Results 3,661-3,680 of 26,565 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (27 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) have responsibility for the upkeep and maintenance of their properties, including sinking funds for future improvements. There are a number of options available for energy improvement upgrades through Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) grants. Currently, under the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and Historic Structures Fund grant schemes, both...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (27 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The ‘Fresh Start’, principle forms a key element in ‘ Housing for All ‘and is applied across a number of affordable and mortgage schemes run by my Department such as the Local Authority Home Loan and the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme. The Fresh Start principle allows people who are not first time buyers to be eligible to apply for a Local Authority...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (27 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The policy of providing grant funding to households for work on Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems (DWWTS), including septic tanks, arises from the need to address damage being done to water quality in sensitive areas in particular. The grants are focused on the areas of greatest environmental priority and are available only in circumstances relating to risks to water quality and/or...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (27 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides annual funding support to local authorities in preparing vacant units for re-let under the Voids Programme. This funding was introduced originally to tackle long term vacant units and is now increasingly targeted to support authorities to ensure minimal turnaround and re-let times for vacant stock. An annualised breakdown by local authority, including Carlow County...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (27 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Under the Housing Act 1988 it is a matter for each local authority to determine whether a person is regarded as homeless; section 2 of the Act sets out the requirements in this regard. When a household has been assessed as homeless, section 10 of the Housing Act 1988 provides that a local authority may provide accommodation and related services to that household. My Department publishes...

Nomination of Member of Government: Motion (26 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Where is your housing plan? Publish your housing plan.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (26 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is currently undertaking a focused review of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines. The review is addressing a number of key aspects of the Guidelines including setback distance, noise, shadow flicker, community obligation, community dividend and grid connections. My Department, in conjunction with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) which...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (26 Jun 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 local authority areas was conducted on 1 November 2023 and shows that there were 3,450 households on the waiting list in Kildare whose need had not...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (26 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Vacant Homes Unit in my Department was established in 2022. The number of staff members assigned to this Unit from 2022 are as follows: Numbers employed in the Vacant Homes Unit - FTE Headcount December 2022 4.5 5 December 2023 7.5 8 As of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Derelict Sites (26 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not have a business unit dealing exclusively with derelict sites. The Planning Division of my Department has responsibility for the Derelict Sites Act 1990 and staff in the Division would have carried out work in relation to this issue over the period 2019 to 2024.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (26 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Statistics in relation to the social housing stock are published by the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) in the Local Authority Performance Indicator Report. These reports provide a range of information in relation to social housing stock, including the number of social housing units in local authority ownership at a given time. The most recent report, relating to 2022, is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (26 Jun 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 Data (26 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: As Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage I have responsibility for the Building Regulations that set out the minimum legal requirements for the construction of new buildings and certain works to existing buildings. In 2022, following a public consultation I introduced the Building Regulations (Part M Amendment) Regulations 2022 to increase the provision of changing places...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Greenways Provision (26 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Met Éireann has received the proposal regarding a walking trail which would pass through Met Éireann property on Valentia Island. In advance of making a final decision on the matter Met Éireann has sought additional details, in particular survey arrangements in relation to the archaeology present and the heritage status of the area. Once this additional information is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fuel Poverty (26 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Renewable electricity plays a crucial role in Ireland’s efforts to combat climate change. Under the Government has set an ambitious target of having an 80% share of electricity generation capacity coming from renewable sources by 2030 to create a more sustainable and resilient energy system for the future. My colleague, the Minister for Energy, Climate and Communications, has...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (25 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 227 and 228 together. Since receipt of Government approval in January 2023, I have been working to progress the various programmes of work that are required to place on a statutory footing the scheme to establish supports for the remediation of fire safety, structural safety and water ingress defects in purpose-built apartment buildings, including duplexes,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (25 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 229 and 241 together. Local authorities set and collect rents on their dwellings in accordance with section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. Tenants in the HAP scheme are required to pay a weekly rental contribution to the relevant local authority in line with the local authority’s differential rent scheme. The making or amending of such rent schemes is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (25 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Mortgage to Rent (MTR) scheme is targeted at those households in acute mortgage arrears who have had their mortgage position deemed unsustainable by their lender under the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (MARP), and who have very limited options, if any, to meet their long-term housing needs. To date, my Department is aware of 11 properties which have progressed, or are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Heritage Schemes (25 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department’s grant scheme for the renewal or repair of a thatched roof provides funding of up to €6,350 or up to 80% of the approved cost, whichever is the lesser, in respect of necessary works to renew or repair the thatched roofs of private houses situated on the mainland where the private owner holds a medical card. A higher level of assistance of up to €8,252 is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (25 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I can confirm that 42 new social homes were completed by Carlow County Council at the location referred to. Additionally, a further 6 new age-friendly homes were undertaken by an Approved Housing Body. My Department provided funding of €1.4m for the 6 additional age-friendly homes and I understand they were completed in Quarter 4 of 2023.