Results 10,901-10,920 of 25,999 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (3 Feb 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including the cost of pre-letting repairs to vacant properties and the carrying out of responsive repairs, are matters for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966 Since 2014, Exchequer funding has also been provided through my Department's Voids programme to support local authorities in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Septic Tanks (3 Feb 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Following on from the recommendations contained in the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services report in April 2017, a Working Group was established to conduct a review of the wider resources and investment needs relating to the rural water sector. As part of its work, the Working Group recommended a number of revisions to the existing grant scheme that...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Covid-19 Pandemic (3 Feb 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The advancement of  each URDF supported project is, in the first instance, a matter for the individual local authority involved. It is also a  matter for each local authority as an independent statutory body to establish whether their projects can be considered essential by reference to the relevant regulations concerning restrictions during the current Covid 19...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Staff (3 Feb 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The former Chief Executive of Galway County Council retired on 4 July 2014. A temporary chief executive was appointed at that time, pending a permanent appointment. In the intervening period, there has been extensive policy development processes examining optimum arrangements for local governance in Galway. Arising from these processes, in June 2018 the Government...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Supply (3 Feb 2021)

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. As part of Budget 2021, I secured funding of over €1.4 billion to support water services. This includes €1.3 billion in respect of domestic water services provision by Irish Water. This overall...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (3 Feb 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Under the Programme for Government, ‘Our Shared Future’, this Government has committed to putting housing 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 promote home...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Data (3 Feb 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity. This data is available to the end of Quarter 3 2020, and data for Quarter 4 2020 is currently being compiled. This data is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Home Loan Scheme (3 Feb 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan scheme remains open for business. All local authorities are receiving and processing RIHL applications and are incorporating increased flexibility to accommodate applicants during the COVID 19 Pandemic.  As is the case with any lender, local authorities must lend mortgages on a prudent basis, taking into account the most recent income and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Covid-19 Pandemic (4 Feb 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 74, 75 and 77 together. 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 a number of exceptions. These measures are set out in Health Act 1947...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Covid-19 Pandemic (4 Feb 2021)

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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (4 Feb 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I understand that the Deputy is referring to social housing construction expenditure and activity in the period since January 2019. My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity. This data, which includes a breakdown of social housing delivery across a range of mechanisms, is available to the end of Quarter 3...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (4 Feb 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Social Housing Leasing Programme supports the delivery of social housing by providing financial support to local authorities for the long term leasing of houses and apartments. Applications under the leasing programme are made to the relevant local authority who assess each application. Where the application is for more than 4 properties, the local authority must apply to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Energy Efficiency (4 Feb 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The European Union (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations 2019 set higher building energy performance standards for dwellings, in accordance with the Nearly Zero Energy Building requirements (NZEB) contained in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. These Regulations apply to works in connection with the design and construction of a new dwelling, where the relevant works...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water and Sewerage Schemes (4 Feb 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The project referred to in the question has been approved for funding under the Multi-annual Rural Water Programme 2019-2021.  It is now a matter for Wexford County Council to advance the project and engage further with my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (10 Feb 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 283, 288, 289, 310 and 311 together. 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 a number of exceptions. These measures are set out in the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (10 Feb 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Sustainable communities are created in neighbourhoods where an efficient use of land, high quality urban design and effective integration with the physical and social infrastructure such as public transport, schools, amenities and other facilities combine to create places people want to live in. Additional features of sustainable communities include: - compact, energy efficient and high...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (10 Feb 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: To end September 2020, 722 homes were delivered under the Social Housing Leasing Programme in 2020. A breakdown of the delivery by location can be found on my Department's website at the following link: . Leasing delivery data for Q4 2020 is being collated at present and will be published as soon as that process is finalised. Details of the developer involved in each social housing leasing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Quality (10 Feb 2021)

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 and the Minister has no function in relation to this matter, under section 7 of the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013. Furthermore, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as environmental regulator, is responsible for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Issues (10 Feb 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department assesses, approves and records local authority social housing delivery costs for each project submitted for funding approval. As part of this process submitted costs are reviewed, taking cognisance of the particular circumstances of each project and the context of the overall housing need. On occasion, tender approval has been withheld by my Department or only a reduced budget...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homelessness Strategy (10 Feb 2021)

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 housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of emergency accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities. The...