Results 14,121-14,140 of 26,290 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The SCSI will operate independently of me. I have spent a long time moving this forward. I will take what the SCSI brings forward independently of me and my Department-----

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: -----and we will base our decisions on that.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: On the sliding scale, I do not want to be seen in any way to be butting in on the independence of SCSI but it is unlikely there will be a sliding scale in the final set-up.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: It is a good question. In dealing first with the Minister, Deputy Ryan, SEAI grant aid will be available. I need to let the SCSI do its work.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: There has been good co-operation on this across the board. We want to get people's lives and homes back.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank both Deputies for their questions. The Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, is driving forward the electoral commission. Art O’Leary, the former Secretary General to the President, is moving to the commission and we want to get it established. I expect and hope the Bill will come to the committee in this quarter. It will be significant legislation. We have a census this year...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: We have discussed this matter a number of times. I am glad the Deputy continues to highlight it. I have established the national homeless action committee, as he knows. I want standards in this area, especially private emergency accommodation, dealt with. The Deputy mentioned the DRHE's new standards for emergency accommodation, which focus on private emergency accommodation. They are an...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I do not want to take up the Deputy's time but may I mention one quick thing? It is important. I was with Mendicity every week and met people who are accessing its services. When somebody comes out of a hostel, they may unfortunately get beaten up on the street. That is the challenge but there is no question but that we can do better in certain areas. The application of standards,...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: That is a good question. We are engaging with them. I have more housing summits with local authorities the week after next. We have approved another 250 posts across the 31 local authorities for the housing delivery teams. To look at the figures for whole-time equivalents, actual staff, for 2020 - I do not have the full-year figures for 2021 - we had 29,366 staff in local authorities....

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: That funding is for retrofitting units falling within our remit, social housing. We are targeting approximately 2,400 units.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: It is particularly key in addressing the issue of fuel poverty.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: It is okay. My colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, may want to come in on some points. With regard to the URDF, work has been done in the Chairman's constituency of Wicklow, specifically Wicklow town. I have seen the work there. Public realm work has been completed in Tralee and Ennis. There are some fantastic projects there. We need to see ground being broken on those...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Chairman mentioned the Land Development Agency, LDA. Obviously, under Housing for All additional tranches of land have been handed over to the agency under its responsibility to deliver a further 15,000 homes. This year is a most important year for the LDA. We will see it delivering homes this year. We will see it breaking ground on Shanganagh Castle and the LDA proving concept being...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Chairman and all the members for their input and questions today. I thank the committee for its ongoing work and the co-operative and efficient way in which it does its business. We look forward to continuing to work in that manner right the way through 2022 for the good of our people.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (15 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Under 'Housing for All', the Government's priority is to deliver 47,600 new build social homes over the next five years. Substantial funding is available to local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to deliver on this objective as the primary means through which they will increasingly meet the needs of those on their waiting lists. My Department has consistently engaged with local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wildlife Regulations (17 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 212 to 215, inclusive, together. The Wild Bird Declaration will be reviewed and considered prior to the current Declaration expiring on 30 April 2022 and a decision will be made in due course. While there is no statutory obligation on my Department to carry out a public consultation for the Wild Bird Declaration, consultations were undertaken in the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (17 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Local Authority Home Loan is a Government backed mortgage scheme for those on modest or low incomes who cannot get sufficient funding from commercial banks to purchase or build a home. It has been available nationwide from local authorities since 4 January 2022 for first-time buyers and fresh start applicants. The loan can be used both for new and second-hand properties, or to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (17 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government sets out a number of commitments in respect of the important policy area addressing building defects. It commits to an examination of defects in housing, having regard to the recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing’s report, "Safe as Houses ?". Housing for All, the Government’s national plan on housing to 2030, reiterates this...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Parks and Wildlife Service (22 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: As previously advised, the management and control of protected wild birds in Ireland is carried out under the Wildlife Acts 1976 through the licencing system that is available e.g. Section 42 and Section 22(9)(d) of the Wildlife Acts. In addition the State-wide Wild Bird Declaration also allows for the control of certain protected wild birds by removal of the nest or eggs of those species in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Property Registration (22 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: In relation to any specific cases with the Property Registration Authority (PRA), arrangements have been put in place to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas. Further information in relation to the specific case referred to may be obtained by contacting the dedicated e-mail address in respect of the PRA at reps@prai.ie.