Results 2,501-2,520 of 25,713 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) has been identified as a key measure to address the different housing needs in Ireland and methods to support the development of MMC in Ireland are set out in Housing for All. In December 2022, funding of €94m was provided to local authorities to address legacy land debts. The provision of this funding was linked to the immediate development of a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (18 Sep 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: An Bord Pleanála (the Board) is the national independent statutory body with responsibility for the determination of planning appeals and direct applications for strategic infrastructure and other developments under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, and certain other Acts. The information requested is not held by my Department as timelines on decision making is a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: An Bord Pleanála (the Board) is the national independent statutory body with responsibility for the determination of planning appeals and direct applications for strategic infrastructure and other developments under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, and certain other Acts. The information requested is not held by my Department determination of planning appeals is a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: State Bodies (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 395, 396 and 397 together. An Bord Pleanála (the Board) is the national independent statutory body with responsibility for the determination of planning appeals and direct applications for strategic infrastructure and other developments under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, and certain other Acts. There are now more people working at...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Land Issues (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Data in respect of prices paid for land are generally not captured by the State at this time. In accordance with Action 48 of the latest Housing for All Action Plan Update of November 2023, the CSO has commenced work to develop regular descriptive statistics on residential land prices. To this end, a working group comprising the CSO, my Department and a number of other Departments, has...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Social Housing Investment Programme (SHIP) funded construction projects by local authorities must, like all publicly-funded construction programmes, comply with the Infrastructure Guidelines (Public Spending Code) and the Capital Works Management Framework. My Department periodically issues Basic Unit Costs (BUCs) for each local authority area, for use as a key benchmark for the development...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Government Reform (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 400 and 401 together. Article 124 of the Local Elections Regulations 1995 provides that where a person is elected for more than one local electoral area they shall either declare, within three days of the return of persons elected to the local authority being made, which area they choose to represent. If their declaration is not made within a specified time...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rights of Way (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Section 10(2)(0) of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) deals with the management of public rights by planning authorities as part of their development plans. The Planning and Development Bill 2023 (the Bill) is currently before the Oireachtas and will replace the current Act once enacted. The Bill has a number of provisions relating to public rights of way. Section...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All, first published in Q3 2021, set out a commitment to review income eligibility for social housing. From this review, it was recommended moving five local authorities from Band 3 to Band 2, ensuring the income eligibility thresholds better reflect housing costs in those counties. Government also agreed to increase the baseline income thresholds by €5,000 for all local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department publishes comprehensive program level data on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery and spend activity, including the number of active tenancies in the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS). The latest published figures for total active HAP tenancies (at end of Q1 2024) and full year spend for 2023 are available at the following link -...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established an independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 (RTA), to operate a national tenancy registration system and to facilitate the resolution of disputes between landlords and tenants and as such, the registration of tenancies is an operational matter for the RTB. My Department does not hold the details sought....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Constitutional Amendments (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I established the Commission on Housing in December 2021 to examine and evaluate Ireland's housing system. At the same time, I tasked the Commission with advising Government on the critical factors to be considered regarding a referendum on housing and, if appropriate, to recommend wording for a constitutional change. While this is not a commitment to a referendum on a 'right to housing', it...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Fire Services Capital Programme forms part of my Department’s strategy to support local authorities in the development and maintenance of quality firefighting and rescue services. The Department provides capital funding for the construction and upgrading of priority fire service infrastructure and the procurement of fire appliances and specialised front-line emergency equipment. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The First Home Scheme, which launched in July 2022, is a shared equity scheme, designed to help bridge the gap for eligible first-time buyers, eligible home buyers, and self-builders, between their deposit and mortgage, and the price of their new home (within price ceilings established across the country). Full details are available on the First Home Scheme website, www.firsthomescheme.ie. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Reviews (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Coastal Protection (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Tackling coastal change management in response to climate change will be complex, multifaceted and dynamic, demanding a range of research, policy and consequential management responses. Through the 15 recommendations set out in the scoping report of the Inter-Departmental Group on National Coastal Change Management Strategy, an evidence-based coastal change management strategy facilitating...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I commenced the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 ('the 2022 Act') on 22 June 2023, which contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023. A review mechanism is provided within the 2022 Act, which provides for an increase or decrease the overall grant scheme cap (currently €420,000) a year after...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I commenced the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 ('the 2022 Act') on 22 June 2023, which contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023. I set up an Implementation Steering Group for the enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks (DCB) Grant scheme, comprising officials from the relevant local authorities, my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Community Development Projects (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: In terms of planning, providing, enabling and supporting allotments, legislation is in place in the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) and the Local Government Act 2001 (as amended) to identify locations in development plans for allotment development, and to establish allotments as a part of local government’s role in promoting the interests of local communities. ...