Results 2,721-2,740 of 25,713 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

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

Darragh O'Brien: Uisce éireann has statutory responsibility, under section 7 of the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013, for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation. As Minister, I have no function in this matter. However, Uisce éireann is committed to timely delivery of housing connections under Housing for All. In 2023, Uisce éireann responded to 78% of pre-connection...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Under 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 or she is responsible and each local authority is an individual employer. The Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) provides support to local authority management in this regard. Section 63(3)...

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...

Seanad: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: As of 22 July.

Seanad: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: That is why that is so important.

Seanad: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My legs are gone. There is a lot to cover. I want to thank all Senators for their contributions. I did watch a lot of the contributions yesterday as well. Before I try to address some of the remarks, I want to bring to the attention of the House that I may bring further amendments on Report Stage and I want to detail them briefly. We will be coming back on Report Stage here in the Seanad...

Seanad: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: It was not only them, to be fair. Colleagues in the Labour Party, the Social Democrats -----

Seanad: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: They behaved that way. They formally withdrew Deputy Thomas Gould and told him not to go to the select committee so that the time was used up for voting purposes. That is a fact. It is what it is.We had the planning advisory forum, including the Minister, Deputy Peter Burke, and the Ministers of State, Deputies Kieran O'Donnell, Alan Dillon and Malcolm Noonan, with all stakeholders. The...

Seanad: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I know this is the Seanad. I had the honour of serving here for five years. I have great regard for this Chamber. I have commenced legislation in this Chamber and come here as often as I can. Senators Moynihan, McDowell and others raised the CPO issue. The Law Reform Commission's long-awaited report is published. We had already been at an advanced stage of preparing the Bill. I took a...

Seanad: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: It should not be the norm. It should not be just a go-to. There are reasons some of that happened. I got rid of the strategic housing developments, SHDs. I understood the principle of them. The application of them was different because communities felt they did not have their say. If they went to the board and it decided against them, their only recourse was to the courts. We made that...

Seanad: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I will conclude now. I will come back on that on Report Stage.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Septic Tanks (11 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Rural Water Programme provides financial assistance to households in specific circumstances where capital works are required to rectify defective Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems (DWWTS), including septic tanks. The policy of providing grant funding to households for work on DWWTS arises from the need to address damage being done to water quality in sensitive areas in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (11 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I refer to my answer to Question No. 430 on 9 July 2024 which sets out the position in this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Public Procurement Contracts (11 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not have direct involvement in executive functions such as procurement, carried out by a local authority. Under Section 149 of the Local Government Act 2001, the Chief Executive of a local authority is responsible for the executive functions of the local authority, and for that purpose to manage and control generally, the administration and business of the authority,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (11 Jul 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: Fire Stations (11 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Services Acts, 1981 and 2003. My Department supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (11 Jul 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 homebuyers, 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: Planning Issues (10 Jul 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. In order to ensure the continued outturn of cases within the Board, my Department has provided...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (10 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Croí Cónaithe (Cities) scheme launched in May 2022 with a view to supporting the building of 5,000 apartments 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 is managed by the Housing Agency and full...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Functions (10 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Department does not fund any homeless service directly but provides funding to housing authorities towards these costs. Section 10 of the Housing Act, 1988 sets out the purposes for which costs may be incurred by local authorities in respect of the provision of homeless accommodation and related services. Under the funding arrangements, the Department recoups up to 90% of the costs of...