Results 2,401-2,420 of 7,983 for speaker:Peter Burke

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (3 Mar 2022)

Peter Burke: The Housing for All strategy is a multi-faceted approach to step up housing supply and put affordability at the heart of the housing system. The strategy introduces two new affordable purchase schemes (the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme and the First Home shared equity scheme), as well as an improved Local Authority Home Loan scheme, which are primarily targeted to support...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (3 Mar 2022)

Peter Burke: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme plays a vital role in housing eligible families and individuals.  HAP rent limits were set in conjunction with the Department of Social Protection in 2016. Local authorities also have discretion, because of local rental market conditions, to exceed the maximum rent limit by up to 20%, or up to 50% in the Dublin region for those households...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Building Regulations (3 Mar 2022)

Peter Burke: Build-to-rent was first referenced in 2015 in response to emerging trends, which include on-going population growth, a move towards smaller average household size, an ageing population and a greater proportion of households in the rented sector. At that time, apartments had become a more common form of dwelling in urban areas, comprising 11% of all occupied households in Ireland and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Building Regulations (3 Mar 2022)

Peter Burke: The Building Regulations apply to the design and construction of all new buildings (including dwellings) and to certain works to existing buildings. They are subject to ongoing review in the interests of safety and the well-being of persons in the built environment and to ensure that due regard is taken of changes in construction techniques, technological progress and innovation. The Building...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (3 Mar 2022)

Peter Burke: Legislative reforms to regulate the short-term letting sector through the planning code, in areas designated as “rent pressure zones” (RPZs), were introduced under the Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 2) Regulations 2019 which came into effect on 1 July 2019. Notwithstanding the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, significant work on...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (3 Mar 2022)

Peter Burke: I propose to take Questions Nos. 134 and 198 together. Councillors, like members of the Oireachtas, are office holders rather than employees. As such, they are not covered by the statutory framework for employees in relation to maternity leave.  I recognise that this is an obstacle to the participation of women in local government, which I am determined to address...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (3 Mar 2022)

Peter Burke: I propose to take Questions Nos. 146 and 196 together. Housing for All (published in September 2021) provides a new housing plan for Ireland to 2030 with the overall objective that every citizen in the State should have access to good quality homes through a steady supply of housing in the right locations, with economic, social and environmental sustainability built into the system. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (3 Mar 2022)

Peter Burke: I propose to take Questions Nos. 156 and 179 together. Under Section 37J of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the Act), An Bord Pleanala has an objective to make decisions on planning applications for strategic infrastructure development within a period of 18 weeks, beginning on the last day for making submissions or observations. Where the Board does not consider it...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (3 Mar 2022)

Peter Burke: A decision on the substitute consent application for the Derrybrien Wind Farm in County Galway was signed by An Bord Pleanála on Friday 4 February 2022. In their decision, the Board refused to grant substitute consent for ESB’s wind farm, which ends the statutory process seeking to retrospectively regularise the environmental impact assessment status of the wind farm. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (3 Mar 2022)

Peter Burke: I propose to take Questions Nos. 186 and 207 together. In January 2022, my Department communicated with local authorities outlining that it is increasing the funding made available since 2018 from €50,000 to €60,000 per annum from mid-2022 to support the work of a Vacant Homes Office including a vacant homes officer to support the commitment in Housing for All to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (3 Mar 2022)

Peter Burke: The Programme for Government commits to a change to the allocation model for Local Property Tax (LPT) and specifically to 100% local retention of LPT in the area in which it is collected. Seperately, I have also commited to reviewing baseline funding for all local authorities following the first revaluation of LPT by the Office of the Revenue Commissioners. That Office is continuing its work...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (3 Mar 2022)

Peter Burke: The Maritime Area Planning Act 2021, which was enacted in December 2021, includes provisions to establish a new agency, the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA). I aim to have MARA up-and-running by Q1 2023 and to facilitate this, a dedicated Unit has been set up within my Department to progress the Implementation Plan to establish this new agency. Early priorities for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Sites (3 Mar 2022)

Peter Burke: Addressing vacancy and dereliction, and maximising the use of the existing housing stock, is a priority objective of the Government, as evidenced by the recently published Housing for All - A New Housing Plan for Ireland where one of the four pathways in the plan is specifically dedicated to this area.   My Department continues to liaise with local authorities on the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (3 Mar 2022)

Peter Burke: The Planning and Development (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2018, which came into operation on 8 February 2018, provide for an exemption from the requirement to obtain planning permission in respect of the change of use of certain vacant commercial premises to residential use, including the conversion of vacant areas above ground floor commercial premises to residential use. This measure was...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Derelict Sites (3 Mar 2022)

Peter Burke: On 31 December 2020, which is the latest date for which data is available in my Department, Wicklow County Council had 4 sites listed on its Derelict Sites register. Data in respect of the end of 2021 is due to be collected in the coming months. While the Derelict Sites Act 1990 does not require local authorities to publish their Derelict Sites Registers on their websites, section 8(5)...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (3 Mar 2022)

Peter Burke: The e-Planning project was commenced with the aims of developing a relatively simple system closely aligned to the already developed Building Control Management (BCMS) system. However, as the detailed analysis for the project progressed, the differences between the standalone nature of the BCMS system and the complexity of e-Planning, including the level of integration required with the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (3 Mar 2022)

Peter Burke: I propose to take Questions Nos. 269 to 271, inclusive, together. The Town Centre First (TCF) policy, jointly developed by my Department and the Department of Rural and Community Development, sets out 33 actions which will provide a co-ordinated framework across established national policy objectives (in particular the National Planning Framework, Housing for All and Our Rural Future) to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (3 Mar 2022)

Peter Burke: Planning statistics are compiled by each planning authority on an annual basis for collation and publication on my Department’s website, at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/service/9e4ee-get-planning-statisti cs/. The data collected relates to the total number of applications and decisions for all developments that require planning permission, broken down by year and planning...