Results 19,621-19,640 of 26,350 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Postal Voting (12 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Electoral law provides for postal voting for a number of different categories of people including the following - whole-time members of the Defence Forces, members of An Garda Síochána, Irish diplomats serving abroad and their spouses/civil partners, electors living at home who are unable to vote because of an illness or a disability, electors whose occupation, service or employment...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Stations (12 Dec 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 Acts, 1981 and 2003. My Department supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (12 Dec 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. In July 2022 the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant was launched to support bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use. From 1 May 2023, a grant of up to a maximum of €50,000 is available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: State Bodies (12 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 451 and 452 together. Exchequer funding of €3.8 million is being provided to the Land Development Agency (LDA) in 2024 to cover expenditure associated with their non-commercial functions. This is further broken down into €3m for Capital and €800,000 for Current funding. These functions are detailed under Section 29 of the LDA Act...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Grant Payments (12 Dec 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. In July 2022 the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant was launched to support bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use. From 1 May 2023, a grant of up to a maximum of €50,000 is available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (12 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government sets out a number of commitments in respect of the important policy area of addressing building defects. It commits to an examination of defects in housing, having regard to the recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing’s report "Safe as Houses?” In response to the difficulties that homeowners are facing due to the presence of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (12 Dec 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 is a key...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (12 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: On 24 October 2023, the Government approved the General Scheme of the Residential Tenancies (Right to Purchase) Bill for priority drafting and publication during this Oireachtas session. The Bill proposes, inter alia, a number of technical amendments to enhance the operation of the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 to 2022, the outcomes thereunder and the operational efficiencies of the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (12 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Since the publication of Housing for All, the Government has focused on the activation of permissions and land for housing. The Residential Zoned Land Tax (RZLT) is a new tax introduced in Finance Act 2021 which seeks to increase housing supply by encouraging the activation of lands which are suitably zoned and appropriately serviced. Draft maps were published by local authorities on 1...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (12 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Scheme is deemed to be a social housing support under the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014. As a long term housing support, an assessment of housing need must be completed in order for a household to qualify for HAP. Any household with an identified housing need is eligible for HAP. In order for housing assistance to be provided under the Act...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (12 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established an independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 (RTA), to operate a national tenancy registration system and to facilitate the resolution of disputes between landlords and tenants and as such, the registration of tenancies is an operational matter for the RTB. My Department does not hold the details sought...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (13 Dec 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. In July 2022 I launched the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant which supports bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use. From 1 May 2023, a grant of up to a maximum of €50,000 is available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (13 Dec 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, as amended, and certain other Acts. There are now more people working at the Board than at any time previously. Since October 2021, my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (13 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Government agreed on 7 March 2023 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. The Government at that...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (13 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: From the details supplied I understand the question relates to the status of an application for a Local Authority Home Loan. The final decision on Local Authority Home Loan applications is a matter for the relevant local authority. In general, the Local Authority Home Loan can be used to finance the purchase of a property under the Tenant Purchase Scheme. The Local Authority Home Loan...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Legislative Measures (13 Dec 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 local authorities in addressing homelessness at a local level. Section 2 of the Housing Act 1988 outlines how local authorities can form an opinion on whether or not an individual/household shall be regarded as homeless, while section 10...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (13 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Further to my response to the Parliamentary Question No. 63 of 7 December 2023, the Land Development Agency's (LDA) 2023 Report on Relevant Public Land identified four state-owned sites in Limerick which have potential for the development of affordable and social homes. This is in addition to the two sites in Limerick, previously agreed for transfer to the LDA under the Government's...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (13 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: 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, through an overall combination of €12bn in direct...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (13 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a form of social housing support available for people who have a long-term housing need. Any household assessed as eligible for social housing is immediately eligible for HAP. Eligible households can source their own accommodation in the private rental sector which should be within the HAP rent limits provided to them by the local authority. All...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (13 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Details of the funding I approved for the successful applications under the waste water collection and treatment needs for villages and settlements without access to public wastewater services programme are listed below. Local authority Village Grant assistance (€m) Clare Broadford € 6.44 Clare ...