Results 15,601-15,620 of 26,293 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Reviews (14 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: An Bord Pleanála ('the Board') is independent in the performance of its functions under the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended). Arrangements have been put in place by all bodies under the aegis of my Department to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas. This provides a speedy, efficient and cost effective system to address queries...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (14 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP) supports the delivery of social housing by providing financial support to local authorities for the leasing of houses and apartments. Local authorities lease dwellings taking account of local need, the suitability of dwellings, sustainable communities’ considerations and value for money. These properties are allocated to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 393 and 396 together. The Department of Social Protection Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme offers a safety net within the overall social welfare system by assisting those whose means are insufficient to meet their own needs and those of their dependents. The main purpose of the scheme is to provide immediate and flexible assistance to those in need who...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (14 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 394 and 400 together. The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) are forms of social housing support, provided by my Department, for people who have a long-term housing need. If a household has been deemed eligible for social housing support, it is a matter for the local authority to examine the suite of social housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 395, 397, 398 and 399 together. The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a form of social housing support for people who have a long-term housing need. In order for a household to qualify for HAP, they must first be assessed as eligible for social housing support by their local authority. Any household assessed as eligible for social housing is immediately...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (14 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Under the Water Services Acts 2007 and 2012 (Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems) Regulations 2012, the owner of a domestic waste water treatment system is responsible for its maintenance and renewal and should ensure that its parts and components are fit for purpose, operational where appropriate, kept in good order and repair so as to prevent a risk to human health or the environment. My...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities are solely responsible under the Housing Acts for setting and collecting rent on their dwellings. The making and amending of local authority rent schemes is an executive function and, notwithstanding broad principles set out by my Department, including that rents charged should be income-based and reflect tenants’ ability to pay, I have no role in this regard. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Data on the Repair and Leasing Scheme, including the number of applications received, as well as the number of units delivered, in respect of all local authorities is published at gov.ie - Overall social housing provision (www.gov.ie) Local authorities determine eligibility for the scheme by taking account of local housing need, the suitability of dwellings, sustainable communities’...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Under Housing for All, my Department was tasked with undertaking an analytical exercise to examine whether the level of discretion available to Local Authorities under the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) was adequate. The Housing Agency undertook to carry out this analytical exercise on behalf of my Department to better understand what level of discretion should be made available to Local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (14 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Following on from the Government decision of the 30 November 2021 in respect of the enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant scheme, the Government approved the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022 on 21 June and the Bill passed through both Houses of the Oireachtas and was subsequently signed into law by the President. The purpose of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (14 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 introduced the Rent Predictability Measure to moderate rent increases in those parts of the country where rents are highest and rising fastest. The Residential Tenancies (No. 2) Act 2021 introduced measures in July 2021 to extend the operation of Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) until the end of 2024 and prohibit any...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (14 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Following on from the Government decision of the 30 November 2021 in respect of the enhanced defective concrete blocks grant scheme, the Government approved the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022 on 21 June and the Bill passed through both Houses of the Oireacthas and was subsequently signed into law by the President on the 23 July, 2022. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (14 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 210, 230 and 232 together. Housing for All was published in September 2021 and, as part of a broad suite of social housing reforms, committed to reviewing income eligibility for social housing. The review, which examined inter alia the efficiency of the current banding model and income limits applicable to local authorities, has been completed and I...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (14 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Oversight of the financial institutions is outside the scope and remit of my Department but I did write to the Minister for Finance on these matters. The Minister for Finance advised that neither he nor his Department have any role in relation to the commercial decisions of individual regulated entities, such as decisions they may make on applications for credit, or in respect of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Urban Development (14 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The question of city status for Drogheda is not being considered at the moment. The National Planning Framework published in 2018 sets out a vision and strategy for the spatial development of Ireland to 2040. The Framework recognises the strategic importance of Drogheda and aims to support its development and its economic potential as part of the Dublin-Belfast Corridor and in particular the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (14 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery which is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provis ion/. The data that is publicly available includes a breakdown on the delivery programmes for all social homes for all local authority areas.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (14 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides funding to local authorities for the delivery of new social homes through a range of build, acquisition and leasing mechanisms, including in conjunction with Approved Housing Bodies. The funding provided in each of the years 2016 to 2021 is set out in the table below. Year €m 2016 462 2017 ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (14 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My officials understand from DCC that they are considering a new social housing Turnkey proposal at Carraig Airt in Co Donegal. This proposal is separate to one which my Department previously gave initial funding approval. To date my Department has not received this new proposal from the Council but we look forward to receiving further proposals from them and will work with them on any such...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme remains open to applications from eligible social housing tenants. The scheme is not funding based, rather it operates by way of a discounted price on the purchase of a local authority property by a qualifying tenant. The discount is typically 60%, 50% or 40% depending on the purchaser’s level of reckonable income. The scheme was reviewed in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Constitutional Amendments (14 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: In line with commitments in the Programme for Government and Housing for All: A New Housing Plan for Ireland, the Housing Commission was established by Government in December 2021 to independently examine and review the housing system in Ireland. The Commission’s Terms of Reference cover a wide range of issues connected to housing, one of which is to consider the complex...