Results 13,661-13,680 of 15,555 for speaker:Eoghan Murphy

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grant Eligibility (25 Jun 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: My Department provides funding to local authorities for the Housing Adaptation Grant Scheme for Older People and People with a Disability in private houses. The Scheme is focused towards lower income households with the greatest needs and a means test applies to the Scheme in order to achieve fairness and value for money in its operation. The current income limits for the Scheme were...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Traveller Accommodation (25 Jun 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: In accordance with the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of multi-annual Traveller Accommodation Programmes (TAPs) in their areas. My Department’s role is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Traveller Accommodation (25 Jun 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: In accordance with the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of multi-annual Traveller Accommodation Programmes (TAPs) in their areas. My Department’s role is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation Provision (25 Jun 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: 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 local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of emergency accommodation for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities. My Department does not...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Capital Assistance Scheme Funding (25 Jun 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 759 and 760 together. There has been no reduction in, or diversion of funds away from, the 2019 funding provision of €94.875 million for the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS). Funding is not divided or allocated on a regional basis. It is the local authorities who approve new CAS projects in the first instance, based on proposals they receive from...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water and Sewerage Schemes Grants (25 Jun 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I refer to the reply to Question No. 266 of 19 June 2019 which sets out the position in this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payment (25 Jun 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 762 and 763 together. Under the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme, tenants source their own accommodation. 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. Each local authority has statutory discretion to agree to a HAP...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Data (25 Jun 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Since the Buy & Renew Scheme was introduced in 2017, local authorities have delivered over 400 properties, with funding of €76.8m approved by my Department. Details of the numbers of properties per local authority are set out in the table below. Local authorities may also acquire properties in need of remediation under their normal acquisitions programmes, the responsibility...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (25 Jun 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Under Rebuilding Ireland, my Department is funding an initiative to provide homeless families residing in temporary emergency accommodation in the Dublin Region with access to free public transport for essential school journeys. The Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) oversees the implementation of this initiative and, working in partnership with the National Transport Authority, has put...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Rents (25 Jun 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: 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 laid down by my Department including that – - the rent payable should be related to income and a smaller proportion of income should be required from low...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Quality (25 Jun 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: With effect from 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels including the delivery of water services capital infrastructure, while the local authorities remain responsible for supervising the group water sector. Based on current available data, Irish Water estimates that...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Home Loan Scheme (25 Jun 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: The Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan is not, as a general rule, available to those in receipt of unemployment or other social welfare benefits. However, where there is a primary income of a waged or salaried nature, long-term State benefit payments may be considered. State benefit payments allowable are: - State Pension (Contributory); - State pension (Non-Contributory); - Widow’s /...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (26 Jun 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. In May 2018, the Government approved the Water Services Policy Statement 2018-2025 and, shortly afterwards, Irish Water submitted its Strategic Funding Plan 2019-2024 to my Department. The Strategic Funding Plan, which I...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grant Funding (26 Jun 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I will shortly announce the 2019 funding allocations to local authorities for the Disabled Persons Grants (DPG) Scheme for adaptations and extensions to existing social homes to meet the needs of local authority tenants. In early 2019, local authorities were advised to proceed with works of up to 65% of their overall 2018 allocation in respect of the DPG scheme, to ensure that there was no...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (26 Jun 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Affordable housing for purchase is being provided under Part 5 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009. The new affordable housing for purchase scheme replaces the time-limited claw-back which applied under the various previous affordable housing schemes. Under the scheme, a discount of up to 40% may be provided by the local authority to the prospective purchaser of an...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Health and Safety Inspections Data (26 Jun 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 276 and 277 together. Statutory responsibility for safety is assigned to the 'person having control' of a building who is required to take reasonable measures to guard against the outbreak of fire and to ensure the safety of persons in the event of fire, this would include safeguarding against overcrowding and ensuring that all necessary fire prevention...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Vacant Properties (26 Jun 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Senator for raising this important issue and giving me an opportunity to set out the extensive range of measures the Government has introduced to allow for the reactivation of long-term vacant residential dwellings into the liveable housing stock. An overarching action within Pillar 5 of Rebuilding Ireland is a commitment to develop a national vacant housing reuse strategy, which...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Vacant Properties (26 Jun 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Senator for her follow-up remarks. I hope the information I provided is useful in terms of actual numbers. The reason we can provide that is that we have vacant home action plans for, and vacant home officers in, each of the local authorities. As I said in my initial response, Mayo was involved in this pilot programme. When we get high level numbers around vacancy - we see...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Vacant Properties (26 Jun 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Of the 1,000 properties inspected, 61 are what we would consider to be truly vacant homes, which Mayo County Council believes it can bring back into liveable stock. It will engage and do that now, which is important. The council has also received 80 prepare and lease applications. That is another 80 vacant homes it can bring back into use, which is separate from the applications it...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Data (27 Jun 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: There are circa 138,000 social housing units nationally in the ownership of local authorities. My Department has been funding an Energy Efficiency Retrofitting Programme for these properties since 2013. The Programme has 2 Phases - Phase 1, which comprises the bulk of the work undertaken to date, has focused on the lower cost improvements such as cavity wall and attic insulation, while...