Results 2,761-2,780 of 26,565 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (5 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: Housing Schemes (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: On 5 June 2024 , I received Government approval to introduce the Local Authority Purchase and Renovation Loan (LAPR). The Statutory Instrument underlying the scheme came into effect on 22 July 2024. The LAPR is an expansion of the Local Authority Home Loan, and supports the purchase and/or renovation of homes which are eligible for the existing Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Section 160 of the Local Government Act 2001 provides the Minister with the power to declare qualifications of such classes and descriptions as he or she thinks fit for a specified employment under a local authority or for such of the employments as belong to a specified class, description or grade. The declared qualifications for engineering posts in the local government sector specify that...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department has been actively engaging in the negotiation of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive since the Commission published its proposed recast Directive in Q4 2022, and the detailed discussions began in January 2023. Alongside the proposal, the Commission issued a detailed impact assessment. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH) established an expert...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Area Plans (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Meath County Council Housing Delivery Action Plan, which sets out the Council’s annual social and affordable housing targets to 2027, can be accessed at the following link: www.meath.ie/system/files/media/file-uploads/2022-08/Meath%2 0County%20Council%20Housing%20Delivery%20Action%20Plan%20202 2-2026.pdf Government has recently approved new national housing targets up to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I refer to the reply to Question No. 373 of 15 October 2024, which sets out the position in this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation (5 Nov 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 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 currently...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority administrative area is provided in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA). The SSHA for the years 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, respectively, can be accessed on my Department’s website at the following link:...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Community Development Projects (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Cork Event Centre was included as a Government commitment under the revised National Development Plan in 2021. This underlines the Government’s support for urban regeneration, enhanced amenity and heritage, associated quality of life standards, balanced regional development, and the regeneration and development of Cork City Centre. The Government decision of 22 October...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Pollution (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department’s priority is to ensure that people’s health is protected and that adequate water is available for all consumers. I am keen to see this Boil Water Notice lifted without undue delay – but only when the HSE and EPA have confirmed the water supply is safe. As the public health authority, it is the HSE’s decision regarding issuing a Boil Water Notice or...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department publishes comprehensive programme level data on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery and spend activity including information in relation to the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) and Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) which can be found on my Department's website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provis ion/

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (5 Nov 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 and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Derelict Sites (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Addressing vacancy and dereliction and making efficient use of existing housing stock is a key priority for Government. 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 this year, I published an update on the Action Plan...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 592 and 593 together. While my Department has an oversight role in strategic workforce planning within the local government sector, section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001 provides that 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Road Projects (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Overall responsibility for roads policy and funding for the implementation of transport strategies is a matter for the Minister for Transport. Kildare County Council as the Roads Authority, is responsible for the management of the road network in its administrative area. Notwithstanding the above, the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) is providing part-funding for some...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Stations (5 Nov 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 Act 1981 & 2003. My Department supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (5 Nov 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 regarding timelines is not held by my Department as the determination of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: As the Deputy is aware, I commenced the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) on 22 June 2023, which provides for the current grant scheme, and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023. Prior to the commencement of the current scheme, I signed amendments that allowed relevant homeowners in counties Mayo and Donegal who lodged...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (5 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. Government also agreed to increase the baseline income thresholds by €5,000 for all local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Waterways Ireland (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I last met the CEO of Waterways Ireland at the twenty-ninth North South Ministerial Council Inland Waterways Sectoral meeting which was held at the Canal Stores, Clones, County Monaghan on 19 June 2024. The meeting was attended by myself, my colleague Malcolm Noonan TD, Minister of State with responsibility for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform, John O’Dowd MLA, Minister for...