Results 17,561-17,580 of 26,320 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Farm Inspections (21 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Fifth Nitrates Action Programme for 2022 – 2025, published in March 2022, has strengthened the local authority agricultural inspection and enforcement programme to ensure that there is a significant increase in the number of inspections, follow-up actions such as enforcement notices issued, prosecutions taken and penalties applied on non-compliant farms. In 2022 the EPA...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (21 Mar 2023)

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 presence of reactive...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (21 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme provides for the purchase by eligible tenants, or joint tenants, of local authority homes available for sale under the scheme. To be eligible, applicants must meet certain criteria, including a minimum annual reckonable income of €12,500. The minimum income requirement has a dual purpose. It ensures the scheme is sustainable and the tenant...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (21 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department publishes comprehensive programme-level statistics on social housing delivery activity in all local authority areas on the statistics page of its website. The data requested in the Question in relation to funding provided by the State for RAS tenancies from 2011 ? 2021 broken down by local authority area, and funding provided by the State for HAP tenancies in 2019?2021, broken...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (21 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Traveller Accommodation (21 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. My Department ceased the practice of allocating specific budgets to individual local authorities...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (21 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 510 and 517 together. The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, the implementation of a planned maintenance programme and carrying out of responsive repairs, are matters for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. Since 2014, Exchequer funding has been...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (21 Mar 2023)

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 statutory role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of emergency accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Animal Welfare (21 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 514 and 515 together. The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) staff of my Department are working across all regions of the country to address wildlife crime. Staff in NPWS are designated as Authorised Persons under the Wildlife Acts and Authorised Officers under the EC (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011 and in that context they have powers...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: eGovernment Services (21 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies Board, or RTB, was established as a quasi-judicial independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 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: Vacant Properties (21 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities will always have a level of vacancy in their housing stock. This will fluctuate over time, as tenancy surrender and re-letting of stock is an ongoing process. Therefore, ongoing data in relation to vacant local authority owned homes is not collated by my Department. However, statistics in relation to social housing stock, at a point in time, are published by the National...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Cúrsaí Oidhreachta (23 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Tá an séadchomhartha atá i gceist ar eolas ag Seirbhís na Séadchomharthaí Náisiúnta i mo Roinnse agus tá cosaint dhlíthiúil aige toisc é a bheith san áireamh i dTaifead reachtúil na Séadchomharthaí agus na nÁiteanna arna bhunú faoi alt 12 d’Acht na Séadchomharthaí Náisiúnta...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Cúrsaí Oidhreachta (23 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Le linn gnáthobair chothabhála/athsholáthair fálta a dhéanamh laistigh de Pháirc Náisiúnta Chonamara, rinne conraitheoir rianú gairid ar chuadrothar ar fud rian a bhí ag suíomh reilig an Mhaoilinn (GA023-023002) cheana féin. Thug seandálaí a raibh taithí chuí aige/aici ó Sheirbhís na...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (23 Mar 2023)

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 (DCB) 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: Defective Building Materials (23 Mar 2023)

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 (DCB) 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: Local Authorities (23 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: In the local government sector, travel and subsistence policies and rates mirror those established centrally for the Civil and Public Sectors and, therefore, any consideration of initiatives such as that referenced will need to be informed by central policy. A key consideration is this regard is the requirement to limit travel, subsistence and related expenditure and the loss of official...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (23 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 219 and 226 together. 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,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (23 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Statistics on overall units owned, managed or leased by AHBs are captured as part of the Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority’s (AHBRA) annual monitoring programme. The first monitoring programme took place in 2022 and statistics will be published by the Regulator over the coming months. Information in respect of funding for individual Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) is not...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (23 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: As provided for in the Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) Act 2019 (the Act), the Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority (AHBRA) was formally established on 1 February 2021. AHBRA is an independent body tasked with the regulation of Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) for the purposes of protecting housing assets provided or managed by such bodies. The register of AHBs...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (23 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Local Authority Home Loan is a Government backed mortgage scheme for first-time buyers and fresh start applicants who cannot get sufficient funding from commercial banks to purchase or build a home. It has been available nationwide from local authorities since 4 January 2022. The loan can be used both for new and second-hand properties, or to self-build. A ‘Fresh Start’...