Results 15,621-15,640 of 26,293 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department continues to work as per transitional work arrangements following the lifting of restrictions on workplace attendance in the spring of this year. Staff who normally worked from home under pandemic restrictions currently attend the office on a minimum of 2 days per week. Since these arrangements are transitional, no formal agreement is in place and no applications have been made...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Services Acts, 1981 and 2003. My Department supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central...

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 on the 23 July, 2022. The...

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 on the 23 July, 2022. 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 activity. This data is available to the end of Quarter 1 2022, and is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provis ion/ My Department also publishes the Social Housing...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 233 and 236 together. While the Government and I recognise that there remain some challenges to overcome, one year on from its publication, the Housing for All plan is delivering through increased housing supply; a range of affordable purchase and rental measures; new initiatives to tackle homelessness; and ongoing, long-term reforms of the housing and...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Information on the fluctuation in the number of applicants for local authority housing over the past 12 months is not held by my Department. That said, details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority area is provided in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA). The SSHA captures the total number of households qualified...

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department publishes the Social Housing Construction Status Report (CSR). The CSR provides details of social housing developments that have been completed, are under construction or are progressing through the various stages of the design and tender processes. The most recent publication was for Quarter 1 2022 and is available at the following link:...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Under Housing for All a number of schemes have been made available to support purchasers including first-time buyers in accessing more affordable homes. The Local Authority Home Loan is a Government-backed mortgage 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...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 239 and 240 together. On 28 April 2022 I announced funding for a new measure under the Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme 2022-2025, for the Waste Water Collection and Treatment needs of Villages and Settlements that do not have access to public waste water services. Details of the announcement can be found at the following link: ...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The First Home Scheme, launched on 07 July, supports first-time buyers in purchasing new houses and apartments in the private market through the use of an equity share model. The Scheme uses regional price ceilings based on the median prices of new-build first-time buyer homes. This is to temper any inflationary pressures and to target support at the lower part of the price distribution in...

An Bord Pleanála: Statements (15 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I welcome the opportunity to speak to the House today regarding An Bord Pleanála. An Bord Pleanála, as I have said publicly, stands at the apex of our planning system and plays a crucial role as the final arbiter of many planning applications. In this light, I treat and have treated any allegations of inappropriate actions or behaviours by its members with the utmost seriousness....

An Bord Pleanála: Statements (15 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I do not want to interrupt the Deputy-----

An Bord Pleanála: Statements (15 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I am listening to him intently. However, unfortunately, the way this debate is structured, I do not have the ability to respond to what the Deputy said. It is not a questions and answers session. I can happily, in another public forum, give him direct answers to the quite serious things he said-----

An Bord Pleanála: Statements (15 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I just want the Deputy to know that I am not being funny now. It can be put on the record of the House that I cannot respond here to that.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (15 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Rent Supplement scheme is operated by the Department of Social Protection. It provides short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation. The scheme ensures that for those who were renting but whose circumstances have changed due to a temporary loss of employment can continue to meet their rental commitments. There were 10,347 people in receipt of Rent...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Mortgage Resolution Processes (15 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 203 and 204 together. The Mortgage to Rent (MTR) scheme was introduced in 2012 for borrowers of commercial lending institutions and 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 (MARP), who agree to the voluntary surrender of their home...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (15 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not have access to data on the number of derelict buildings which have been brought back into circulation during this period. The preliminary findings of Census 2022 provided a figure of 166,752 vacant homes nationwide. This represents 7.8% of the housing stock. Studies suggest a properly functioning housing market will have a base vacancy rate for this reason and it is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (15 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I have no function in relation to allotments, community gardens or urban orchards and my Department does not hold the information requested. The locus of responsibility or accountability at central level is determined by the nature of the particular issue or activity involved, not by the fact that it involves a local authority role per se. In addition, local authorities are entirely...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The working group convened in September 2020 to examine the issues relating to unsold affordable properties is continuing to consider a number of options and met most recently on 14th September 2022. Any solutions put forward will consider all relevant parties including the tenants, the approved housing bodies, the local authorities and achieve good value for the Exchequer. These will be...