Results 18,041-18,060 of 26,320 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Schemes (18 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Fundamentally, this is an activation measure to increase supply. I thank Deputy O'Dowd for his kind comments. This measure is taking effect on the ground. Consider the measures the Government has introduced to support first-time buyers in buying at affordable rates. The help-to-buy grant gives them back €30,000 of their own taxes. I cannot imagine why anyone would be opposed to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Schemes (18 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Actually, it does not. The equity under the first home scheme is not a second mortgage, which is what others claimed. Under it, we are providing approximately €69,000 in equity. Combined, these come to nearly €100,000. People who have been renting or living at home have a real way now to buy their homes at an affordable rate, with mortgages of €1,000 or €1,100...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Schemes (18 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: We have already seen new schemes starting because of this measure. The commencement figures for quarter 2, which will be published this afternoon, are the highest in ten years. The commencement and completion figures for quarter 1 were the highest since we started collating these records. Everything is not perfect, but momentum is building, and we will take measures like this if they...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Schemes (18 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputies do not want houses at all. They want to take away every support from first-time buyers.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Schemes (18 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputies will take people's tax back off them and abolish the first home scheme.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Schemes (18 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for his question and his support of Government in its rolling out of these measures. As he knows, cost rental did not exist 18 months ago. We have rolled it out and well over 1,000 tenancies have been approved. The Deputy referenced Shanganagh Castle, which is a very important and significant site, where ground has been broken. It is the largest social and affordable...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Schemes (18 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: We have been specifically discussing cost rental but there has also been a significant expansion in the first home scheme for first-time buyers. As I referred to earlier, one in two new-built homes bought last year was bought by a first-time buyer. Between help-to-buy and shared equity, the average equity we are providing is between €69,000 to €100,000 to first-time buyers and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Schemes (18 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The cost-rental viability measure will be available to AHB and across the sector. It will also be available to private developments if they are designated as cost rental and part of the condition will be that they will be designated as cost rental on an open book basis. We are working through those changes with the AHB sector also. It will apply and that is absolutely the intention. On the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Schemes (18 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Yes, we are looking at that and I believe they can work together. We have done that with regard to the AHF funding that local authorities can access at the moment. For example, with regard to South Dublin County Council and a new scheme we have started there, that is just about viable and we can get that out there. We will look at the combination of both and how that can practically work....

Accommodation Needs for New Arrivals: Statements (23 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank my colleague, the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, for leading out on this important debate and these important statements in the House. I agree with every word he has uttered and I am grateful for the opportunity to outline the role of my Department and the local government sector, which plays an important role and which I work with on a daily basis in the provision of accommodation and...

Accommodation Needs for New Arrivals: Statements (23 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: This is strange.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (16 May 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 scheme is governed by the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 and the Housing (Sale of Local Authority Houses) Regulations 2015, as amended. The regulations provide for specified classes of houses to be excluded...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Area Plans (16 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority administrative area is provided in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA). The most recently conducted summary for all counties, conducted in November 2022, shows that 57,842 households qualified for social housing whose need has not yet been met. The summary is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (16 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Awaiting reply from Department.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Area Plans (16 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Awaiting reply from Department.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (16 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Awaiting reply from Department.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Building Regulations (16 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The public consultation on proposed amendments to Part B of the Building Regulations and the associated Technical Guidance Document relating to fire safety closed on 21 April 2023. 163 submissions were received (including 12 received from individuals) and these are currently being examined by my Department. In line with Action 21.1 of the Housing for All Action Plan Update, the review of Part...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Policies (16 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Choice based letting (CBL) is a mechanism to facilitate the efficient allocation of social dwellings by local authorities and help reduce delays in reletting of properties by local authorities. CBL is provided for in the Social Housing Allocation Regulations 2011, made under section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009. As per Regulation 10, a household that refuses a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (16 May 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 role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at a local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless accommodation and related services rests with individual housing authorities. My Department does...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Commercial Rates (16 May 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by Tailte Éireann under the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2015. A large body of case law is well established and local authorities and ratepayers are, in the main, very familiar with, and generally accepting...