Results 2,681-2,700 of 26,565 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (22 Jan 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Addressing vacancy and making efficient use of existing housing stock is a key priority for Government, as set out in Pathway 4 of Housing for All. The Vacant Homes Action Plan, which I published in January 2023, built on Pathway 4 of Housing for All and set out the various actions that were being pursued to return vacant properties back into use as homes. In April 2024, I published an...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (22 Jan 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Kerry County Council's Housing Delivery Action Plan, which sets out the Council’s annual social housing targets to 2026, can be accessed at the following link: www.kerrycoco.ie/housing-delivery-programme/. Last November the Government approved new national housing targets up to the year 2030. 303,000 homes will be delivered in the period from 2025 to 2030, equating to an annual...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (22 Jan 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The objective of the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF) is to provide public off-site infrastructure to relieve critical infrastructure blockages. The types of infrastructure being provided include roads, bridges, diversion of power-lines, drainage works as well as public amenities (parks). In July 2016, the Department invited relevant infrastructure project proposals from...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (22 Jan 2025)

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 local authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual local authorities. My Department...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Contracts (22 Jan 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is compliant in respect to Department of Finance and Revenue regulations and guidelines in regard to public contracts. Irish tax clearance certificates are requested for all contracts entered into which exceed a combined value of €10,000 in a twelve month rolling period. My Department does not hold information as to the tax residency of suppliers as this is a matter for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Contracts (22 Jan 2025)

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: Defective Building Materials (22 Jan 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I commenced the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) on 22 June 2023 which contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023. Following the recent receipt of preliminary results from scientific research into damaged dwellings in Donegal, which claims that the underlying mechanism of damage is as a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (22 Jan 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I commenced the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) on 22 June 2023 which contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023. As Ireland’s official Standards Body, The National Standards Authority Ireland (NSAI) has been tasked with the review of I.S. 465. The NSAI have published an update...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (22 Jan 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Applications for a Local Authority Home Loan and the Local Authority Purchase and Renovation Loan are made through the individual Local Authorities and the final decision on loan approval is a matter for the relevant local authority and its Credit Committee on a case-by-case basis. Decisions on all housing loan applications must be made in accordance with the Regulations establishing the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (22 Jan 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department publishes comprehensive programme-level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) in each local authority. This data is available to the end of Q3 2024, and is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link:...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (22 Jan 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I commenced the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the 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 in the overall grant scheme cap (originally set at €420,000) a year after...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (22 Jan 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Kildare County Council presented a proposal to my Department to support a new Approved Housing Body (AHB) to take responsibility for the housing development in question. In March 2024 my Department confirmed funding approval for the necessary works to restore and re-tenant these homes. I understand from Kildare County Council that certain legal matters need to be regularised between them...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (22 Jan 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Kildare County Council made a proposal to my Department, in conjunction with an Approved Housing Body (AHB), for the development of age-friendly homes on the site referred to in the question. Stage 2/Pre-Planning approval on this project was confirmed to the Council by my Department in April 2022 and I understand that planning permission was granted for the proposed development in August...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (22 Jan 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: As independent corporate entities, local authorities have the power to acquire land for the purposes of performing any of their functions, including for the delivery of housing. Once local authorities have identified a need to acquire additional lands, they may seek to borrow the required finance. In accordance with Section 106 of the Local Government Act 2001, as amended, the decision...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (7 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All includes a commitment to review income eligibility for social housing. From this review, completed in November 2021, 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. The Government also agreed to increase the baseline income thresholds by €5,000 for all...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Property Registration (7 Nov 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (7 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Public ownership is a core principle governing the development of water services and the Government has given its full commitment to holding a referendum on ownership of water services. It should also be noted that the establishment of Uisce Éireann in public ownership is already firmly secured under the Water Services Acts 2007 to 2022. I have previously committed to bringing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Office of Public Works (7 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My function under the National Monuments Acts, 1930-2014 is to ensure the long-term conservation of national monuments. I have no direct role in requesting the OPW to recover the remains of anyone from their burial place. The question of exhuming and reburying the remains of the Invincibles - should they be locatable - has also been the subject of a number of calls supported and raised by...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (7 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant is a key support, introduced by this Government, to bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use as homes. A grant of up to €50,000 is available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence and for properties which will be made available for rent. A top-up grant of up to €20,000...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Solar Energy Guidelines (7 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 219 and 226 together. It is the case that, as with the vast majority of development types, there are currently no specific planning guidelines in place in respect of solar energy developments. Proposals for individual solar energy developments are subject to the statutory requirements of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, in the same manner...