Results 3,781-3,800 of 26,778 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1206 and 1207 together. 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...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Cork City Council has advised that they are assessing the potential for redevelopment and regeneration of social housing at Noonan's Road. Feasibility is at an early stage and is connected with the planned relocation of residents from their existing accommodation. The Council has also advised that in due course, when initial feasibility is concluded and a procurement and design route chosen,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (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. A homelessness...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Through the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) public bodies are receiving targeted support for innovative and holistic solutions that support the regeneration and rejuvenation of our large towns and cities. To date, there have been three Calls for proposals under the URDF with in excess of €1.9 billion allocated to almost 400 projects, located right across the Country....

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government supports the uptake of Uisce éireann's Small Towns and Villages Growth Programme (STVGP), which will provide growth capacity in smaller settlements that would otherwise not be provided for in Uisce éireann’s capital investment plan. An allocation of almost €100 million for this programme was approved by the Commission for Regulation of...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Uisce éireann has statutory responsibility, under section 7 of the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013, for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation. As Minister, I have no function in this matter. However, Uisce éireann is committed to timely delivery of housing connections under Housing for All. In 2023, Uisce éireann responded to 78% of pre-connection...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Disability Services (23 Jul 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. The Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) provides support to local authority management in this regard. Section 63(3)...

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...

Seanad: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: As of 22 July.

Seanad: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: That is why that is so important.

Seanad: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My legs are gone. There is a lot to cover. I want to thank all Senators for their contributions. I did watch a lot of the contributions yesterday as well. Before I try to address some of the remarks, I want to bring to the attention of the House that I may bring further amendments on Report Stage and I want to detail them briefly. We will be coming back on Report Stage here in the Seanad...

Seanad: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: It was not only them, to be fair. Colleagues in the Labour Party, the Social Democrats -----

Seanad: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: They behaved that way. They formally withdrew Deputy Thomas Gould and told him not to go to the select committee so that the time was used up for voting purposes. That is a fact. It is what it is.We had the planning advisory forum, including the Minister, Deputy Peter Burke, and the Ministers of State, Deputies Kieran O'Donnell, Alan Dillon and Malcolm Noonan, with all stakeholders. The...

Seanad: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I know this is the Seanad. I had the honour of serving here for five years. I have great regard for this Chamber. I have commenced legislation in this Chamber and come here as often as I can. Senators Moynihan, McDowell and others raised the CPO issue. The Law Reform Commission's long-awaited report is published. We had already been at an advanced stage of preparing the Bill. I took a...

Seanad: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: It should not be the norm. It should not be just a go-to. There are reasons some of that happened. I got rid of the strategic housing developments, SHDs. I understood the principle of them. The application of them was different because communities felt they did not have their say. If they went to the board and it decided against them, their only recourse was to the courts. We made that...

Seanad: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I will conclude now. I will come back on that on Report Stage.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Septic Tanks (11 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Rural Water Programme provides financial assistance to households in specific circumstances where capital works are required to rectify defective Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems (DWWTS), including septic tanks. The policy of providing grant funding to households for work on DWWTS arises from the need to address damage being done to water quality in sensitive areas in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (11 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I refer to my answer to Question No. 430 on 9 July 2024 which sets out the position in this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Public Procurement Contracts (11 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not have direct involvement in executive functions such as procurement, carried out by a local authority. Under Section 149 of the Local Government Act 2001, the Chief Executive of a local authority is responsible for the executive functions of the local authority, and for that purpose to manage and control generally, the administration and business of the authority,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (11 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.