Results 10,261-10,280 of 25,999 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (12 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: In Budget 2021, the total funding being made available for the delivery of housing programmes was €3.3 billion. From this sum, €468 million will be specifically provided to support housing affordability measures. This includes the Serviced Sites Fund, the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund, the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan and the Land Development Agency (LDA)....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (12 Nov 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 Funding (12 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides funding every year for the Disabled Persons Grant (DPG) scheme and the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability scheme. While both schemes are administered directly by the local authorities they operate independently with separate funding streams, the main differences being the type of properties eligible for funding and the level of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Covid-19 Pandemic (12 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department has not encountered expenditure in respect of hand sanitisation products or other PPE products that were subsequently subject to a recall by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in 2020. The information requested in relation to bodies under the aegis of my Department is a matter for the individual bodies concerned. Arrangements have been put in place by each...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Home Loan Scheme (12 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 218 and 219 together. A Review of the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan (RIHL) was undertaken by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and was published on 23 October 2020. The report provides a high level review of: - the degree to which the scheme has met its objectives; - scopes the need for ongoing intervention; and - assesses selected...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (12 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The current position in relation to the refusal by households of offers of social housing dwellings is set down in Regulation 12 of the Social Housing Allocation Regulations 2011, made under section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009. Under Regulation 12, a household that refuses two reasonable offers of such tenancies in any twelve-month period, other than an offer...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Home Loan Scheme (12 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 221 and 222 together. This Department has policy responsibility for the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan (RIHL), which operationally is delivered by the local authorities. The RIHL is targeted at first time buyers who wish to own their own home, have access to an adequate deposit and have the capacity to repay a mortgage, but who are unable to access a mortgage...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (12 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the committee members. I am joined this morning by three of my colleagues from the Department, Ms Marguerite Ryan, Mr. Eamonn Waters and Mr. Patrick O'Sullivan. I will quickly run through the opening statement I have circulated. I will be happy to answer any questions. It is just over a month since I had the opportunity to meet with the committee to discuss the 2020 Estimate for...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (12 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for her input and support. On her second question, the rates waiver has been significant. As I stated, it has had a positive impact on businesses. The Government wishes to keep businesses going through the pandemic. There was positive news earlier in the week and it is hoped we will be able to get back to some degree of real normality next year. The rates waiver is...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (12 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I appreciate the questions and I will deal with them individually. On the €60 million additional announced today, the full programme relates to Covid-related costs on the current side but it does add to the total this year of nearly €100 million more than would have been allowed for in budget 2020, so it is significant. Into next year, obviously, we have additional funding...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (12 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I neglected to answer Deputy Ó Broin on the affordable housing legislation. That is well advanced and will be introduced in this session. I did not get round to answering that. I will say a couple of things to Deputy McAuliffe. There is a change of direction on housing with a clear focus on public homes on public land and the delivery of affordable housing for working people, both...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (12 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputy. I have couple of points on Housing First. There is a firm commitment in this regard in the programme for Government. We have now moved that on to another level with the budget for next year, or the additional moneys to expand Housing First across the country. Regarding the most recent data that I have, the national implementation plan, issued in September 2018,...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (12 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: We are inspecting them for quality. If they are getting State money, there are standards set that they must meet. This is an area we are examining.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (12 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Regarding the Deputy's last point, on the need for quick victories, with which I agree, one of the first steps I took was to improve the single-stage approval process, raising the value to €6 million, to give more autonomy to local authorities to build themselves. I really want that. Next year, local authorities throughout the country are fully funded to deliver 12,750 new public...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (12 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My thanks to both Deputies. Deputy McAuliffe mentioned the local property tax review. The review was paused. It actually sits under the Department of Finance but it has a direct input in our area and what we are discussing. Many properties have been built since 2013 that do not actually pay any property tax. This is significant. The loss to the Exchequer is in the millions each year....

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (12 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I am aware that Carlow has made an application, as have many others.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (12 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I am sure it is a very good one. I am sure all of them are.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (12 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The urban regeneration and development fund is significant. The reason I want to make announcements on the second call this side of the year is to open up the fund again next year. It is an important vehicle. It is one of many Government initiatives that will help our regions to thrive and prosper. It is really important.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (12 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I would be delighted to. The budget contains are measures on affordability ranging up to €468 million in value. It is significant. It is in the housing for all section of the programme for Government. Affordability and associated measures are at the centre of it. The serviced sites fund is part of it. I am working on measures that I believe can improve the delivery on that. As I...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Mortgage to Rent Scheme (17 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Mortgage to Rent (MTR) scheme introduced in 2012 is targeted at supporting households in mortgage arrears who: have had their mortgage position deemed unsustainable by their lender under the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (MARP); agree to the voluntary surrender of their home and are deemed eligible for social housing support. The property in question...