Results 2,241-2,260 of 25,713 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (9 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank Members for their input. This is important legislation, which we debated on Second Stage as well. It will be appreciated by the approved housing body sector to deal with the AHBRA registration issue, and to legislate for the cost-rental tenant in situ scheme and for changes we have just discussed with regard to cost rental as the sector continues to grow throughout the country. I...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (9 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Watch that change.

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (9 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I have met cost rental tenants, single individuals, who have rented cost rental properties on their own. This mechanism is not brought in as a cost reduction measure for the AHB partners or indeed the LDA partners. The Deputy will have a view on that. I will just say it is not. As the Deputy has outlined already, at different times of their lives, people may want to share. Right now, the...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (9 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: While it is a relevant point, it is not relevant to the legislation or indeed the section we are dealing with.

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (9 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Through the Chair, this is not oral questions. We are dealing with important legislation here. A Leas-Cheann Comhairle, we can go down the road of me answering questions on every aspect of housing policy. Just to be fair to Deputy Healy-Rae on this, in respect of tenant purchase schemes through local authorities, they exist and are in place right now. The help to buy grant is a matter for...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (9 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Of course we will. Bígí cinnte faoi sin.

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (9 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Tomorrow's meeting of the Oireachtas joint committee will be important as well. The Deputy will be able to look in further detail and ask further questions. I appreciate that he asked questions on Second Stage as well. This is the evolution of cost rental, a model that did not exist here less than three years ago. As we build up that scale, we will consider what might be a scheme of...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (9 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank Deputy Ó Broin. We did discuss this matter. I welcome the support for the Bill. We know that in the instance of multiple occupancy, cost-rental tenants derive a number of benefits such as security of tenure, below-market rents and high-quality housing. However, in some cases it is envisaged that incomes could rise and, as individual circumstances change, there may be...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Data (9 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Local Property Tax (LPT) funding allocations are decided in advance of collection, based on estimates of the LPT yield in individual local authority areas for the following liability year. Every local authority is entitled to receive a minimum amount of funding under the LPT allocation process, known as the baseline. Cavan County Council’s baseline for each of the year’s 2020 to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Energy Conservation (9 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: In 2021 a new holistic approach was applied to the Local Authority Energy Efficient Retrofit Programme (EERP), designed around the Programme for Government's commitment led by the Department for the Environment, Climate and Communications that calls for the 'retrofit' of 500,000 homes to a B2/Cost Optimal Equivalent (BER) standard by 2030, together with a target of 400,000 heat pumps. Of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (9 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 105 and 110 together. I refer to the reply to Question No 379 of 18 September 2024 which sets out the position in this matter.

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

Darragh O'Brien: Local Property Tax (LPT) funding allocations are decided in advance of collection, based on estimates of the LPT yield in individual local authority areas for the following liability year. Every local authority is entitled to receive a minimum amount of funding under the LPT allocation process, known as the baseline. Cavan County Council’s baseline for each of the year’s 2020 to...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities set and collect rents on their dwellings in accordance with section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. The making or amending of such rent schemes is generally a matter for local authorities within broad principles set out by my Department, including that rent levels should be based on income and reflect tenants’ ability to pay. Local discretion and flexibility are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Meteorological Services (9 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The focus for the information developed during Stage 1 of the establishment of the National Flood Forecasting and Warning Service (NFFWS), overseen by the OPW, was to provide information support to emergency management decision-makers. Further development of the NFFWS, including Ireland’s network of hydrometric observation systems, is required to support a public flood warning service....

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme 2016 is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the scheme. The scheme is governed by the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 and Housing (Sale of Local Authority Houses) Regulations 2015, as amended. While the regulations provide for specified classes of houses to be...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Architectural Heritage (9 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Under Section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he/she is responsible. My Department oversees workforce planning for the local government sector, including the monitoring of local government sector employment levels. To this end,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Policies (9 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Many traditional town centres have suffered from a decline in retail activity due to the loss of their immediate population base and shifting retail patterns, including an increase in on-line sales. This has led to increased rates of vacancy and can have a major impact on the vibrancy and vitality of a town centre. Retailing is shifting away from being solely reliant on the purchasing of...

Sale of Tickets (Cultural, Entertainment, Recreational and Sporting Events) (Amendment) Bill 2024: First Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: No.

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am introducing the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024 which intends to make amendments to the Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) Act 2019 and the Affordable Housing Act 2021. The Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) Act 2019 provides for the regulation of approved housing bodies, AHBs, for the purpose...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Is the Deputy sure? I thought there might have been copies for Members but the speech was amended. The Deputy is okay. We will arrange for copies.