Results 18,901-18,920 of 26,350 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Waterways Issues (26 Oct 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Waterways Ireland is a North South body whose role, responsibilities and remit are set out in the British Irish Agreement Act 1999 and the North-South (Implementation Bodies) (Northern Ireland) Order 1999. Any amendment to the remit of Waterways Ireland would be a matter for the North South Ministerial Council and would require legislative changes to both the Act and the Order. The body has...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (26 Oct 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. The Tenant Purchase Scheme was reviewed in 2021, with a number of amendments implemented from 1 February 2022. These...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Meteorological Services (26 Oct 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Flood forecasters (Hydro-meteororlogists) in the Met Éireann Flood Forecasting Centre work routinely Monday to Friday with additional attendance at weekends when there is any potential risk of flooding identified. The duty hydro-meteorologist liaises frequently with the rest of the forecasting team in Met Éireann and there is a routine scheduled briefing daily with the on-duty...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (26 Oct 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All delivers on the Programme for Government commitment to step up housing supply and put affordability at the heart of the housing system. A number of Departmental schemes are in place to support this objective, which are governed by relevant legislation, regulations and guidance. In relation to the schemes mentioned, the First Home Scheme, launched on 7 July 2022, supports...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Meetings (26 Oct 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Mayor of Charlotte was unavailable, due to prior commitments, to meet with the Consul General and myself during my recent visit to North Carolina. However I did meet with the Housing and Neighbourhood Services Director for the City of Charlotte.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Special Areas of Conservation (26 Oct 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The EU Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC)EU requires Member States to designate Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) to protect a variety of habitats and species. This Directive is transposed into Irish law by the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011 (S.I. No. 477 of 2011). The designation of SAC sites under the Directive is a formal, legal process, with a number...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (26 Oct 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I commenced the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) on 22 June 2023 which contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023. The new scheme is now open to applications in four counties: Clare, Donegal, Limerick and Mayo with comprehensive information of all aspects of the Scheme available on my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (26 Oct 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: On 25 April 2023, the Government approved additional measures under the Housing for All Action Plan to incentivise the activation of increased housing supply and help reduce housing construction costs, including the introduction of temporary time-limited arrangements for the waiving of local authority “section 48” development contributions and the refunding of Uisce Éireann...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Waterways Issues (26 Oct 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Waterways Ireland is proposing to update the Shannon Bye-laws and Canal Bye-laws which are more than 30 years old and no longer fit for purpose. The needs of users have changed, environmental landscape and health and safety considerations have developed significantly and the waterways themselves have been transformed over the past thirty years. The purpose of updating the Bye-laws is to make...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Traffic Management (26 Oct 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF) is a scheme which funds the building of public infrastructure by local authorities. Its objective is to provide public off-site infrastructure to relieve critical infrastructure blockages to housing delivery. This enables the accelerated delivery of housing on key development sites in Dublin and in urban areas of high demand. LIHAF was...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Traffic Management (26 Oct 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Overall responsibility for roads policy and funding for the implementation of transport strategies is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Transport. Kildare County Council as the Roads Authority, is responsible for the management of the road network in its jurisdiction. Notwithstanding the above, the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) is providing part-funding for...

Housing: Motion [Private Members] (7 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I move amendment No. 2: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes that: — Budget 2024 delivered a record €5.1 billion in capital investment in housing made up of €2.6 billion in exchequer funding, €978 million for the Land Development Agency (LDA) and €1.5 billion for Housing Finance Agency (HFA) funding;...

Housing: Motion [Private Members] (7 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: -----right the way across the country. Deputy Louise O'Reilly is my good colleague in Dublin Fingal where there is one of the largest social and affordable housing sites in the country at Ballymastone, Donabate, and work is under way. Her own party colleague in Fingal County Council objected to it and voted against it.

Housing: Motion [Private Members] (7 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Colleagues opposite may, God forbid, get the opportunity to be in a position whereby they will have the responsibility to deliver but they cannot come into the Dáil and say one thing and then out in their own constituencies go out and do completely the contrary. That is what is happening time and time again.

Housing: Motion [Private Members] (7 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I did not interrupt Deputy Ó Broin once.

Housing: Motion [Private Members] (7 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: If the Deputy wants to critique his comments, and there is so much within them that is incorrect, I will. I have not interrupted the Deputy one bit.

Housing: Motion [Private Members] (7 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Let us look at Oscar Traynor Road. Work has started on that site to deliver hundreds of homes there for people. Sinn Féin actively opposed the Oscar Traynor Road site-----

Housing: Motion [Private Members] (7 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: -----and actively opposed O'Devaney Gardens as well.

Housing: Motion [Private Members] (7 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I will let the Deputy come back with his response later and maybe he will put on the record what his councillors did in Fingal-----

Housing: Motion [Private Members] (7 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: -----with regard to Ballymastone or Deputy Ó Snodaigh's reason to object to 208 social and affordable homes-----