Results 2,901-2,920 of 26,565 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: State Properties (22 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Land Development Agency Act 2021 (The Act) was commenced in July 2021, with a number of objectives including the regulation of relevant public land in order to increase the amount of land available for the provision of housing. In accordance with Section 53 of the Act, a relevant public body is not permitted to dispose of relevant public land unless the body has given prior notice,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (22 Oct 2024)

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. The scheme as set down in legislation, confirms eligibility where the relevant dwelling must be a house that: is located in the administrative area of a relevant local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (22 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Funding approvals are now in place to support the delivery of over 4,300 affordable homes by 21 local authorities with subsidy from the Affordable Housing Fund. The legislative framework and arrangements in place to support local authority affordable purchase schemes are proving effective. My Department, in conjunction with the Housing Delivery Co-ordination Office of the Local Government...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Regional Development (22 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The National Planning Framework (NPF), 2018 is the long-term, 20-year strategy for strategic planning and sustainable development of our urban and rural areas to 2040, with the core objectives of securing balanced regional development and a sustainable ‘compact growth’ approach to the form and pattern of future development. The objective of the NPF in relation to balanced...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (22 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 421, 422 and 431 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (22 Oct 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 Service Acts, 1981 & 2003. My Department supports fire authorities through general policy-setting and preparing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (22 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I can confirm that a reply to this correspondence has issued from my Department. The response provided details on the issues raised including standards, the conveyancing processes, quarry regulation, concrete manufacturing, and construction product regulation.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (22 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 425 and 463 together. The Affordable Housing Act 2021 established a framework to make affordable housing available, setting up affordable purchase and cost rental schemes for delivery by key partners. As regards local authority delivery, funding approvals are now in place to support the delivery of over 4,300 affordable homes by 21 local authorities...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (22 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Land Development Agency (LDA) was established with a focus on managing the State’s lands to develop new homes and regenerate underutilised sites. It has also been tasked with unlocking stalled, private, planning-consented developments in the shorter-term through Project Tosaigh, its market engagement initiative. The LDA is targeting 8,000 new homes over the course of the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (22 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is supporting Kildare County Council who are advancing the refurbishment of St. Patrick's Park, Rathangan, including an element of additional, new build social housing. The Council has advised that Phase 1 of the works, which involves the refurbishment of 34 homes, was completed in October 2019 and that plans for the next phases have been developed following public consultation...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (22 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Ready to Build Schemes, funded by the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund, was launched in September 2022. Under the Scheme, local authorities will make serviced sites in towns and villages available to potential individual purchasers to build their homes. These sites will be available at a discount on the market value of the site for the purposes of building a property for occupation as...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Projects (22 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: As part of the National Development Plan review this year, the government undertook major steps to accelerate the delivery of critical infrastructure projects. Following the conclusion of the review process, which took place from January to March, the distribution to departments of an additional €2.25 billion of windfall corporation tax receipts over the period 2024-26 was agreed by...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (22 Oct 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). Under Housing for All there was provision for 200 social housing acquisitions per...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Legislative Programme (22 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Private Members' Bill regarding Dublin Bay proposes the establishment of a new statutory authority to take on responsibility for co-ordinating the work of the many agencies and bodies currently engaged in planning and development of the Bay Area. As the Deputy is aware, there is already in existence a non-statutory Dublin Bay Bathing Water Task Force. It was established in 2019 and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Staff (22 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The grade of Fire Advisor has not been used in my Department for some considerable time, while the grade of Senior Fire Advisor does not exist. The following table sets out the number of FTE staff serving in the senior manager grades (i.e. Principal Officer equivalent) of my department's National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management at the end of December 2023 and September 2024. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (22 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Established under the National Development Plan 2018 – 2027, the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) programme was launched in 2018 to primarily support the National Planning Framework’s (NPF) growth enablers for the five cities and other large urban centres. The URDF is providing up to 75% funding for applicant led projects that will support more compact and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Property Registration (22 Oct 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. The Land Register is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Disability Services (22 Oct 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. The allocation of local authority dwellings, including the prioritisation of certain households, is a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (22 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Affordability and the chance to own a home is at the heart of this Government’s housing policy. Since 2021 over 8,500 affordable housing supports have now been delivered through the various measures we have established and are currently implementing through our delivery partners. Since the launch of Housing for All, close to 1,000 local authority affordable purchase homes at...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (22 Oct 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. While responsibility for the provision of...