Results 10,681-10,700 of 28,221 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Home Loan Scheme (13 Jan 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Rebuilding Ireland Home Loans (RIHL) are provided in accordance with the Housing (Rebuilding Ireland Home Loans) Regulations 2018 and the statutory credit policy issued in accordance with the Regulations. The RIHL is available for self-builds and therefore persons in the very early stages of construction are not precluded from accessing the RIHL. However, given the greater complexity of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Covid-19 Pandemic (13 Jan 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department engaged consultancy services to support the carrying out of COVID-19 risk assessments, revision of the Department's Safety Statement and standard operating procedures for field-based staff. My Department engaged external service providers (not consultants) to support COVID-related work across a number of areas, including COVID-19 specific training; co-development of the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Pyrite Remediation Programme (14 Jan 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The table below shows the annual expenditure of the Pyrite Remediation Scheme and the associated number of dwellings remediated since 2014.  In addition, it contains the budget allocation and estimates for 2021. Year Annual Expenditure €m Number of dwellings remediated under the Pyrite Remediation Scheme ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Building Regulations (14 Jan 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The refurbishment of Priory Hall is being undertaken in a number of phases with 188 residential units and 4 Retail units in total being refurbished. The overall work scope relates to the extensive remediation of the residential and retail units, and extensive basement remediation including pyrite works. While the full costs of the remediation have yet to be finalised Dublin City...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (14 Jan 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Government and my Department have given careful consideration to the report of the European Committee of Social Rights in respect of the IFHS collective complaint against the Irish State in 2014. In relation to concerns around the adequacy of certain local authority housing, my Department is committed to ensuring that tenants in social housing are provided with adequate housing that...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Strategies (14 Jan 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government, Our Shared Future, is the foundation for my Department's main policy initiatives.  The Department has commitments across 10 of the 12 Missions in the Programme.  The Department's website is a good source of information about activities and initiatives but by way of illustration, in addition to significant initiatives undertaken to manage...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Property Registration Authority (14 Jan 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: In relation to any specific cases with the Property Registration Authority (PRA), arrangements have been put in place to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas.  Further information in relation to the specific case referred to may be obtained by contacting the dedicated e-mail address in respect of the PRA at reps@prai.ie.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: State Bodies (20 Jan 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: On 1 January 2018, Ministerial Orders (SI 573 of 2017, SI 574 of 2017 and SI 575 of 2017) transferred responsibility for the Valuation Office, the Property Registration Authority and Ordnance Survey Ireland to my Department. These three organisations have been preparing for a merger that will provide the opportunity and scope to lead, develop and maintain national spatial information...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Repair and Leasing Scheme (20 Jan 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS) was developed to assist private property owners and local authorities or approved housing bodies to harness the accommodation potential that exists in vacant dwellings. Data to end Q3 2020 in relation to dwellings delivered by each local authority under RLS is available on my Department's website at the following link: Total capital funding drawn down own...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (20 Jan 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government provides for a package of social housing reforms, including the introduction of a social housing passport to allow households move from one local authority list to another. It should be noted that the four Dublin local authorities already co-operate in arrangements that enable social housing applicants to apply for housing in one or two of the other Dublin...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Data (20 Jan 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 196 and 197 together. There have been a number of deaths, in recent months, of people who had been sleeping rough or accessing homeless services. Each of these deaths is a tragedy and I extend my sympathies to the families concerned. While my Department does not collate the data requested, the Department of Health has commissioned the Health Research...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payment (20 Jan 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The flexibility of HAP as a social housing support is one of the scheme's key characteristics and was one of the primary benefits envisaged at the outset of the scheme. With this in mind, Departmental circulars relating to inter-authority movement issued in 2017 and 2019, with the aim of facilitating movement of HAP households from one local authority area to another in cases where a HAP...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (20 Jan 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: With regard to co-living development, I indicated in a letter dated 23rd November 2020 to all local authorities, An Bord Pleanála and the Office of the Planning Regulator, that my preferred approach was to restrict commercial co-living development, through an update of the Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments, Guidelines for Planning Authorities 2018 document,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Covid-19 Pandemic (20 Jan 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: No employees of my Department have received Covid-19 vaccines due to their role in the Department.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Government Management Agency (20 Jan 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The qualifications for the recent Local Authority Graduate Programme run by the Local Government Management Agency required that applicants would at time of application be able to demonstrate that they had on or before the 31 December 2020 a recently achieved first or second class primary (2.2 minimum) honours degree (level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications). Each application...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Staff (20 Jan 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: In line with statutory provisions, my Department declares qualifications of such classes and descriptions for specified employment under a local authority or for such of the employments as belong to a specified class, description or grade. An Honours degree, Level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications, is set as the standard requirement for candidates to be deemed eligible to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Covid-19 Pandemic (20 Jan 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Government announced that additional public health restrictions would apply under Level 5 of the Plan for Living with COVID-19 on 6 January 2021. The additional restrictions required all construction activity to cease from 6pm on Friday 8 January, with certain exemptions, including social housing developments meeting certain criteria. These measures are set out in the Health Act 1947...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (20 Jan 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 211, 213 and 218 together. The Programme for Government, ‘Our Shared Future’, commits to putting affordability at the heart of the housing system and to: - prioritise the increased supply affordable homes and to ensure that local authorities are central to delivering housing, and - progress a state-backed affordable home purchase scheme to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Home Loan Scheme (20 Jan 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The local authority mortgage protection insurance (MPI) scheme has applied to all house purchase loans approved by local authorities after 1 July 1986, including the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan introduced on 1 February 2018. Local authority mortgage protection insurance is charged at the rate of 0.555%, this rate does not vary between local authorities. It is obligatory for all local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (20 Jan 2021)

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. In partnership with Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, the LDA have been granted...