Results 10,521-10,540 of 25,999 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government commits to bringing forward a package of social housing reforms, which includes standardising the differential rents regime across the country to ensure fairness.  Work on the review of the current rent schemes has been ongoing and I have asked my Department to prepare recommendations regarding the potential for a standardised local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payment (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Total expenditure by my Department on the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) for the period that the scheme has been in operation 2014 – 2019,  and the amount spent in 2020 for HAP at end November 2020 is in the table below. Year  Outturn €M  2014 0.3 2015 15.6 2016 ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payment (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Tenants in the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme are required to sign a rent contribution agreement to pay a weekly rental contribution to the relevant local authority, in line with the local authority’s differential rent scheme. As set out in the rent contribution agreement, this weekly rental contribution must be paid by them so that they remain eligible for the HAP...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Strategy for the Rental Sector set out a series of measures to be introduced to ensure the quality of private rental accommodation by strengthening the applicable standards and improving the inspection and enforcement systems.  The Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 specify requirements in relation to a range of matters, such as structural repair, sanitary...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Residential Tenancies Board (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: On 1 July 2019, the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act expanded the role of the Residential Tenancy Board (RTB) to investigate and sanction landlords who engage in certain breaches of the law, defined in the Act as Improper Conduct. This brought about a fundamental change in the operation of the RTB by expanding its regulatory remit. The breaches of rental law that the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Expenditure (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: In supporting ‘Continuous Professional Development’ (CPD), my Department's Training and Development Strategy recognises the value of membership of professional bodies in the context of keeping pace with the latest professional standards and practices. In 2020, 71 professional fees were paid totaling€28,080.68 A full breakdown is contained in the attached Excel...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Staff (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: As the Deputy will be aware, in 2014, the then Minister appointed a temporary Chief Executive for Galway County Council until a permanent appointment was made. This took account of the ongoing local government reform programme.  Following the outcome of the legislative process in relation to the Local Government Bill 2018, my Department is reviewing the issues arising,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The difference between the average social housing capital investment figures provided in the reply to Question No. 632 of 3 November 2020 and Question No. 297 of 1 December 2020 is due to the fact that Question No. 632 sought information on social housing units completed in 2019 whereas Question No. 297 sought information on social housing units that...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Pyrite Remediation Programme (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks in Construction (Remediation) (Financial Assistance) Regulations 2020 provide for a grant scheme of financial assistance to support affected homeowners in the counties of Donegal and Mayo only, to carry out the necessary remediation works to dwellings that have been damaged due to the use of defective concrete blocks....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF) is an innovate mechanism to secure and deliver social housing at a fraction of the capital cost to the State. AHBs secure 70%+ of the funding through private finance arrangements with the Housing Finance Agency or other sources.   Part of the decision process by my Department is the assessment of the level of CALF funding that a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides Unit Cost Ceilings (UCCs) to each local authority as a key benchmark for the development and costing of new build social housing. They are based on returned data from tendered social housing schemes over an extended period and are updated based on published tender index information as required. The current UCCs were issued to local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I understand that Dun-Laoghaire Rathdown County Council are in discussions with the developer of the site referenced in relation the Part V obligation for social housing in accordance with the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, and are evaluating options and calculating and agreeing the land value. As yet no submission has been made to my Department for funding of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Funding of €75 million in Budget 2021 has been be allocated to a new National Affordable Purchase Shared Equity Scheme, which will be introduced in 2021.  I intend to target this scheme at first time buyers including single persons, who are seeking to buy a new home but who cannot quite secure the full mortgage amount to do so at the present time. Subject to the final qualifying...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, requires all local authorities to make an allocation scheme determining the order of priority to be accorded in the allocation of dwellings to households qualified for social housing support, the allocation of which would, in the opinion of the authority, meet the accommodation needs and requirements of the households. Under...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Expenditure (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing First enables homeless individuals with high levels of complex needs to obtain permanent secure accommodation with the provision of intensive housing and health supports to help the individuals concerned maintain their tenancies. The National Implementation Plan for Housing First was published in September 2018. The Plan includes an overall target of 663 tenancies in the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payment (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Increased rent limits for the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and the Rent Supplement Scheme were introduced in 2016. These limits were agreed in conjunction with the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP).  In reviewing the rent limits, my Department worked closely with DEASP and monitored data gathered from the Residential Tenancies Board...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payment (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Under the HAP scheme, tenants source their own accommodation in the private rented market. The accommodation sourced by tenants should be within the prescribed maximum HAP rent limits, which are based on household size and the rental market within the area concerned. Each local authority has statutory discretion to agree to a HAP payment up to 20% above the prescribed maximum rent limit...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Emergency Accommodation (10 Dec 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Data (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA) has been conducted on an annual basis since 2016, prior to which it was carried out once every three years. The last Summary under the triennial approach took place in  2013, and, as there was no assessment carried out in 2014 or 2015, my Department has no data available for those years. The link to the...

Homeless Prevention Bill 2020: Second Stage [Private Members] (15 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank Deputy Ó Broin for bringing this Bill forward and providing us with another opportunity to discuss homelessness and, importantly, the aspect of prevention. It is correct that prevention is always better than cure. Tackling homelessness is a moral imperative for this Government and for our State. On the point raised by Deputy Andrews regarding local connections, I clarified...