Results 2,521-2,540 of 25,713 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

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

Darragh O'Brien: Both the Tenant in-Situ and Cost Rental Tenant in-Situ schemes support households who are at risk of homelessness. For 2023 and 2024, the Government agreed that there would be increased provision for social housing acquisitions and my Department provided funding for Local Authorities to acquire 1,500 social homes. The additional acquisitions have primarily focused on properties where a...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 424 and 425 together. The Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme (EERP) aims to retrofit a local authority home to a BER of B2/Cost Optimal Equivalent. It is expected that 36,500 local authority owned homes will be retrofitted under this programme out to 2030. An annualised breakdown of the total funding provided and the number of properties upgraded under...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Responsibilities of Owners’ Management Companies (OMC) to their members are set out in the Multi-Unit Developments (MUDS) Act 2011. In relation to developments where concerns over fire safety issues arise, when a building is constructed and occupied, statutory responsibility for safety is assigned under section 18(2) of the Fire Services Acts, 1981 and 2003, to the ‘person...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a form of social housing support available for people who have a long-term housing need. Any household assessed as eligible for social housing is immediately eligible for HAP. Eligible households can source their own accommodation in the private rental sector which should be within the HAP rent limits provided to them by the local authority. Maximum...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The standards for rental accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 and specify requirements in relation to a range of matters, such as structural repair, sanitary facilities, heating, ventilation, natural light, fire safety and the safety of gas, oil and electrical supplies. These Regulations apply to all properties let or available for let....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Environmental Policy (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Responsibility for the management of environmental pressures in the catchment area of Lough Neagh lies primarily with the authorities in Northern Ireland. Monaghan County Council, with the support of the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) shared service, is the lead environmental authority in relation to catchment management in the small area of the Blackwater catchment that flows into...

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

Darragh O'Brien: A cornerstone policy of both the existing and the proposed revised National Planning Framework (NPF) is the achievement of a greater regional balance in population and employment growth. The goal is to see a roughly 50:50 distribution of growth between the Eastern and Midland region, and the respective Southern, and Northern and Western Regions, with 75% of the growth to take place outside of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Budget 2025 (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Mortgage Allowance scheme provides for an allowance of up to €11,450 payable over a 5 year period, to tenants or tenant purchasers of local authority housing, to assist them to purchase or have a private house built with a mortgage. The current rates are underpinned by the Housing (Mortgage Allowance) Regulations 2001 and have been in place since 1 January 2002. New applications...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 769 and 770 together. 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. The Housing Agency acts as agent on behalf of the local authorities under the Enhanced Grant Scheme. Once a home...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Tailte Éireann is an independent Government agency under the aegis of my Department. Tailte Éireann provide a property registration system, property valuation service, and national mapping and surveying infrastructure for the State. Under Section 8(6) of the Tailte Éireann Act 2022, Tailte Éireann is independent in the performance of its functions. It is understood from...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The allocation of social housing, including newly constructed housing, is dealt with by individual local authorities. My Department doesn't have a role in such allocations. I understand from Carlow County Council that the new social homes at the development referred to encountered challenges with water supply services which they now inform us, have been resolved and will allow the allocations...

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department operates a number of funding programmes that assist local authorities to work in partnership with Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to construct and purchase homes and make them available for social housing. One such programme that local authorities and AHBs progress Social Housing projects through is the Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF). CALF funding is capital support...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (9 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 between a purchaser’s deposit and mortgage, and the price of their new home, for eligible first-time buyers, Fresh Start applicants and those who wish to build their first home. The Scheme was expanded on 17 April 2023 to include the Tenant Home Purchase Product, enabling...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Local Authority Home Loan (LAHL) is a Government-backed mortgage for creditworthy applicants who cannot get sufficient funding from commercial banks to purchase or build a home. It has been available nationwide from local authorities since 4 January 2022 for first-time buyers and fresh start applicants. Applicants who meet the Fresh Start criteria may apply to the Local Authority Home...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Legal Cases (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: On foot of the Court of Appeal Order dated 19 January, 2024 and the Supreme Court Order dated 19 September, 2023 expenditure of some €630,000 was incurred by my Department to meet the applicant’s legal costs in this case. It should be noted that legal costs incurred by the State in defending proceedings instigated against my Department, are not met directly by my Department. In...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Interim Remediation Scheme for Fire Safety Defects in Eligible Apartments and Duplexes (‘Scheme’) provides for the funding, through Owner Management Companies (OMCs), of emergency fire safety defect works in order to provide an acceptable level of fire safety in affected buildings pending completion of the full remedial works. A whole building approach is required to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (9 Sep 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. Where my Department enters into an arrangement to fund posts directly with a local authority this funding would be predominately for the provision of staff to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Programme for Government (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department’s mission is to support sustainable development and vibrant communities through strategic planning, the sustainable and efficient delivery of well-planned homes, the sustainable management of our water resources, the nurturing of Ireland’s heritage, and effective local government. Our mission is shaped by the 178 commitment items (CIs) from the Programme for...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The table shows the housing agencies, AHBs and registered charities that have received funding from my Department since 1 January 2024. Housing Agencies Approved Housing Bodies Charities - - - ·Local Government Management Agency ·Residential Tenancies Board ·The Housing Agency ·ALONE ·Ark Housing Association Ltd. ·Arlington Novas Ireland...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (9 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 have engaged with Insurance Ireland with regards to the insurance aspects of underwriting houses that have been subject to certified remediation works under the...