Results 3,101-3,120 of 26,565 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Data (9 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Local Property Tax (LPT) funding allocations are decided in advance of collection, based on estimates of the LPT yield in individual local authority areas for the following liability year. Every local authority is entitled to receive a minimum amount of funding under the LPT allocation process, known as the baseline. Cavan County Council’s baseline for each of the year’s 2020 to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Energy Conservation (9 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: In 2021 a new holistic approach was applied to the Local Authority Energy Efficient Retrofit Programme (EERP), designed around the Programme for Government's commitment led by the Department for the Environment, Climate and Communications that calls for the 'retrofit' of 500,000 homes to a B2/Cost Optimal Equivalent (BER) standard by 2030, together with a target of 400,000 heat pumps. Of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (9 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 105 and 110 together. I refer to the reply to Question No 379 of 18 September 2024 which sets out the position in this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (9 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Local Property Tax (LPT) funding allocations are decided in advance of collection, based on estimates of the LPT yield in individual local authority areas for the following liability year. Every local authority is entitled to receive a minimum amount of funding under the LPT allocation process, known as the baseline. Cavan County Council’s baseline for each of the year’s 2020 to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (9 Oct 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: Meteorological Services (9 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The focus for the information developed during Stage 1 of the establishment of the National Flood Forecasting and Warning Service (NFFWS), overseen by the OPW, was to provide information support to emergency management decision-makers. Further development of the NFFWS, including Ireland’s network of hydrometric observation systems, is required to support a public flood warning service....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (9 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme 2016 is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the scheme. The scheme is governed by the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 and Housing (Sale of Local Authority Houses) Regulations 2015, as amended. While the regulations provide for specified classes of houses to be...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Architectural Heritage (9 Oct 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,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Policies (9 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Many traditional town centres have suffered from a decline in retail activity due to the loss of their immediate population base and shifting retail patterns, including an increase in on-line sales. This has led to increased rates of vacancy and can have a major impact on the vibrancy and vitality of a town centre. Retailing is shifting away from being solely reliant on the purchasing of...

Sale of Tickets (Cultural, Entertainment, Recreational and Sporting Events) (Amendment) Bill 2024: First Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: No.

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am introducing the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024 which intends to make amendments to the Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) Act 2019 and the Affordable Housing Act 2021. The Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) Act 2019 provides for the regulation of approved housing bodies, AHBs, for the purpose...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Is the Deputy sure? I thought there might have been copies for Members but the speech was amended. The Deputy is okay. We will arrange for copies.

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: A slight amendment was made to the speech just beforehand. The Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) Act 2019 provides for the regulation of AHBs, for the purpose of supporting stronger governance and the financial viability of that sector. Section 25 of the 2019 Act provides for existing AHBs, approved under section 6 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992 to be...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 230 and 242 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, introduced in July 2022 under the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund, supports bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use as homes. A grant of up to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Crime Prevention (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Minister for Justice will answer this question..

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Regeneration Projects (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The National Planning Framework (NPF) is the national plan 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 NPF envisages significant city-based population and employment growth...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department has been advancing the steps to put a scheme for the remediation of eligible defects in apartments and duplexes constructed between 1991-2013 on a statutory footing as a matter of priority. Given the complexity of the issues, including the significant amount of Exchequer funding that this Government has committed to assist affected homeowners, sufficient time for drafting the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (8 Oct 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: Fire Safety (8 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 Services Acts, 1981 and 2003. My Department, primarily through the National Directorate for Fire & Emergency...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (8 Oct 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Under my Departments' Rural Water Programme there is grant support available to households that are dependent on a water supply from a private well for their domestic use. The grant scheme is administered by local authorities on behalf of the Department. The objective is to provide financial assistance to households where they incur capital expenditure to carry out improvements to an...