Results 181-200 of 1,599 for long speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (10 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: ...this, my Department provides annual funding support to local authorities in preparing vacant units for re-let under the Voids Programme. This funding was introduced originally to tackle long term vacant units and is now increasingly targeted to support authorities to ensure minimal turnaround and re-let times for vacant stock. Cork City Council have been allocated funding of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (9 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: ...by the Grangegorman Development Agency (GDA) of the planned sale of property owned by TU Dublin on Dublin’s Aungier Street. However, the LDA was aware that the sale of this property was part of long-standing plans by the GDA to relocate TU Dublin facilities to the university’s new Grangegorman Campus and, as such its planned sale had already been effectively agreed with...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (9 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: ...in funding through the Land Development Agency and €5bn funding through the Housing Finance Agency. Under Housing for All, the Government will deliver 47,600 new build social homes; 3,500 social homes through long-term leasing and 28,500 new affordable homes in the period 2022-2026. Local authorities have published Housing Delivery Action Plans, setting out details of social...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (9 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: ...arrears who have had their mortgage position deemed unsustainable by their lender under the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (MARP), and who have very limited options, if any, to meet their long-term housing needs themselves. The scheme is not aimed at individuals who require help in funding the purchase of a home, whether under a fresh start principle or otherwise. The MARP is a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Electricity Supply Board (2 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: ...through my Department's Voids Programme to supplement the local authority funding available for the preparation of vacant properties for re-letting. The funding was introduced originally to tackle long term vacant units and is now increasingly targeted to support authorities to ensure minimal turnaround and re-let times for vacant stock. The detailed administration of the schemes...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (27 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides annual funding support to local authorities in preparing vacant units for re-let under the Voids Programme. This funding was introduced originally to tackle long term vacant units and is now increasingly targeted to support authorities to ensure minimal turnaround and re-let times for vacant stock. An annualised breakdown by local authority, including Carlow County...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (25 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: ...arrears who have had their mortgage position deemed unsustainable by their lender under the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (MARP), and who have very limited options, if any, to meet their long-term housing needs. To date, my Department is aware of 11 properties which have progressed, or are progressing through, the buy-back process within the MTR scheme. It is not anticipated...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Urban Development (25 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: ...Town Centre Project to provide support for a number of key infrastructure, services, civic, residential and amenity projects in Tallaght town centre. The Project will act as a catalyst for the wider and long term growth of Tallaght, as a living town and the thriving heart of South Dublin County. The following table shows each of the sub-projects within the overall proposal: Table 1:...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (20 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Under Housing for All, the Government will deliver 47,600 new build social homes and 3,500 social homes through long-term leasing in the period 2022-2026. Our clear focus is to increase the stock of social housing through new build projects delivered by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs). For 2023 and 2024, the Government agreed that there would be increased provision for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (18 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: ...under the Secure Tenancy Affordable Rental (STAR) scheme. The core principle of Cost Rental is that the rents cover the development, management, and maintenance costs of the homes, so that the long-term future of the homes is financially secure, but that rents are not subject to the pressures of the profit-driven open market. Rents will increase only in line with general consumer...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (18 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: ...arrears who have had their mortgage position deemed unsustainable by their lender under the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (MARP), and who have very limited options, if any, to meet their long-term housing needs themselves. The MARP is a framework that sets out rules for how lenders must deal with borrowers when they fall into mortgage arrears or are in pre-arrears. It forms a major...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (13 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: ...the REV. That was the information the Deputy got. The table provided by the Department of public expenditure was an internal informal working document. That said, I have no difficulty with people being able to see what our output is, as long as it does not add incredible additional work. We bring to the Cabinet quarterly expenditure reports, too. What happened was never the...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (13 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: ...mentioned the underspends that were there. There was a reality in previous years when we could not build, effectively, and we had supply chain issues, so we rightly reallocated moneys. All day long, I will stand over the land acquisition fund, which means that local authorities and AHBs can apply to us to purchase lands. That will build our pipeline into the future. It is not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: ...meetings to work through the backlog of cases. I will give an example of the progress that has been made. Further progress is absolutely needed because we all know of cases that have been stuck there for far too long. If one was to talk to the man or the woman on the street about planning, probably the first word that would come into his or her mind would be "delays". Delays lead to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: ...maintenance. We have brought voids back into use, but I accept that work in this regard is sporadic and is not consistent across the board. I also see properties that have been vacant far too long. In 2023, we brought 2,481 voids back into use. The year before, the number was 2,273. In 2021, it was 2,425. I have seen local authorities - I will not mention which ones - where the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Just so the Senator is aware, €46 million is being recouped to local authorities for the voids programme. They make submissions to us on what voids they can get through. Some are long-term voids and some are relets. We do keep a really close eye on it. The Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, might want come in here.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: ...are exiting into permanent, secure tenancies and into HAP, AHB and LA tenancies. Another thing we are doing, and there has been some criticism by the way and I want to mention it, is around the long-term leasing targets. I am certainly phasing out long-term leasing because we are delivering more homes but the long-term leasing initiative I brought forward is for 1,200 homes...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: ...grant. People have been responding to that because they see older property and they can get the cost of purchasing those properties defrayed either to live in them or to let them into the private rental market long-term. We have received 8,194 applications to date, with 5,049 approved, so these-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: But I understand. Many people have not sold apartments individually in a long time.

Planning and Development Bill 2023: Report Stage (Resumed) (12 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: ...the Government for a decision. No other policy area goes to the Government in this way for approval. It is very important that the national planning framework align with the national development plan and such plans and that it be decided upon by the Government. We had a long discussion on national planning statements. We try to streamline policy delivery. There are some opposite who...