Results 11,181-11,200 of 25,999 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (24 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 597 and 598 together. There are a range of funding and delivery mechanisms available to local authorities to deliver social housing supports in partnership with Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs). The funding is provided by my Department directly to local authorities, who in turn, advance the funding to the AHBs, as appropriate. The organisation detailed by the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Staff (24 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Louth County Council sought formal sanction from my Department for two additional staff at Senior Executive Officer grade level in early 2020, the posts to be filled by internal competition. Formal sanction was communicated by my Department to the Council on 31 January 2020 on a three year specific purpose contract basis with recruitment confined to the local government sector. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (24 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 602 and 610 together. The second call for proposals under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund was launched in January 2020. A copy of the circular setting out the objectives of the Fund together with the application form and assessment criteria have been available on my Departments website since then, and can be found at the following link: A copy of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (24 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 603 and 606 together. My Department is currently focused on updating the legislation underpinning marine planning decision making, giving cross-government priority to the drafting of the Marine Area Planning (MAP) Bill (formerly the Marine Planning and Development Bill). The MAP Bill seeks to establish in law a new regime for the maritime area which will...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rights of Way (24 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: There appears to be a misapprehension regarding the dates for registering rights of ways acquired by prescription on foot of amendments made by Parts 12 and 13 of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2011 to the provisions relating to acquisition of easements and profits by prescription contained in Part 8 of the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act 2009. I understand from the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (24 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 605, 726 to 729, inclusive, and 733 together. The Programme for Government provides that the Government will retain Irish Water in public ownership as a national, standalone, regulated utility. The realisation of this commitment will complete the broad policy and legislative reforms which have seen the public water system embark on a journey of transformation,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payment (24 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Under the Housing Assistance Payment (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. Guidelines on inter authority movement were issued to local authorities to facilitate the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Building Regulations Qualifications (24 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Building Control Act 2007 provides for the registration of quantity surveyors. Part 4 of the Act establishes the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) as the registration body for quantity surveyors. Assessment for registration is the responsibility of the SCSI and is a matter for that body. Section 29(2)(a) of the Building Control Act 2007 sets out the qualifications...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Home Loan Scheme (24 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan Scheme enables credit-worthy first-time buyers to access sustainable mortgage lending to purchase new or second-hand properties in a suitable price range, where they cannot obtain sufficient mortgage finance from a commercial lender. As with the previous local authority loan offerings, the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan is available to first-time buyers only....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (24 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 611 to 613, inclusive, together. ‘Our Shared Future’, the Programme for Government, commits to putting affordability at the heart of the housing system. The €75 allocation in Budget 2021 for the Affordable Purchase Shared Equity Scheme is one measure to deliver on this commitment, with the three-fold objectives of (1) improving access...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (24 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: To date, my Department has issued two formal Serviced Sites Fund (SSF) calls for proposals to local authorities. Funding of almost €188 million has been approved in principle in support of 38 infrastructure projects in 14 local authority areas, which will assist in the delivery of almost 4,000 more affordable homes. Under proposals as they stand, approximately 3,300 of these homes...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Private Rented Accommodation (24 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government - 'Our Shared Future', commits to improve the security of tenure for tenants, through legislating for tenancies of indefinite duration, increasing Residential Tenancies Board enforcement and examining incentives for long-term leasing. Proposals for further amendments to the Residential Tenancies Acts are currently being developed, for inclusion in the General...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (24 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 619 and 703 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (24 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The right of local authorities to set and collect rents on their dwellings is laid down in section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. The making or amending of such schemes is an executive function and is subject to broad principles set out by the Department, including that rent levels should be based on income and reflect tenants’ ability to pay. Some local authorities retained the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Care of the Elderly (24 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: There are a number of key principles underpinning Government policy on housing for older people. These include putting in place measures to ensure that sustainable housing is provided in the right location to enable people to age in the community; to design housing and the environment in accordance with the principles of sustainable lifetime housing; to promote the use of assistive technology...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (24 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity. The data is available to the end of Quarter 4 2020. This data is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link: In addition to the statistical overview of activity in each local authority, the Social Housing Construction...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (24 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not hold the information as requested by the Deputy with respect to the number of social housing applicants that were refused due to being in receipt of pandemic unemployment payment. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (24 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Responsibility for the management and maintenance of the local authority housing stock rests with each local authority under section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. My Department does however provide funding support to local authorities to assist with management and maintenance of their stock under a number of funding programmes, which includes the Energy Retrofit Programme. The 2021 Energy...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (24 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department did not receive a request from Donegal County Council regarding the acquisition of the property to which the Deputy refers. However, I understand from the Council that they have put in place a long term housing solution for the tenants concerned. The delivery of housing supports is a key priority of Government and this is reflected in the Programme for Government commitment...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (24 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 628 and 629 together. 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 a local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless services rests with individual housing authorities....