Results 3,521-3,540 of 26,565 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1113, 1128 and 1129 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). Housing for All required...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Based on the funding drawn down by the local authorities from my Department, the table below sets out the average costs for Part V properties acquired by each local authority in 2022 and 2023 as new social homes. It does not include data on Part V properties for social housing acquired by AHBs. Individual local authority and annual data can be influenced by individual transactions for Part V...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The relevant details are being compiled and will be provided to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

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

Darragh O'Brien: Under Housing for All, the Government will deliver 54,000 affordable homes, including 36,000 affordable purchase and 18,000 cost rental homes, by 2030, to be facilitated by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), the Land Development Agency (LDA) and through a strategic partnership between the State and retail banks. Following the publication of Housing for All in September 2021, I...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All, first published in Q3 2021, set out a commitment to review income eligibility for social housing. From this review, 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: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (23 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1119 and 1120 together. My Department’s role with regard to Domestic Violence Refuges is the capital funding for their initial design and construction. It is the responsibility of my colleague the Minister for Justice, to decide on priority locations for new refuges as part of the 3rd National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence and...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1121 and 1122 together. 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 local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless services rests with individual housing authorities....

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a form of social housing support available for people who have a long-term housing need. Any household assessed as eligible for social housing is immediately eligible for HAP. The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme plays a vital role in housing eligible families and individuals. At the end of Q1 2024, over 119,000 HAP tenancies had been set-up...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (23 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. The programme has been devised in a way to give local authorities a level of flexibility when selecting properties to retrofit, ranging from those requiring...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I commenced the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 ('the 2022 Act') on 22 June 2023, which contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023. The enhanced scheme provides very considerable enhancements over the previous scheme for eligible homeowners. The overall cost of the enhanced scheme is estimated at...

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

Darragh O'Brien: There are currently three remediation schemes for building defects in homes, namely the Pyrite Resolution Scheme, the Enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks (DCB) Grant Scheme and the Interim Remediation Scheme for Fire Safety Defects in Eligible Apartments and Duplexes 2023. It should be noted that the schemes, are not compensation or redress schemes, rather, they are Remediation Grant schemes...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (23 Jul 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 is required to...

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department supports local authorities with annual funding towards the management and maintenance of their social housing stock under a number of funding programmes including the Energy Efficiency Retrofitting Programme (EERP). 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...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All includes a commitment to review income eligibility for social housing. From this review, 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. The Government also agreed to increase the baseline income thresholds by €5,000 for all local authorities with effect...

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

Darragh O'Brien: A key principle of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is that eligible households source their own accommodation in the private rented market. HAP rent limits are based on household size and the rental market within the area concerned. Each local authority has statutory discretion to agree to a HAP payment above the prescribed maximum rent limit. Since July 2022 this discretion level was...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (23 Jul 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 counties, conducted in November 2023, is available on my Department's website at the following link: In relation to the number of people on the social...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (23 Jul 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 local authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual local authorities. My Department...

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

Darragh O'Brien: There are a range of approved standards and guidelines for use in the design of public roads, footpaths and cycleways, primarily published by the Department of Transport (DoT). Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and the National Transport Authority (NTA) may develop further standards and specifications, overseen by the Department of Transport. Urban roads and streets that have a speed...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1143, 1144, 1145 and 1176 together. Addressing vacancy and making efficient use of existing housing stock is a key priority for Government. The Vacant Homes Action Plan, which I originally published in January 2023, built on Pathway 4 of Housing for All and set out the various actions that were being pursued to return vacant properties back into use as homes....