...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 gives legislative recognition to rental accommodation availability agreements, which underpin the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS), as a form of social housing support. Consequently, since 1 April 2011, RAS tenants are now considered to be in receipt of social housing support and should not generally remain on main housing waiting lists for new...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Section 24A(6) of the Residential Tenancies Acts provides that ‘Where a local electoral area is prescribed by order as an RPZ and, subsequently, any local electoral areas are duly amended in a manner that affects the area of the local electoral area so prescribed, then the order shall continue to have effect as if the local electoral area concerned had not been so amended.’...

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department has operated an Energy Efficiency Retrofitting Programme for local authority social housing since 2013. The programme improves the insulation standards and overall energy performance of local authority housing stock, which can benefit those at risk of fuel poverty and also improve the health and comfort of the occupants of local authority homes. The programme is open to...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 338 and 339 together. Under Section 28 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 as amended, a planning authority must notify the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (currently the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts , Gaeltacht, Sports and Media) and Údarás na Gaeltachta, to invite their views in relation to planning...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Fines have arisen in relation to two cases that involved transposition issues and the details of these cases are set out in the following table: Year Case Ref. Directive Details of Fine Amount Payment Details 2013 C-374/11 Council Directive 75/442/EEC of 15 July 1975, as amended €2...

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

Darragh O'Brien: In 2018, the then Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform initiated an Inter-Departmental review of Local Property Tax (LPT). The purpose of the review was to inform the Minister in relation to any actions he may recommend to Government concerning the overall yield from LPT and its contribution to total tax revenue. As the LPT review did not primarily concern itself with...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (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...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Under the Water Services Acts 2007 (as amended) and2012 (Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems) Regulations 2012, the owner of a domestic waste water treatment system is responsible for its maintenance and renewal and shall ensure that its parts and components are fit for purpose, operational where appropriate and kept in good order and repair so as to prevent a risk to human health or...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The National Planning Framework (NPF) sits at the top of a hierarchy of statutory spatial development plans, the purpose of which is to ensure the sustainable development of urban and rural areas, secure balanced regional development and to support and co-ordinate proper planning and development throughout Ireland. This national-level planning policy is implemented at the regional level...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 345 and 349 together. The regular management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, is a matter for each relevant local authority, and it is open to each authority to address maintenance or improvements to their housing stock from within their own resources. However, my Department does support local authorities in improving their social housing...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2020, to operate a national tenancy registration system and to facilitate the resolution of disputes between landlords and tenants. The Clerk of the Dáil requested that arrangements be put in place to facilitate the provision of information by State Bodies...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Quality (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, including the delivery of water services capital infrastructure, while the local authorities remain responsible for private water supplies. Under the Drinking Water Regulations 2014, as amended, the Environmental...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Community Monuments Fund is a new initiative introduced as part of the July Jobs Stimulus Package. It will invest significant new capital in our valuable archaeological heritage for the conservation, maintenance, protection and promotion of local monuments and historic sites. The Community Monuments Fund will: - enable conservation works to be carried out on monuments which are deemed to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (6 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: A second call for proposals under the URDF was launched earlier this year. Seventy six proposals were received, with every local authority submitting at least one application for URDF support. Because of the nature of the URDF programme the proposals are very complex, and each will require detailed assessment. The assessment process is presently under way. It is intended that a...