Results 16,701-16,720 of 26,293 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Construction Industry (18 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Following receipt of the report of the Working Group I established to examine defects in housing, I brought a Memorandum for Information to the Government meeting on 27 September 2022. In this context, I committed to the establishment of an inter-departmental and agency group to develop an options paper with a view to providing support to homeowners who find themselves in a difficult...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (18 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: A key principle of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme is that eligible households source their own accommodation in the private rented sector, which best suits their needs, in their area of choice The minimum standards for rental accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 and apply to all dwellings that are let or available to let,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (18 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Section 279 of the Maritime Area Planning (MAP) Act 2021 extends the functional area of the coastal planning authorities to include the nearshore, that is the area between the high water mark and 3 nautical miles. Applications for development, excluding development listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Planning and Development Act, will be submitted to the coastal planning authorities. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (18 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: 2022 represented the commencement of a very ambitious programme of delivery of affordable housing. This momentum will continue with delivery significantly increasing in 2023. A pipeline of housing delivery is in place and being developed by local authorities, by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) and by the LDA. Local authorities have been begun collating information on delivery of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Reports (18 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: In October 2021, I requested the National Building Control and Market Surveillance Office, in partnership with Donegal County Council and Geological Survey Ireland, to carry out an audit of quarries in Donegal to evaluate relevant economic operators’ compliance with the Construction Products Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 when placing relevant construction products (aggregate concrete...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (18 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is not aware of any instances where a local authority or Approved Housing Body has been prevented by contract restrictions from acquiring apartments for social housing. For example, The Housing Agency has purchased hundreds of apartments over several years, in its own capacity and on trust for local authorities, and the Agency has informed my Department that it not been...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (18 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 529 and 530 together. The Housing Demand and Need Assessment (HNDA) framework and tool assists local authorities develop long-term views of housing demand and need and provide a robust evidence-base to support decisions about new housing supply, wider investment and housing related services that inform an overall national housing profile. The HNDA tool helps...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Government Reform (18 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: It is an important priority of mine and of my Department to support key activities and stakeholders in their endeavours to advance the agenda of encouraging the participation of women in local government and promote wider inclusivity and diversity in local government and local decision-making structures. In June 2022, my Department issued its fourth annual call for funding to local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Property Registration (18 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: In common with many other public service organisations, the Property Registration Authority (PRA) continues to deal with the adverse impact that COVID-19 has had on service delivery. Despite the PRA implementing innovative ways to deliver its registration services throughout the period of restrictions, an accumulation of applications for registration inevitably arose. Conversely, the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Policies (18 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Updated Rural Housing Planning Guidelines are currently being prepared by my Department. The updated guidelines will expand on the high level spatial planning policy of the National Planning Framework (NPF), in particular on National Policy Objective (NPO) 19 which relates to rural housing. This objective makes a clear policy distinction between rural areas under urban influence (i.e. areas...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Regeneration Projects (18 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: As part of Dublin City Council's (DCC) continuous redevelopment work and building on their reviews of the conditions of its older flat complexes, they have advised my Department that they are developing a long term strategy for the redevelopment and/or refurbishment of many of these complexes. This is a matter for DCC in the first instance. With regards to Pearse House, due to the large...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Reviews (18 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Each local authority’s situation is complex and it is important that sufficient time is taken to analyse and assess potential options in that respect. A comprehensive review of the baselines could not commence in time for the 2023 Local Property Tax (LPT) allocation process without reliable and up-to-date data; such as preliminary census data and updated LPT yield data, following...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (18 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I have no function in relation to the matters raised in the question and the information requested is not available in my Department. Local authorities are entirely independent corporate entities, having full responsibility under law for the performance of their functions and the discharge of their governance and other responsibilities. While my Department has responsibility at central...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Projects (18 Jan 2023)

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 by 2030. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Regeneration Projects (18 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: In 2019, under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund’s (URDF) first call for proposals, a preliminary allocation of €1,921,985 in URDF support was issued to Cork County Council in respect of the Midleton Main Street Public Realm Improvements project. It should be noted, while my Department works closely with the successful applicants in respect of project funding,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (18 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I understand that the Question refers to housing estates that are dependent on developer provided water services infrastructure for the provision of their water services. Under the National Development Plan, for the period 2021-2025, funding of €68.5 million has been allocated to address legacy water services issues including the Developer Provided Water Services Infrastructure...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (18 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: In September 2022, I launched the Ready to Build Scheme as part of the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund. Under this scheme, local authorities will make serviced sites in towns and villages available at a discounted rate to individual purchasers to build a home and live in it as their principal private residence. It is intended that the local authority will either supply existing sites in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (18 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the Scheme. The Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 provides that the Minister may set out a minimum income required to purchase under the scheme. The minimum income requirement has a dual purpose - it ensures the scheme is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Heritage Projects (18 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My role with regard to the protection and management of our architectural heritage is set out in the provisions of relevant legislation, as are the roles and responsibilities of local authorities and owners. Part IV of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, gives primary responsibility to local authorities to identify and protect the architectural heritage by including...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Election Management System (18 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Section 111 of the Electoral Act 1992 and Article 73 of the Local Elections Regulations 1995 provide that a presiding officer may, at his or her own discretion, or if required by a personation agent present in the polling station, require any person attending to vote to produce one of the specified documents as evidence of identity. If he or she fails to produce the document or if the...