Results 11,301-11,320 of 25,999 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Land Transfers (31 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Property Registration Authority (PRA) has established a dedicated unit to investigate issues raised with them. While the required investigations can take some time to complete, the PRA expedites processing where they are notified of urgency relating to a case. The specified application has been expedited and will be processed without delay. In relation to any specific cases with the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (31 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides funding to local authorities in respect of the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability, to assist eligible people in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. The suite of grants include the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability (max grant €30,000), the Mobility Aids Grant (max grant...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (31 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides funding to local authorities under the Disabled Persons Grants scheme to carry out works on social housing stock to address the needs of older people or people with a disability. The programme is 90% funded by the Department and a 10% contribution from the Local Authority. Typical works include adaptations such as stairlifts, level deck showers, ramps and grab rails,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Staff (31 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The information requested is set out in the table at the link.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Stations (31 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Services Acts, 1981 and 2003. My Department supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Inland Waterways (31 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I have no function in the matter raised. Local authorities are entirely independent corporate entities having full responsibility under law for the performance of their functions and the discharge of their governance and other responsibilities. Under section 103 of the Local Government Act 2001 all budgetary decisions of local authorities are reserved functions of the elected members.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Programme for Government (31 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government sets out a number of commitments in respect of the important policy area of building defects and provides for an examination of defects in housing, having regard to the recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing report, "Safe as Houses". In this regard, my Department has been actively engaging with key stakeholders and I have had several...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Safety (31 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the very stressful circumstances which owners and residents face when their homes are affected by construction defects. In general, building defects are matters for resolution between the contracting parties involved, the homeowner, the builder, the developer and/or their respective insurers, structural guarantee or warranty scheme. Under the Building...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (31 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Funding approvals and allocations under my Department's Multi-annual Developer Provided Water Services Infrastructure Resolution Programme 2019-2021 were announced in September 2020. The approvals included demonstration projects for four locations across three local authorities that the Expert Panel (appointed to review the bids) recommended for approval, subject to the authorities...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (31 Mar 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 a local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless services rests with individual housing authorities. Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988 sets out the purposes...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (31 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended, set down a standard procedure for assessing applicants for social housing support. Under this procedure, a household may apply for support to one housing authority only, which may be the authority for the area in which the household normally resides or with which it...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Irish Sign Language (31 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Irish Sign Language Act 2017 came into effect on 23 December 2020. The Act imposes certain obligations on all public bodies. In particular, section 6 of the Act provides that: - A public body shall do all that is reasonable to ensure that interpretation into Irish Sign Language is provided for a person who is competent in that language and cannot hear or understand English or Irish when...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Commencement of Legislation (31 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (31 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department supports a number of local authority housing stock improvement programmes which have seen €457m of exchequer funding invested in local authority housing stock improvement works since 2014. For example: The Energy Efficiency Programme aims to improve energy performance and comfort levels in homes. Since 2014, 60,357 homes have benefited from some level of retrofitting...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Expenditure (31 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The information sought is not readily available in the format requested. Its compilation would involve a disproportionate amount of time and work as it would require a cross-check of all of the payments made by the Department during 2018, 2019 and 2020 against all contracts awarded following a public procurement process and a breakdown of each payment by goods, services or capital works. My...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (1 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The 2021 Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme (EERP) is a newly revised programme devised around the Programme for Government with a set target of over 500,000 homes to be retrofit by 2030, of which it is estimated approximately 36,000 will be local authority owned homes. In early 2021, local authorities received an allocation along with a minimum target of homes they are required to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (1 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The delivery of housing supports is a key priority of Government and this is reflected in the Programme for Government commitment to increase the social housing stock nationally by more than 50,000, with a key emphasis on delivering new build homes. The Government investment for the delivery of all housing programmes this year alone, is €3.3 billion and given the major focus on new...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (1 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Scheme is deemed to be a social housing support under the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014. As a long term housing support, an assessment of housing need must be completed in order for a household to qualify for HAP. Any household with an identified housing need is eligible for HAP. Under HAP, households at risk of homelessness may be eligible...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: European Convention on Human Rights (1 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department supports a number of local authority housing stock improvement programmes which have seen €457m of exchequer funding invested in local authority housing stock improvement works since 2014. For example: - The Energy Efficiency Programme aims to improve energy performance and comfort levels in homes. Since 2014, 60,357 homes have benefited from some level of retrofitting...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (1 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 137, 138 and 141 together. Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority administrative area are provided in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA). The most recent summary, conducted in November 2020, shows that 61,880 households were assessed as qualified for and being in need of...