Results 17,301-17,320 of 26,320 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Regeneration Projects (7 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: In line with the objectives of the National Planning Framework and the National Development Plan, the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) is currently providing part-funding to applicant-led projects, enabling more compact and sustainable development within the existing built-up footprints of our cities and large towns. To this end, the URDF has already provisionally allocated...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: State Bodies (7 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as a quasi-judicial independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 (RTA) to regulate the rental sector; provide information to tenants and landlords; maintain a national register of tenancies; resolve disputes between tenants and landlords; and conduct research and provide information to inform policy). The remit...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (7 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Equitable and consistent treatment of all applicants requires an objective framework and conditions for effectively and fairly assessing eligibility for social housing. While flexibility allows for some subjective reasoning in atypical cases, it also increases the risk of unfair and inconsistent treatment between applicants. Accordingly, local authorities are statutorily prohibited from...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Policies (7 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is committed to serving our customers properly, fairly, impartially and with courtesy. This includes ensuring accommodating diversity and ensuring that rights to equal treatment established by equality legislation are upheld in the delivery of our services. The drafting of legislation in my Department, generally follows the approach set out in Chapters 4 and 5 of the Cabinet...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Traveller Accommodation (7 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is engaging with the Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) sector, including Cena, on its capacity to deliver Traveller specific accommodation as part of the ongoing work of the Programme Board, established to oversee the implementation of the recommendations contained in the Expert Group Review report. My Department funded Cena, through a service level agreement, to employ a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Grant Payments (7 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides funding for Domestic Waste Water Treatment System, commonly known as a septic tank, through a grant scheme. The Domestic Waste Water Treatment System grant is administered by the local authorities and all matters relating to its day-to-day operation, including applications and payments are a matter for the relevant local authority. Under the scheme, an appeals process...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Meteorological Services (7 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Met Éireann, Ireland’s National Meteorological Service, is a line division of my Department, and is the leading provider of weather information and related services in the State. Its mission is to monitor, analyse and predict Ireland’s weather and climate and to provide a range of high quality meteorological and related information to the public and to specific customers...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Traveller Accommodation (7 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998 provides that the role of my Department is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in place to assist housing authorities in providing accommodation for Travellers, including a national framework of policy, legislation and funding. The Act provides that housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Gorse Burning (7 Mar 2023)

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 Act, 1981. My Department supports fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central training...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Monuments (7 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: While the ringfort in question is a recorded monument in private ownership and subject to a preservation order, the owners may make an application for funding under the Community Monuments Fund grant scheme of the National Monuments Service of my Department. The Community Monuments Fund was established in 2020 to provide investment in Ireland’s archaeological heritage. This funding is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Traveller Accommodation (7 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998 provides that the role of my Department is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in place to assist housing authorities in providing accommodation for Travellers, including a national framework of policy, legislation and funding. The Act provides that housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Public Procurement Contracts (7 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Work is underway to draft the required legislation to establish supports for the remediation of fire safety, structural safety and water ingress defects in purpose-built apartment buildings, including duplexes, constructed between 1991 and 2013. Remediation costs already incurred or levied prior to the introduction of the scheme, above, will be covered once such costs fall within the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Grant Payments (7 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Pathway 4 of Housing for All sets out a blueprint to address vacancy and make efficient use of our existing housing stock. Many areas of cities, towns and villages of all sizes face the blight of vacant properties, which, if brought back into use, could add real vibrancy and provide new accommodation in those areas. The Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund is a key initiative which underpins...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (9 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: First, we used the pause and the time given through the eviction moratorium to ramp up additional supply. I will give the Deputy some specific figures and while they are approximations, they are close to the verified figures which we will have very soon. In quarter four of last year we delivered about 5,000 new social housing builds. We brought back about 1,500 voids in that period. We...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (9 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Just to remind the Deputy, his parliamentary question does not relate to this at all. The question he tabled makes no reference to what he has raised this morning but I am quite happy to answer because we made the right decision. It was a difficult decision but one that is in the best public interest in the medium term. That is what one has to do in government. One cannot just make...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (9 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I have answered, very clearly, Deputy Ó Broin's question, albeit not the question he tabled, and am happy to answer it. We have a responsibility to make sure that we work towards a functioning private rental sector. The Deputy knows why the Government took this difficult-----

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (9 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Do not interrupt-----

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (9 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: We have provided-----

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (9 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Can I be allowed to answer the question?

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (9 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: What I am saying to Deputy Ó Broin----