Results 15,821-15,840 of 26,293 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (28 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 fire authorities through setting general policy, providing the legislative...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (28 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The overarching principle of social housing support is reflected in the underpinning legislation and the Household Means Policy, the latter being amended last year. The amended policy aims to better reflect the long-term nature of social housing supports and, in doing so, ensure fairness and equity in the system and that those with a continuing long-term need are prioritised. My...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (28 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Pyrite Resolution Act 2013 provides the statutory framework for the establishment of the Pyrite Resolution Board and for the making of a pyrite remediation scheme to be implemented by the Board with support from the Housing Agency. The provisions of the Act apply only to dwellings affected by significant damage attributable to pyritic heave consequent on the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (28 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The First Home Scheme was launched on 7 July this year. It supports first-time buyers in purchasing new houses and apartments in the private market through the use of an equity share model. Full details of the scheme are available at www.firsthomescheme.ie.  On a countywide basis, regional price ceilings for eligible home purchases have been aligned with the median purchase...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (28 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I am expecting a report from the Galway Social Housing Task Force before the end of this year and this will be made available to the Deputy once it is available. The Task Force has continued to meet consistently, with the most recent meeting held this month and the next meeting scheduled for November 2022. I will be staying in contact with the Task Force and its work and I am keen that it...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (28 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Data in relation to housing commencements, broken down by local authority area, is published by my Department on a monthly basis and can be accessed via the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/a5cb1-construction-activity-starts / Data in relation to new dwelling completions is published by the CSO on a quarterly basis and can be accessed via the following link:...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (28 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. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (28 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. This includes the delivery of 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost rental homes. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4bn per annum, through an overall combination of €12bn in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (28 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Decisions regarding management of arrears are a matter for individual local authorities. Local authorities actively engage with tenants to ensure rent arrears do not arise in the first instance. Where arrears do arise the local authority will work with the tenant to put in place a repayment arrangement to assist the tenant in managing the arrears. These arrangements would generally take...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (28 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My focus in relation to the matter referred to in the question is to ensure that accommodation is the rental sector is orientated towards overall need in the sector. In this regard the Government's housing plan, Housing for All, contains a specific action (Action 20.4) - to “develop new regulatory controls requiring short-term and holiday lets to register with Fáilte Ireland with...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (28 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Mayo County Council conducted a county-wide affordable housing expression of interest public survey earlier this year.  The Council also commissioned a specific KPMG report regarding the level of new housing need with affordability constraint in Westport.  I understand that Mayo County Council are working on an affordable housing proposal and may apply for funding...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Emergency Accommodation (28 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: 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 homeless services rests with individual housing authorities.  My Department does not fund any homeless...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (28 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: In response to the difficulties that homeowners are facing due to the presence of deleterious material in their houses, my Department has put a number of measures in place to support homeowners including providing considerable financial assistance to remediate their homes. These include the Pyrite Remediation Scheme and the Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme.  In regard to defects in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (28 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: 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 and who have very limited options, if any, to meet...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: International Protection (28 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: While the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) continues to lead the initial humanitarian response, including the provision of accommodation and related supports to aid persons arriving in Ireland from the conflict in Ukraine, my Department is continuing to support the wider, cross-Government response in a number of ways. My Department...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (28 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department’s Multi-annual Rural Water Programme, through Exchequer funding, delivers improvements to water services in areas of rural Ireland where there are no public water services. A working group – the Rural Water Working Group - is considering the composition of the measures for inclusion for funding under the upcoming multi-annual programme.  Once I have...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (28 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 140 and 145 together. The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 (RTA) to operate a national tenancy registration system and to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants and as such, the implementation of the new tenancy management system is an operational...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (28 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Government's Housing for All strategy commits to delivering a total of 18,000 Cost Rental homes over the period to 2030. Significant funding has been secured and is being made available to support delivery of Cost Rental by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), local authorities and by the Land Development Agency (LDA). Delivery will increase incrementally, to an average of 2,000 Cost...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (28 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Legal responsibility for the repair and maintenance of water services infrastructure is set out in the Water Service Acts 2007, as amended. Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has been responsible for the planning and delivery of public water and waste water services, which includes responsibility for the repair and maintenance of water services infrastructure extending from a waterworks or...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (28 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All, is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4bn per annum, through an overall combination of €12bn in direct Exchequer funding, €3.5bn in funding through the Land Development Agency and €5bn funding through the...