Results 1,981-2,000 of 25,713 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Tá an fear feargach ar ais arís.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Stop for a second; just relax. It will disappoint Deputy Doherty that we will exceed our target substantially this year, as we have done in every year of Housing for All. We have delivered 125,000 new homes. More than 500 first-time buyers a week are drawing down their mortgages using the supports this Government brought in, such as the help-to-buy grant. For people watching in, the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (23 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I refer to Question No. 345 of 15 October 2024, which sets out the position in this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Arts Centres (23 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 106 and 107 together. A flagship element of Project Ireland 2040, the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) was one of four new funds established under the National Development Plan (NDP) 2018 – 2027. Launched in 2018 with committed Exchequer funding of €2 billion the review of the NDP in 2021 extended the URDF to 2030. The URDF...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (23 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Affordable Housing Act 2021 established a framework to make affordable housing available, setting up affordable purchase and cost rental schemes for delivery by key partners. As regards local authority delivery, funding approvals are now in place to support the delivery of over 4,300 affordable homes by 21 local authorities with subsidy from the Affordable Housing Fund. The legislative...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (23 Oct 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. Under the plan, there was provision for 200 social housing acquisitions each year. However, for 2023 and 2024, the Government has agreed that there will be increased provision for social housing acquisitions and the Department will fund...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (23 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, the implementation of a planned maintenance programme and carrying out of responsive repairs, are matters for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. Local authorities also have a legal obligation to ensure that all of their tenanted properties...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (23 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Tackling vacancy and dereliction is a key priority for this Government. The Vacant Homes Action Plan, which I published in January 2023, built on Pathway 4 of Housing for All and set out the various actions that were being pursued to return vacant properties back into use as homes. Earlier this year I published an update on the Action Plan which shows the significant progress that is being...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (23 Oct 2024)

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 provides for the current grant scheme, and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023. The scheme facilitates the remediation of existing houses that have been damaged by the use of defective concrete blocks. The construction of new separate additional...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógail) - Other Questions (Resumed): Housing Policy (22 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Question No. 72 has been answered.

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógail) - Other Questions (Resumed): Housing Provision (22 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I will get Deputy Connolly more detail on this as I do not have the full supplementary reply. In 2022, the build target for Galway city was 305 and for Galway county the build target was 230. In 2023, the build target for the city was 219 and for Galway county it was 351. In 2020, the build target was 224 for Galway city and for Galway county the build target was 358. I do not have to...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógail) - Other Questions (Resumed): Housing Provision (22 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I will respond very quickly because I have the height of regard for Deputy Connolly. I can point to local authorities throughout the country that are exceeding the housing targets we have set.

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógail) - Other Questions (Resumed): Housing Provision (22 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I know that but we have to contrast and compare as well with regard to how some local authorities can deliver at scale while we need to support others that are not delivering at scale. I encourage all local authorities, which have more funding than they have ever had. That is why we will exceed social housing targets for new builds this year. We will exceed our affordable housing delivery...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógail) - Other Questions (Resumed): Housing Schemes (22 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: On bridging finance, the local authority home loan is useful. I meet representatives from the three main banks regularly. I have met representatives of PTSB, AIB and Bank of Ireland to discuss this matter. The retail banks are pushing towards the green mortgages, which would be ideal to lend on and provide bridging finance. The meetings I had with them were positive. I have not met the...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógail) - Other Questions (Resumed): Housing Schemes (22 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I assure Deputies that the review was sought by the three Ministers. Its purpose is not to stop this; I want to see it evolve, accelerate and improve in the future. It should be a mainstay from a climate perspective and from the perspective of urban and rural regeneration. I expect that we will come forward with some changes for above-the-shop accommodation very shortly.

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógail) - Other Questions (Resumed): Housing Schemes (22 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I know.

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógail) - Other Questions (Resumed): Housing Schemes (22 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 57, 63, 66, 70 and 73 together. The vacant property refurbishment grant, or the Croí Cónaithe towns grant, is a key support introduced by this Government to bring vacant and derelict properties back into use. It is a significant grant. A grant of up to €50,000 is available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógail) - Other Questions (Resumed): Housing Schemes (22 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I might give some figures first, which might be helpful to the Deputies. In Cork city, 318 applications were received, of which 241 were approved. Only nine were rejected. The other applications are being processed and applications are still coming in. A total of 28 grants have been paid out in Cork city. That figure will accelerate substantially over the coming months. We are budgeting...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógail) - Other Questions (Resumed): Housing Schemes (22 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: That is County Galway. Galway city is behind and we have engaged with the council. A total of 79 applications were received, of which 58 were approved. I can provide these details to Deputies across local authorities. To answer Deputy Ó Cuív's question, extensions can be granted. I have not had any case come back to me where a local authority said it would not extend it if it...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógail) - Other Questions (Resumed): Housing Schemes (22 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Under Housing for All, we made provision for the purchase of 200 social housing acquisitions and to permit that each year. In 2023, with the Deputy's support, the Government agreed that we would increase the provision and the allocation of funds for 1,500 social housing acquisitions. This has continued into 2024 and my Department will fund local authorities to acquire at least 1,500 social...