Results 3,341-3,360 of 26,565 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Public Services Provision (18 Sep 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. Section 63(3) of the Local Government Act 2001 provides that, subject to law, a local authority is independent in the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: At the outset, it is important to highlight that my role in relation to local and regional planning matters is to provide the legislative, policy and financial framework at a national level within which local and regional authorities can perform their functions. Section 30 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) provides that the Minister shall not exercise any power or control...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 379 and 380 together. The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015 provided for the development of a deposit protection scheme to be operated by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB). However, significant changes have taken place in the rental market since this legislation was passed. The Housing for All Action Plan Update published in November 2022,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Affordability and the chance to own a home is at the heart of the Government’s housing policy and as detailed in the Housing for All strategy, a number of measures have been introduced to support households and individuals wishing to purchase a home. This includes measures which are in place to support first time buyers and those who have experienced a 'Fresh Start' event such as...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Planning Framework (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The draft revised National Planning Framework was published on 10 July 2024 and has undergone a 9-week public consultation process which closed on 12 September 2024. Submissions have been received in relation to the draft from a range of public bodies and agencies, sectoral groups and members of the public and these submissions are currently being reviewed by my Department, with consideration...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The local authority Mortgage Protection Insurance (MPI) scheme has applied to all house purchase loans approved by local authorities after 1 July 1986, including the Local Authority Home Loan introduced on 4 January 2022. The current contract for MPI came into effect from 1 January 2023. This contract offers life cover only. A link to the Master Policy Document is provided below. Section 3.2...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The proposed Short Term Letting and Tourism (STLT) Bill being developed by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (DTCAGSM) will provide the statutory basis for the establishment of a register for Short Term Lets in Ireland and for the implementation of the new EU Short Term Rental (STR) Regulation which was adopted by the EU on 11 April 2024. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Staff (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not generally keep a record of qualifications held by staff members, and accordingly there may be staff working in various roles in the Department who have a qualification relating to Architecture but who have applied for different positions. However, please see the below table which sets out in FTE terms, the number of staff working in Architect roles at the end of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 386, 409 and 416 together. 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). Social Housing is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department currently gathers and publishes data on a monthly basis on the number of homeless persons accommodated in emergency accommodation funded and overseen by local authorities. These reports are based on data provided by local authorities, produced through the Pathway Accommodation & Support System (PASS). The monthly homelessness report includes details of individuals,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Land Issues (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities published annual draft Residential Zoned Land Tax maps on 1 February 2024 that identify lands that fall within the scope of the tax, as well as lands which they propose to exclude from the previous year’s annual final maps for 2025. Landowners and other interested parties had until 1 April 2024 to make a submission to the relevant local authority about whether or not...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. This includes an average of 10,000 new build social homes each year in the period to 2030. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4bn per annum, through an overall combination of €12bn in direct Exchequer funding,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) has been identified as a key measure to address the different housing needs in Ireland and methods to support the development of MMC in Ireland are set out in Housing for All. In December 2022, funding of €94m was provided to local authorities to address legacy land debts. The provision of this funding was linked to the immediate development of a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (18 Sep 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. Local authorities also have a legal obligation to ensure that all of their tenanted...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (18 Sep 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 as timelines on decision making is a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (18 Sep 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 is a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: State Bodies (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 395, 396 and 397 together. 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. There are now more people working at...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Land Issues (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Data in respect of prices paid for land are generally not captured by the State at this time. In accordance with Action 48 of the latest Housing for All Action Plan Update of November 2023, the CSO has commenced work to develop regular descriptive statistics on residential land prices. To this end, a working group comprising the CSO, my Department and a number of other Departments, has...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Social Housing Investment Programme (SHIP) funded construction projects by local authorities must, like all publicly-funded construction programmes, comply with the Infrastructure Guidelines (Public Spending Code) and the Capital Works Management Framework. My Department periodically issues Basic Unit Costs (BUCs) for each local authority area, for use as a key benchmark for the development...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Government Reform (18 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 400 and 401 together. Article 124 of the Local Elections Regulations 1995 provides that where a person is elected for more than one local electoral area they shall either declare, within three days of the return of persons elected to the local authority being made, which area they choose to represent. If their declaration is not made within a specified time...