Results 11,881-11,900 of 15,555 for speaker:Eoghan Murphy

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Safety (18 Dec 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: In the first instance, I would like to acknowledge the stressful circumstances which the owners and residents of buildings face when defects occur in their homes. However, 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. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Data (18 Dec 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 669 and 670 together. Statistics in relation to social housing stock are published by the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) in their annual reports on Performance Indicators in Local Authorities. These reports provide a range of information in relation to social housing stock, including the number of dwellings in the ownership of each local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Waiting Lists (18 Dec 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 671 and 672 together. Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority area are provided in the statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA). The most recently conducted SSHA, carried out in June 2018, details the number of households on all local authority waiting lists as at 11 June 2018 (the count...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services Expenditure (18 Dec 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: A capital funding provision of €23 million has been made in my Department for the Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme for 2019. This, in fact, represents a 15% increase on the funding provision of €20 million for 2018. Under the National Development Plan 2018-2027, provision is made for a capital funding commitment of €95m for the Programme for the period 2018-2021. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Funding (18 Dec 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: In order to support the affordable housing programmes of local authorities, the Government has committed €310 million, over the three years 2019 to 2021, under the Serviced Sites Fund (SSF) announced as part of Budget 2019. The funding is available for key facilitating infrastructure, on public lands, to support the provision of affordable homes to purchase or rent. I envisage a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (18 Dec 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: My Department is currently undertaking a focused review of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines. As part of the overall review, a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is being undertaken on the revised Guidelines before they come into effect, in accordance with the requirements of EU Directive 2001/24/EC on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (19 Dec 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Deputy for the question. It is a very difficult time for families in emergency accommodation. The policy responses we are putting in place are to try to get families out of hubs and into homes as quickly as possible. My Department and the Housing Agency are engaging with the banks to take possession of their vacant stock. Almost 1,000 homes will come in through the acquisition...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (19 Dec 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Deputy for the question. I am very sorry that families have to spend this Christmas in emergency accommodation. I have been meeting many of them this week. This is a very difficult time for parents with children, particularly at this time of year. That is the reason we brought about Rebuilding Ireland, which is a five-year plan. I wish we could get return the housing sector...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (19 Dec 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Deputy for the question. We have given local authorities the resources, policy and funding to increase dramatically the stock of social housing. That is happening in some local authorities, but not every local authority is working to the same speed. We have not yet met with Deputy Smyth's local authority to agree the targets for next year. We are in the process of doing that...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Property Registration (19 Dec 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Under the Registration of Deeds and Title Act 2006, the Property Registration Authority (PRA) was established as and from 4 November 2006. The PRA replaced the Registrar of Deeds and Titles as the registering authority in relation to property registration in Ireland and, subject to the above Act, is independent in the performance of its functions. A service for Oireachtas members was...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Estates (19 Dec 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 573 and 579 together. My Department launched the National Taking-in-Charge Initiative (NTICI) in April 2016 to trial new approaches and working methods in supporting and accelerating overall national and local action on the taking-in-charge process of housing estates, including estates with developer-provided water services infrastructure (DPI). Under the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Advertising Expenditure (19 Dec 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 575, 585 and 586 together. Press and public relations functions are generally undertaken by the officials in my Department's Press Office. The engagement of external expertise is only considered where the issues involved require expert skills or capabilities that are not readily available within my Department. The details requested for the years 2016 onward...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (19 Dec 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: The issue of vacant homes in rural areas is addressed in the National Vacant Housing Reuse Strategy 2018-2021 and while my Department does not plan to introduce a grant to renovate old, one-off rural housing, it has committed to work in close partnership with other relevant Government Departments on addressing rural vacancy. There are already opportunities, under funding programmes for social...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Data (19 Dec 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: My Department publishes a monthly report on homelessness. The monthly report is based on data provided by housing authorities and produced through the Pathway Accommodation & Support System (PASS). The report captures details of individuals utilising State-funded emergency accommodation arrangements that are overseen by housing authorities and can be accessed at the following link: ....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (19 Dec 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: It would not be appropriate for me to comment on the High Court proceedings referred to because neither I, as Minister, nor the State is a party to the case concerned. In addition, it should be noted that under section 30 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, I am specifically precluded from exercising any power or control in relation to any case (including planning...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Residential Tenancies Board Data (19 Dec 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) Rent Index is the most authoritative and accurate report on actual rents in the private rental sector. It calculates the standardised averages and rental indices for private sector tenancies only. Approved Housing Body tenancies are excluded as they would distort the overall average given that the rents charged are below market rents.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Residential Tenancies Board Data (19 Dec 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2018, which is expected to be published this week, contains amendments to enhance the rental data to be provided to the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), including provision for the annual registration of tenancies. The aim is to gather more accurate and detailed tenancy and rental data on an annual basis to improve the information available to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Mortgage Schemes (19 Dec 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: To the end of Q3 2018, the number of Mortgage to Rent (MTR) applications withdrawn was 1,162. All withdrawals are notified by the lender and the underlying reasons for withdrawal are not indicated. However, it is known that the 1,162 cases included some 500 applications that were incorrectly submitted by lenders in the early stages of the scheme when lenders were not familiar with the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (19 Dec 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: My Department established the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF) to relieve critical infrastructural blockages to enable the accelerated delivery of housing on key development sites in Dublin and in other urban areas with high demand for housing. The type of infrastructure investment includes roads, bridges, diversion of powerlines, drainage works as well as public amenities...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Jan 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Deputy for the question. We are awaiting wording from the Office of the Attorney General, but we have agreement to try to find the appropriate wording. I updated the committee and advised it that we, in the Department, believe we know the right wording for an amendment to the Deputy's Bill to be put to the people in a referendum. However, we now need the Attorney General to...