Results 17,641-17,660 of 26,320 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (28 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: An Bord Pleanála (the Board) is the national independent statutory body with responsibility for the determination of planning appeals and direct applications for strategic infrastructure and other developments under the Planning and Development Act 2000 (the Act), as amended, and certain other Acts. Section 126 of the Act provides that it shall be the duty and objective of the Board to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Heritage Sites (28 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: All funding allocated and spent to date on the acquisition of and works at the national monument at 14-17 Moore Street has come from the Exchequer and the Vote of the relevant Department at the time. All and any involvement by NAMA ended when the buildings were acquired from the Agency in 2015.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Heritage Sites (28 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The project for the national monument at numbers 14-17 Moore Street was awarded €12.17 million in funding under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund in 2021. The current focus is on phase 1 conservation works as a priority and the OPW will move to consider phase 2 interpretation works in the near future.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (28 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The recruitment and filling of posts in the local authority sector is undertaken both by individual local authorities and the Public Appointments Service. Following the approval of a staffing sanction request by my Department where such is required it is then a matter for the Chief Executive, who is responsible under Section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001 for the staffing and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (28 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Government increased the baseline social housing income thresholds by €5,000 for all local authorities with effect from 1 January 2023. The thresholds increased to €40,000, €35,000 and €30,000 for bands 1, 2 and 3 respectively. Applications assessed and decided upon prior to 1 January 2023 but which were deemed to exceed the thresholds in place prior to 1...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (28 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing First recognises that a stable home provides the basis for recovery in other areas. With Housing First, the priority is to support a person who has experienced homelessness into permanent housing as quickly as possible, without any preconditions around addiction or mental health treatment. Then, intensive work continues on these issues once they are housed. Housing First has been a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (28 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 HAP tenancies in 2019?2021, broken down by local authority area, can be found on my Department’s website at this link:...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (28 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP) supports the delivery of social housing by providing financial support to local authorities for the leasing of houses and apartments. Leasing delivery figures include social homes secured under local authority long term leasing, enhanced leasing, approved housing body long term leasing, short term rent availability agreements, mortgage...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Supply (28 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I can confirm that my Department are at the final stages of drafting the Framework for the upcoming Multi-annual Rural Water Programme. I expect to receive a submission on the Framework in the coming weeks for my consideration with, subject to my approval, the bids process for the programme to take place in the coming months. The purpose of the Programme is to continue to fund delivery of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Probate Applications (28 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Addressing vacancy and maximising the use of existing housing stock is a primary objective of Government. Housing for All(September, 2021) and the Housing for All Action Plan Update (November, 2022) have the overall objective that every citizen in the State should have access to good quality homes. Addressing vacancy is a key part of the strategy and and I work with my ministerial colleagues...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (28 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. The Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund is a key initiative which underpins the policy objectives set out in Pathway Four of Housing for All. In July 2022, the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant was launched as part of the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund. The grant...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (28 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Government agreed on 7 March that the ‘Winter Emergency Period’ under the Residential Tenancies (Deferment of Termination Dates of Certain Tenancies) Act 2022 would come to an end on 31 March 2023, with deferred tenancy terminations taking effect over a staggered period from 1 April to 18 June 2023 as planned and legislated for under that Act. In advance of this, I...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (28 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: As set out in the Housing for All Action Plan Update (published in November, 2022), my Department has commenced a comprehensive review of the private rental sector. This review will take into account the significant regulatory changes over the past several years in the residential rental market, and will report on how our housing system can be enhanced to provide an efficient, affordable,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (28 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: On 7 March last the Government decided that the “Winter Emergency Period”, under the Residential Tenancies (Deferment of Termination Dates of Certain Tenancies) Act 2022, will cease on the 31 March 2023. This will see deferred tenancy terminations taking effect over a staggered period from 1 April to 18 June 2023. In addition to the on-going and extra measures taken to put in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Energy Conservation (28 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 332 and 333 together. My Department launched the Energy Efficiency Retrofitting Programme (EERP) in 2013 with the aim of funding the retrofitting of social homes requiring insulation and energy upgrade works. Since the programme commenced in 2013 to the end of 2022, over 77,500 local authority social housing dwellings have been retrofitted with a total...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Energy Conservation (28 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All includes an action (21.7) to introduce a targeted energy efficiency retrofit scheme for Approved Housing Bodies. In this regard, the National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme, launched on 8 February 2022, includes enhanced grant levels for certain measures, specifically for Approved Housing Bodies. Responsibility for the implementation of this Action rests with my colleague, the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (28 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. As provided for under Section...

Seanad: Housing: Statements (29 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I am sorry that we were slightly delayed; there was a vote in the Lower House. I am sure the Senators will forgive me.

Seanad: Housing: Statements (29 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: There were no pairings, whatever is happening today. I welcome the opportunity to update Members on the progress the Government has made on housing, particularly since the publication of Housing for All in September 2021. It has been 19 months since the plan was published. Although we are operating in an ever-changing landscape, which most people appreciate, real progress has been made. It...

Seanad: Housing: Statements (29 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: That is not true. That is a base target.