Results 12,141-12,160 of 26,025 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Budgets (23 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The expenditure provisions for my Department in 2021 as set out in the Revised Estimates for Public Services 2021 published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) are available at www.per.gov.ie/en/rev/ Details of the allocations provided to Programme F Heritage in 2021 are set out in the table below: Subhead Current €000 ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Quality (23 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 119 and 121 together. My Department’s Rural Water Programme provides capital and operational funding to group water schemes. The day-to-day administration of the Programme is devolved to local authorities. The Multi-annual Rural Water Programme provides capital funding under a number of measures to enable group water schemes to resolve...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (23 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department’s Rural Water Programme provides capital and operational funding to group water schemes. The day-to-day administration of the Programme is devolved to local authorities. The Multi-annual Rural Water Programme provides capital funding under a number of measures to enable group water schemes to resolve infrastructural deficiencies in particular those that are causing or...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Litter Pollution (23 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The estimated annual pay bill cost of hiring ten additional litter wardens is €321,090 not including employer's PRSI contributions etc.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (23 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 123 to 130, inclusive, together. Details of the 2021 housing output targets, including the targets under the programmes requested by the Deputy, are set out in the 2021 Revised Estimates (REV) which is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/e20037-revised-estimates/#2021. In respect of the Capital Advance Leasing Facility the 2021...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (23 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: 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. The deaths of people availing of homeless services are a concern and are being taken very seriously. It is important that we establish the facts concerning the circumstances...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (23 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Energy Efficiency Programme for 2021 is a newly revised programme designed around the Programme for Government commitment to retrofit 500,000 homes to a B2/Cost Optimal BER standard by 2030. Approximately 36,500 of those homes are expected to be local authority homes. A target of 2,400 social homes for upgrade works has been set for 2021, 750 of which relate to the Midlands Retrofit...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (23 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The National Vacant Housing Reuse Strategy, which was published by my Department in 2018, provides a targeted, effective and coordinated approach to identifying and tackling vacancy across Ireland. The range of objectives, and actions it specifies, have been pursued in partnership with stakeholders and agencies across the housing sector to address vacancy in our housing stock. In that...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (23 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 135 and 136 together. The table below shows the number of social housing projects being progressed by local authorities under the Single Stage review process. When first introduced in 2018, this arrangement applied to social housing projects up to the value of €2m but I increased the value of eligible projects to €6m in September 2020, to give...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Policy (24 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank Deputy Ó Broin for his question. Since 1 August 2020, the Residential Tenancies and Valuation Act 2020, and its successor, the Planning and Development, and Residential Tenancies, Act 2020, enhance tenancy protections where a tenant is in rent arrears due to Covid-19 and at risk of losing his or her home and make the necessary declaration. Indeed, coincidentally, we were...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Policy (24 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Homelessness is an absolute priority issue for me and the Government. Thankfully, in the last year, year-on-year, we have seen a significant reduction in homelessness, both in child and family homelessness and overall. There are issues with single person homelessness, rates of which remain stubbornly high. The overall number of people who are homeless is still far too high. All of us...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Policy (24 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Yesterday evening we brought forward the fifth piece of tenancy and rental legislation since I was appointed Minister. We have been to the fore in the areas of rent and protection for tenants. Last August, when exited out of the blanket ban on evictions that was in place, we did so on the basis of very strong legal advice that we had received, that any measures that we take must be...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: House Prices (24 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The April 2021 price index released by the CSO shows in general a rising trend in house prices with some variations across areas and property type. These increases must be viewed in the context of the proceeding year, which included national lockdowns and restrictions on movement, which impacted severely on the construction sector and our supply. Obviously, there has been a lot of pressure...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: House Prices (24 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The measures I have brought forward in the Affordable Housing Bill and housing for all are supply side measures because we need to get supply up to at least an average of 33,000 per year. Last year, there were just over 20,000 completions. This year, on the best projections we have so far, there will probably be up to 18,000. The reality is that when the market, production and capacity are...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: House Prices (24 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: This Government believes in home ownership. In his earlier contribution, the Deputy bemoaned the fact that the average age of someone buying his or her first home has increased to 38. I have been raising this issue for a number of years but the difference is that we are doing something about it. A shared equity scheme is part of the Affordable Housing Bill, which will come to the House...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (24 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I know the Deputy has a close relationship with that particular publication. I cannot say I read the article. My Department engaged the ESRI to undertake independent research into structural housing demand in Ireland right up to 2040. The findings of the ESRI on structural housing demand at county level were published last December so I am familiar with that. Based on that research and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (24 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: We will have annual targets. I hope the Deputy's party and other parties opposite will recognise that, to reach those targets, they need to support development. They need to support building and stop voting against housing developments and proposals brought forward at local authorities across the country. I referenced to Deputy Cian O'Callaghan probably the most significant scheme in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (24 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: There will be a number of measures to help us deliver the affordable homes we need. One will be the Affordable Housing Bill, which I hope the Deputy's party and others will support, and another is the Land Development Agency, which will enable us to use our State land productively. I was taken aback when Deputy Ó Broin and his party admitted they wanted a Land Development Agency but do...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (24 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: There is lots of good news. To answer the Deputy's question, there is also good news for County Clare because we have a housing plan backed with real resources and the largest housing budget in the history of the State, which the Deputy supported, underpinned by investment of €3.3 billion in housing programmes in budget 2021. We have a national target of 12,750 social homes, 9,500 of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (24 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank Deputy Crowe. There is a committed and dedicated housing team in Clare County Council. I intend to visit in July to look at some of the schemes myself. I look forward to meeting the Deputy there. We need to increase new stock. We have outlined that and will be ambitious. We also need to look at existing stock. Clare County Council, through the work of its housing director,...