Results 12,961-12,980 of 26,245 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 Oct 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for her question on diabetes care. I have visited a centre in Santry that is providing significant new treatments for diabetes and treating people with difficult health issues and having a really positive effect. The community-based treatments needed for managing chronic diseases are clearly highlighted in Sláintecare, as to how that roll-out happens. As best as...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 Oct 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: What Revenue is involved in concerns legislation we passed before the recess on the review of the local property tax. One of the reasons for that is to ensure all those properties built since it was brought in are brought into the net, to fund local government. I know the Deputy supports that, in particular. Now is the revaluation period, when we ask people to submit what they believe is a...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 Oct 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I will raise the matter with the Minister for Education.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 Oct 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank Deputy Colm Burke for his question. It is a timely one as we are coming into budget week. Post budget, we will have a social welfare Bill. I suggest that we could then raise these matters directly with the Minister for Social Protection to see whether any changes can be made to deal with them.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 Oct 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: It is a fair question. There is an issue with vacancy right across the country. One of the pathways in the Housing for All programme deals with vacancy. We will be providing significant funding to our local authorities to deal with vacancy through the Croí Cónaithe cities and towns funds, as well as through a new compulsory purchase order, CPO, programme. We will manage that...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 Oct 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for raising the case of Calum Geary himself, who is an example of many others in this position. Our own party and this Government have always prioritised special education, making sure that children who need assistance and help from the State to reach their potential will get it. We need to make sure that is done for Calum specifically. As for the Irish Sign Language...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 Oct 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The rural economy and agriculture remain, and will continue to be, an important part of our economy. More importantly, they will remain important parts of rural Ireland. I will raise directly with the Minister the matters Deputy Dillon has raised regarding farm incomes, how these will be struck with regard to a new CAP deal and the flexibilities that will be allowed around alternatives to...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 Oct 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The irony is not lost on me that the Member opposite from Sinn Féin is raising the issue of transparency and integrity with us. Leaving that aside, the role of the Attorney General is to advise Government in matters of law and legal opinion. He is exceptionally hard-working, as the Deputy knows. He serves the Government extremely well. The Deputy will be aware that this is second...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 Oct 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I advise the Deputy that in relation to judicial appointments themselves, the judicial appointments commission Bill will be published in this session. We intend to do that in this session. That can be debated fully at that stage. We are committed to reforming-----

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 Oct 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The comments made by the Deputy are on the record of the House. We will certainly make sure the Department of the Taoiseach receives a copy of them.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 Oct 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputy has raised a fair point. Some people are of the view that we should ban data centres from the country and not allow any more to be built. However, we have to work with them to ensure that we improve our energy security. The Government continues to make major strides in that area in order to ensure our energy supply is secure and, indeed, diverse. Measures such as the Maritime...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 Oct 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank Deputy Bruton for his support, for his contribution on matters relating to housing and for his commitment in his constituency to delivering affordable homes for people in his area, across Dublin, and the country. Croí Cónaithe is an important fund that will help unlock and deal with the viability issue. We are working through the specific mechanisms around how subsidies...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 Oct 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I am not familiar with this specific case; I genuinely am not. The Deputy knows of the Government's response to the recent, and continuing, crisis in Afghanistan and other countries. We have been open, and rightly so, to giving people safe harbour here. On the repatriation and reunification of families, this is something that Ireland does pretty well. In regard to this specific case, I do...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Defective Building Materials (6 Oct 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank Senator Blaney for raising this important issue. First, I commend the residents and their representatives on the input they had into the working group. I inherited the original scheme. The scheme was agreed and launched in 2020. One of the first visits I made when I was appointed Minister in summer 2020 was to Donegal, where I visited homeowners. I met residents in Buncrana,...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Defective Building Materials (6 Oct 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: On the timeline, I do not want to delay the process at all. We have a great deal of work to do on foot of receiving the working group report. I have sought submissions and views from the Opposition parties, which I believe is important. I did that with the Housing for All plan, and many other parties sent in submissions. It is important to know that we have a consensus on this and how we...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (6 Oct 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The regeneration of Poolbeg West is the next important step in transforming the Docklands area, given its strategic location east of Grand Canal Dock, with close proximity to important bridge connections to Dublin Port and North Lotts. The residential potential within the available lands is for a maximum of 3,500 additional residential units. The National Asset Management Agency (NAMA)...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (6 Oct 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: 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 (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended. The 2011 Regulations prescribe maximum net income limits for each local authority, in different bands...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (6 Oct 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: 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 SSHA has been conducted on an annual basis since 2016, prior to which it was carried out once every three years, with the last Summary under this approach having taken place in 2013. The most...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Reports (6 Oct 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 41 and 42 together. I am considering the report, entitled 'A Review Into Certain Planning Matters in Respect of Donegal County Council', by Mr. Rory Mulcahy S.C., and will bring this matter to Government for consideration in due course. In this regard, the decisions of the Commissioner for Environmental Information (CEI/18/0019) of 13 February 2019 and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (6 Oct 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Mortgage to Rent (MTR) scheme introduced in 2012 is targeted at those households in mortgage arrears who have had their mortgage position deemed unsustainable by their lender under the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process. In order for a borrower to qualify for the MTR scheme, the mortgage, property and household must meet detailed eligibility criteria. In addition, the MTR process has...