Results 2,601-2,620 of 25,713 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (9 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. Under the HAP scheme, tenants source their own accommodation in the private rented market. The accommodation sourced by tenants should be within the prescribed maximum HAP rent...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Applications for social housing support are assessed by the relevant local authority, in accordance with the eligibility and need criteria set down in section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended. A revised Social Housing Support Application Form was introduced with effect from 19 April 2021. The new...

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department's role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at a local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless services rests with individual housing authorities. My Department does not fund any homeless service directly...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Water Services Acts 2007-2022 set out the arrangements in place for the delivery of water and wastewater services by Uisce Éireann and further set out the scrutiny and oversight provisions that apply in respect of these arrangements. Uisce Éireann has statutory responsibility for all aspects of the planning, delivery and operation of water and wastewater services at national,...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 894 and 895 together. Local Authority Home Loan The Local Authority Home Loan 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. The loan can...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 896 and 897 together. The Local Authority Home Loan is a Government backed mortgage scheme 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. The loan can be used both for...

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

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

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Land Development Agency Act 2021 was signed into law in July 2021. The Act established the Land Development Agency (“LDA”) as a commercial semi-state body with the power to pursue a wide range of activities to deliver its mandate, including managing and developing public land, and collaborating with other parties for the delivery of housing. Ultimately, this statutory...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Projects (23 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Government’s Shared Island Local Authority Development funding scheme, which is administered by my Department, supports a programme of feasibility assessments by local authorities, on potential cross-border projects across a range of sectors including biodiversity, sustainable tourism, circular economy, innovation, and cultural and creative industries. The scheme, which is funded...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Projects (23 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: In line with the objectives of the National Planning Framework and the National Development Plan, the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) is currently providing part-funding to applicant-led projects, enabling more compact and sustainable development within the existing built-up footprints of our cities and large towns. To date, there have been three rounds of funding provided...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities have responsibility for the administration of the Enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant scheme. This includes the initial validation of applications, notifying homeowners of the Housing Agency's determinations on damage threshold, the appropriate remediation option and grant amount, determination of the grant payable for alternative accommodation and storage costs and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Land Development Agency (23 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: To fund its commercial activities, the Land Development Agency (LDA) currently has access to:€2.5bn of equity capital from the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF),€1.25bn of borrowings as provided for under the LDA Act, as well as;€1.25bn that can be raised by the LDA through the performance of certain functions.Of the €2.5bn available through ISIF, the LDA...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Reports (23 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I am considering the report, entitled 'A Review Into Certain Planning Matters in Respect of Donegal County Council', by Mr. Rory Mulcahy S.C., and will bring this matter to Government for consideration in due course. The review is a scoping report and as such it does not make findings as to the truth or otherwise of allegations that have been made by an individual against named persons. The...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Scheme supports the building of apartments in urban cores for sale to owner-occupiers. The Scheme aims to bridge the current "Viability Gap" between the delivery cost of building apartments and the market sale price (where the cost of building is greater). The Scheme launched on 10 May 2022 and there have been two calls for Expression of Interest...

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

Darragh O'Brien: 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: 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 authority. However, more granular data, such as in relation to...

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

Darragh O'Brien: An Bord Pleanála ('the Board') is independent in the performance of its functions under the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended). Arrangements have been put in place by all bodies under the aegis of my Department to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas. This provides a speedy, efficient and cost effective system to address queries...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (23 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Through my Department's Multi-annual Developer Provided Water Services Infrastructure Resolution Programme (DPI Programme) significant funding has been provided to local authorities for housing estates that rely on water services infrastructure provided by the developer of the estate (DPI). The aim of the Programme is to provide funding that assists the local authorities to implement...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (23 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The standards for rental accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019. Responsibility for the enforcement of the Regulations in the private rental sector rests with the relevant local authority. If a property has been found to be non-compliant with the Regulations, it is a matter for the local authority to determine what action is necessary and...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1018 and 1019 together. Local authorities will always have a level of vacancy in their housing stock. This will fluctuate over time, as tenancy surrender and re-letting of stock is an ongoing process. Therefore, ongoing data in relation to vacant local authority owned homes are not routinely collated by my Department. However, statistics in relation to social...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (23 Jul 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. Our clear focus is to increase the stock of social housing through new build projects delivered by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs). Social Housing is delivered through a range of local authority and Approved Housing...