Results 2,801-2,820 of 25,713 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (4 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 321 and 322 together. Pathway 4 of Housing for All sets out a blueprint to address vacancy and make efficient use of our existing housing stock. The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant supports bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use. A grant of up to €50,000 is available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (4 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The price discount availed of by a homebuyer in an affordable home purchase arrangement is a function of the gap between the purchasing power of the approved affordable housing purchaser and the open market price of the property concerned. The provision of affordable purchase housing by local authorities is supported by a Government capital subvention of €50,000, €75,000 or...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (4 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 325 and 326 together. Since 2013, Exchequer funding has been provided through my Department's Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme (EERP) to support local authorities with the retrofit of local authority owned homes requiring insulation and energy upgrade works. Over the period 2013 to the end of 2023, local authorities received over €308 million in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Electricity Supply Board (2 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, the implementation of a planned maintenance programme and carrying out of responsive repairs, are matters for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. Since 2014, Exchequer funding has also been provided through my Department's Voids...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Energy Policy (2 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: 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. Each year the target number of units and funding provided under the EERP are subject to the funding availability as part of the National Development Plan...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (27 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 173 to 175, inclusive, Question No. 177, and Questions Nos. 179 to 181, inclusive, together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Coastal Erosion (27 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The scoping report of the Interdepartmental Group on coastal change management, which was co-chaired by my Department and the Office of Public Works, can be accessed at the following link: Through the 15 recommendations set out in the report, an evidence-based coastal change management strategy facilitating key decisions to be taken to address and manage the impacts of coastal change over...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (27 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities set and collect rents on their dwellings in accordance with section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. The making or amending of such rent schemes is generally a matter for local authorities within broad principles set out by my Department, including that rent levels should be based on income and reflect tenants’ ability to pay. Local discretion and flexibility are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (27 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) have responsibility for the upkeep and maintenance of their properties, including sinking funds for future improvements. There are a number of options available for energy improvement upgrades through Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) grants. Currently, under the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and Historic Structures Fund grant schemes, both...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (27 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The ‘Fresh Start’, principle forms a key element in ‘ Housing for All ‘and is applied across a number of affordable and mortgage schemes run by my Department such as the Local Authority Home Loan and the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme. The Fresh Start principle allows people who are not first time buyers to be eligible to apply for a Local Authority...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (27 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The policy of providing grant funding to households for work on Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems (DWWTS), including septic tanks, arises from the need to address damage being done to water quality in sensitive areas in particular. The grants are focused on the areas of greatest environmental priority and are available only in circumstances relating to risks to water quality and/or...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (27 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides annual funding support to local authorities in preparing vacant units for re-let under the Voids Programme. This funding was introduced originally to tackle long term vacant units and is now increasingly targeted to support authorities to ensure minimal turnaround and re-let times for vacant stock. An annualised breakdown by local authority, including Carlow County...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (27 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Under the Housing Act 1988 it is a matter for each local authority to determine whether a person is regarded as homeless; section 2 of the Act sets out the requirements in this regard. When a household has been assessed as homeless, section 10 of the Housing Act 1988 provides that a local authority may provide accommodation and related services to that household. My Department publishes...

Nomination of Member of Government: Motion (26 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Where is your housing plan? Publish your housing plan.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (26 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is currently undertaking a focused review of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines. The review is addressing a number of key aspects of the Guidelines including setback distance, noise, shadow flicker, community obligation, community dividend and grid connections. My Department, in conjunction with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) which...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (26 Jun 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 most recently published summary for all local authority areas was conducted on 1 November 2023 and shows that there were 3,450 households on the waiting list in Kildare whose need had not...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (26 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Vacant Homes Unit in my Department was established in 2022. The number of staff members assigned to this Unit from 2022 are as follows: Numbers employed in the Vacant Homes Unit - FTE Headcount December 2022 4.5 5 December 2023 7.5 8 As of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Derelict Sites (26 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not have a business unit dealing exclusively with derelict sites. The Planning Division of my Department has responsibility for the Derelict Sites Act 1990 and staff in the Division would have carried out work in relation to this issue over the period 2019 to 2024.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (26 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Statistics in relation to the social housing stock are published by the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) in the Local Authority Performance Indicator Report. These reports provide a range of information in relation to social housing stock, including the number of social housing units in local authority ownership at a given time. The most recent report, relating to 2022, is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (26 Jun 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. My Department oversees workforce planning for the local government sector, including the monitoring of local government sector employment levels. To this end,...