Results 19,661-19,680 of 26,350 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Government Reform (14 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: It should be noted that local authorities have been under sustained financial pressure since the beginning of the pandemic, which has necessitated extensive financial support from Government over the past number of years, in the form of a commercial rates waiver, compensation for lost income and pandemic related expenditure, and, more recently, assisting authorities faced with increased...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (14 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: Emergency Accommodation (14 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 local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual local authorities. A...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Quality (14 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides funding support to the private water sector and to individual households by way of capital grants and an annual subsidy through the Rural Water Programme. Private water supplies are those supplies not operated by Uisce Éireann and includes group water schemes, small private supplies and private wells. The local authorities have responsibility for the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (14 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The EU Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy) establishes a common framework for the protection of inland surface waters, transitional waters, coastal waters and groundwater. The overall aim of the Directive is to maintain high and good status waters where they exist and to restore waters...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (14 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not have direct involvement in executive functions such as procurement, carried out by a local authority. Under Section 149 of the Local Government Act 2001, the Chief Executive of a local authority is responsible for the executive functions of the local authority, and for that purpose to manage and control generally, the administration and business of the authority,...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as ucht na ceiste. Ar an gcéad dul síos, tá sé tábhachtach a rá go ndearna mé athrú ar dhlí pleanála i mí na Bealtaine 2021. Tá a fhios ag an Teachta faoi sin. Cosnaíonn an t-athrú sin tithe teaghlaigh do dhaoine aonair agus do theaghlaigh. Tá an t-athrú sin ag obair....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I am simply giving the facts-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Relax, Thomas, for a second. I have given the facts. No one wants to see family homes being bulk purchased and that is why I made the planning changes. Whether the Deputy likes it or not those planning changes are working because 40,000 planning permissions are granted now with an owner-occupier guarantee on them, which means they cannot be sold on a bulk basis. That is working. Why are...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The State is investing €5 billion in housing this year. Every single measure we brought forward on housing Sinn Féin has opposed. It opposed the Land Development Agency. It opposed it right the way through.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: We have actually. Whether Sinn Féin likes it or not commencements are up as are completions. We will exceed our target for 2023 as we did in 2022. There are still issues but this Government backs first-time buyers. All that Sinn Féin would do for first-time buyers is abolish every measure there to support them.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Then the Sinn Féin party leader comes up with this great plan of dropping every house price to €300,000. Deputy Louise O'Reilly was asked-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: -----on TV last week how would that be done. She huffed and puffed through that. No one has actually told me. The Deputy might use his time when he comes back in afterwards to explain to the House the Sinn Féin plan to drop house prices to €300,000, how it would work and how long it would take. The Deputy might explain that.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I must first reject the Deputy's assertion that in any way, shape or form we deal with housing in a flippant way. We certainly do not. We are very serious about it. This Government is investing more than any previous Government has in housing. We brought forward measures to help in housing. I would also say to the Deputy that while people do travel perhaps the Deputy has read about the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: -----and private homes as well.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Then the Social Democrats also say they want us to build on State land. We are building on State land.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: When we brought forward the Land Development Agency Act what did the Social Democrats do? They voted against that as well. They voted against the Affordable Housing Act. They voted against the Land Development Agency Act. Consider the first-time buyers that the Social Democrats purport to want to represent. They opposed the help-to-buy grant, they opposed the first home scheme-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: We are bringing forward measures that are actually working and it takes time to turn housing around. Consider where we are with completions. Since we have taken over and since this coalition has come into government, by the end of 2023 we had built more than 100,000 new homes in this country. There are still stresses and demands there, unquestionably, and that is why we need to increase...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The voting record speaks for itself. I still await the Social Democrats' housing policy or housing plan as to what they would do differently.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The reality is that we back first-time buyers and we back renters. We brought in the renters' tax credit as well to help defray the costs there. The rental market is far from perfect. I know that. On bulk purchase the Deputies will also know - as I have explained to Deputy Doherty earlier - that we have changed the planning law from May 2021. More than 40,000 homes now have the...