Results 14,121-14,140 of 15,555 for speaker:Eoghan Murphy

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payment Administration (8 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Limerick City and County Council provide a highly effective transactional shared service on behalf of all local authorities in the administration of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme. The HAP Shared Services Centre (SSC) manages all HAP related rental transactions for the tenant, local authority and landlord. Once a HAP application has been received and confirmed as valid by the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Standards (8 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: All local authorities are being funded to significantly increase their delivery of social housing as part of Rebuilding Ireland, including through the acquisition of new and previously owned house and apartments. Properties acquired by local authorities for social housing purposes, must comply with building regulations. In that regard, Part L of the Building Regulations will require from 1...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Waiting Lists (8 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Housing waiting lists are compiled by all local authorities and are based on the identified needs of social housing applicants in their areas. Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority area are set out in the statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA), which includes breakdowns by each local authority across a range of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Oversight and Audit Commission (8 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: The Code of Practice for Inspecting and Certifying Buildings and Works requires local authorities to inspect a minimum of 12-15% of new buildings for which valid commencement notices have been received. The indication in the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) report that 8 local authorities did not meet this minimum requirement in 2018 is disappointing. However, it should...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector Strategy (8 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: The Strategy for the Rental Sector, published in December 2016, set out a series of measures to be introduced to ensure the quality of private rental accommodation by strengthening the applicable standards and improving the inspection and enforcement systems. The Strategy acknowledged the overall low rates of inspection of the private rental stock and low rates of compliance, as well as the...

Financial Resolutions 2019 - Financial Resolution No. 9: General (Resumed) (9 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Next year, we will invest €2.63 billion in housing. This represents an increase of approximately €250 million from this year's figure. We will build more new social homes with this money than have been built in any of the past 20 years and more than during the so-called boom years, when house building generally was at much higher levels. Next year, we will build more than...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Expenditure (9 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Incidental expenses incurred by my Department in 2018 amounted to some €1.55 million. This includes costs associated with staff training and development and payments for cleaning and security services in respect of the Department's offices.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Data (9 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Since the establishment of An Bord Pleanála (the Board) in 1977, planning legislation has clearly assigned final responsibility for decisions on planning appeals to the Board. The Board can decide to confirm, vary or reverse the planning authority’s decision. The specific information is not available. However, the Board provides information in its Annual Reports on the number of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Eligibility (9 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Part 5 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 was commenced in June 2018 to provide a new statutory basis for affordable dwelling purchase arrangements. Initial regulations in relation to schemes of priorities were made subsequently and further regulations will be put in place over the coming months regarding eligibility and other matters. When the operational procedures for the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (9 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, all development, unless specifically exempted under the Act or associated Regulations, requires planning permission. In this regard, Class 31 of Schedule 2 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, as amended, provides that certain classes of development carried out by a statutory undertaker authorised to provide a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grant Eligibility (10 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: My Department provides funding to local authorities in respect of the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability, to assist eligible people in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs.  The suite of grants includes the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability, the Mobility Aids Grant and the Housing Aid for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Home Loan Scheme (10 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: When the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan (RIHL) scheme was initially being developed, it was estimated that the drawdown of loans would be approximately €200 million over three years.  However, the RIHL proved to be more successful than initially anticipated. My officials began engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in October 2018 when higher lending...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (10 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Where a local authority is developing new social housing on land it has acquired, including where the acquisition was financed by borrowings, the capital funding for the development that is provided by my Department recoups the amount of the loan and any associated loan interest charges, to the local authority. Where a local authority has indicated an intention to make homes available at...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Conservation (10 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 272 and 274 together. The provisions of the Report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services have now been largely legislated for, as required, in the Water Services Act 2017.  Promoting the efficient and sustainable use of water is central to my Department’s water policy. The Government's Water...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Environmental Protection Agency Funding (10 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as environmental regulator, is responsible for setting quality standards and enforcing compliance with EU Directives and national regulations for drinking water supplies and wastewater discharges to water bodies. Irish Water is the lead authority in relation to the management and conservation of public water supplies. My Department...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Agency Data (10 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Under Actions 1.1, 2.5 and 5.6 of Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, the Housing Agency is actively engaged with banks and investment companies in relation to its acquisitions programme.  A revolving  Acquisitions Fund of €70m has been established with the objective of acquiring some 1,600 homes over the period to 2021, for onward  sale to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (10 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: The preparation, in the context of National Policy Objective 37 of the National Planning Framework (NPF), of a "Housing Need and Demand Assessment" (HNDA) for each local authority area, will be important in estimating likely future housing need.  Work on this process has commenced in my Department, which includes the establishment of an expert advisory group. An evidence-based...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (10 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: The Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) is currently based in temporarily leased office accommodation located at 77 Sir John Rogerson's Quay in Dublin 2 and will be moving to premises on the North Circular Road in the coming months. The OPR currently employs 17 staff including the Chief Executive, and will have a full staff complement of 21 once...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Legislative Measures (10 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 278 and 279 together. Details of the primary legislation enacted since March 2011, for which my Department has or had responsibility, are set out in the following table. Some of these Acts, or parts of certain Acts, are no longer the responsibility of my Department due to subsequent changes in the functional responsibilities of Departments. My Department has...

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

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Deputy for his question. It is true that there is a lot of speculation about the land development agency and what it is going to do. It will be the State developer. It will bring forward public land for the development of social and affordable housing. On the first four sites that will get planning permission, approximately 1,200 homes will be delivered, 800 of which will be...