Results 3,461-3,480 of 26,565 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Projects (23 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Government’s Shared Island Local Authority Development funding scheme, which is administered by my Department, supports a programme of feasibility assessments by local authorities, on potential cross-border projects across a range of sectors including biodiversity, sustainable tourism, circular economy, innovation, and cultural and creative industries. The scheme, which is funded...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Projects (23 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: In line with the objectives of the National Planning Framework and the National Development Plan, the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) is currently providing part-funding to applicant-led projects, enabling more compact and sustainable development within the existing built-up footprints of our cities and large towns. To date, there have been three rounds of funding provided...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (23 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities have responsibility for the administration of the Enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant scheme. This includes the initial validation of applications, notifying homeowners of the Housing Agency's determinations on damage threshold, the appropriate remediation option and grant amount, determination of the grant payable for alternative accommodation and storage costs and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Land Development Agency (23 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: To fund its commercial activities, the Land Development Agency (LDA) currently has access to:€2.5bn of equity capital from the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF),€1.25bn of borrowings as provided for under the LDA Act, as well as;€1.25bn that can be raised by the LDA through the performance of certain functions.Of the €2.5bn available through ISIF, the LDA...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Reports (23 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I am considering the report, entitled 'A Review Into Certain Planning Matters in Respect of Donegal County Council', by Mr. Rory Mulcahy S.C., and will bring this matter to Government for consideration in due course. The review is a scoping report and as such it does not make findings as to the truth or otherwise of allegations that have been made by an individual against named persons. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (23 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Scheme supports the building of apartments in urban cores for sale to owner-occupiers. The Scheme aims to bridge the current "Viability Gap" between the delivery cost of building apartments and the market sale price (where the cost of building is greater). The Scheme launched on 10 May 2022 and there have been two calls for Expression of Interest...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (23 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Planning statistics are compiled by each planning authority on an annual basis for collation and publication on my Department’s website at the following link: The data collected relates to the total number of applications and decisions for all developments that require planning permission, broken down by year and planning authority. However, more granular data, such as in relation to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (23 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: An Bord Pleanála ('the Board') is independent in the performance of its functions under the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended). Arrangements have been put in place by all bodies under the aegis of my Department to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas. This provides a speedy, efficient and cost effective system to address queries...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (23 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Through my Department's Multi-annual Developer Provided Water Services Infrastructure Resolution Programme (DPI Programme) significant funding has been provided to local authorities for housing estates that rely on water services infrastructure provided by the developer of the estate (DPI). The aim of the Programme is to provide funding that assists the local authorities to implement...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (23 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: 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 found to be non-compliant with the Regulations, it is a matter for the local authority to determine what action is necessary and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (23 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1018 and 1019 together. Local authorities will always have a level of vacancy in their housing stock. This will fluctuate over time, as tenancy surrender and re-letting of stock is an ongoing process. Therefore, ongoing data in relation to vacant local authority owned homes are not routinely collated by my Department. However, statistics in relation to social...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (23 Jul 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). Social Housing is delivered through a range of local authority and Approved Housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (23 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The work of the Approved Housing Body Classification Working Group has been superseded by the AHB Strategic Forum. The AHB Strategic Forum was established to consider a range of strategic long term issues facing the AHB sector, and to set a vision for the AHB sector over the next 10 years. Membership of the Forum includes representatives from the AHB sector, Housing Agency, Housing Finance...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (23 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1029 and 1030 together. My Department provides funding for the Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme (EERP) which aims to retrofit local authority owned houses to a BER of B2/Cost Optimal Equivalent. Since 2013, Exchequer funding has been provided through my Department's Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme (EERP) to support local authorities with the retrofit...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Domestic Violence (23 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The table below sets out the details of the capital allocated by my Department to the construction of new domestic violence refuges. The locations of planned new refuges will be a matter, in the first place, for my colleague the Minister for Justice, in the context of the 3rd National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence. Location No. of DVR units Status Approved...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Stations (23 Jul 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 supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Postal Voting (23 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Under electoral law, postal voting is available for a number of different categories of people including the following: whole-time members of the Defence Forcesmembers of An Garda SíochánaIrish diplomats serving abroad and their spouses/civil partnerselectors living at home who are unable to vote because of an illness or a disabilityelectors whose occupation, service or employment...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Reports (23 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders. The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51. A number of Departmental reports are pending publication, i.e. expected to be published in Quarter 3 or 4 of 2024, the details of which are set out in the following table: Title of Report Subject ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (23 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The regeneration of Poolbeg West is an important step in the transformation of the Dublin Docklands area, with the potential to provide for 3,500 homes. A condition of the planning scheme for the Poolbeg West Strategic Development Zone, as modified by An Bord Pleanála on 9 April 2019, is the provision of 15% social and affordable homes on this site in addition to the 10% statutory social...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (23 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Significant work is ongoing within Dublin City Council’s (DCC) portfolio of inner city flat complexes. Dublin City Council's priorities and timelines for regeneration of these complexes is a matter for DCC in the first instance. The Department would welcome any potential opportunity to speed up delivery. The Department has provided funding approval for the regeneration of flat...