Results 5,021-5,040 of 28,221 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

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

Darragh O'Brien: I established the Commission on Housing in December 2021 to examine and evaluate Ireland's housing system. At the same time, I tasked the Commission with advising Government on the critical factors to be considered regarding a referendum on housing and, if appropriate, to recommend wording for a constitutional change. While this is not a commitment to a referendum on a 'right to housing', it...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Fire Services Capital Programme forms part of my Department’s strategy to support local authorities in the development and maintenance of quality firefighting and rescue services. The Department provides capital funding for the construction and upgrading of priority fire service infrastructure and the procurement of fire appliances and specialised front-line emergency equipment. ...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The First Home Scheme, which launched in July 2022, is a shared equity scheme, designed to help bridge the gap for eligible first-time buyers, eligible home buyers, and self-builders, between their deposit and mortgage, and the price of their new home (within price ceilings established across the country). Full details are available on the First Home Scheme website, www.firsthomescheme.ie. ...

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

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

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

Darragh O'Brien: Tackling coastal change management in response to climate change will be complex, multifaceted and dynamic, demanding a range of research, policy and consequential management responses. Through the 15 recommendations set out in the scoping report of the Inter-Departmental Group on National Coastal Change Management Strategy, an evidence-based coastal change management strategy facilitating...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (18 Sep 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. A review mechanism is provided within the 2022 Act, which provides for an increase or decrease the overall grant scheme cap (currently €420,000) a year after...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (18 Sep 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. I set up an Implementation Steering Group for the enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks (DCB) Grant scheme, comprising officials from the relevant local authorities, my...

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

Darragh O'Brien: In terms of planning, providing, enabling and supporting allotments, legislation is in place in the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) and the Local Government Act 2001 (as amended) to identify locations in development plans for allotment development, and to establish allotments as a part of local government’s role in promoting the interests of local communities. ...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Both the Tenant in-Situ and Cost Rental Tenant in-Situ schemes support households who are at risk of homelessness. For 2023 and 2024, the Government agreed that there would be increased provision for social housing acquisitions and my Department provided funding for Local Authorities to acquire 1,500 social homes. The additional acquisitions have primarily focused on properties where a...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 424 and 425 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. An annualised breakdown of the total funding provided and the number of properties upgraded under...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Responsibilities of Owners’ Management Companies (OMC) to their members are set out in the Multi-Unit Developments (MUDS) Act 2011. In relation to developments where concerns over fire safety issues arise, when a building is constructed and occupied, statutory responsibility for safety is assigned under section 18(2) of the Fire Services Acts, 1981 and 2003, to the ‘person...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (18 Sep 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. Eligible households can source their own accommodation in the private rental sector which should be within the HAP rent limits provided to them by the local authority. Maximum...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The standards for rental accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 and specify requirements in relation to a range of matters, such as structural repair, sanitary facilities, heating, ventilation, natural light, fire safety and the safety of gas, oil and electrical supplies. These Regulations apply to all properties let or available for let....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Environmental Policy (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Responsibility for the management of environmental pressures in the catchment area of Lough Neagh lies primarily with the authorities in Northern Ireland. Monaghan County Council, with the support of the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) shared service, is the lead environmental authority in relation to catchment management in the small area of the Blackwater catchment that flows into...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: A cornerstone policy of both the existing and the proposed revised National Planning Framework (NPF) is the achievement of a greater regional balance in population and employment growth. The goal is to see a roughly 50:50 distribution of growth between the Eastern and Midland region, and the respective Southern, and Northern and Western Regions, with 75% of the growth to take place outside of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Budget 2025 (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Mortgage Allowance scheme provides for an allowance of up to €11,450 payable over a 5 year period, to tenants or tenant purchasers of local authority housing, to assist them to purchase or have a private house built with a mortgage. The current rates are underpinned by the Housing (Mortgage Allowance) Regulations 2001 and have been in place since 1 January 2002. New applications...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 769 and 770 together. 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 Housing Agency acts as agent on behalf of the local authorities under the Enhanced Grant Scheme. Once a home...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Bodies (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Tailte Éireann is an independent Government agency under the aegis of my Department. Tailte Éireann provide a property registration system, property valuation service, and national mapping and surveying infrastructure for the State. Under Section 8(6) of the Tailte Éireann Act 2022, Tailte Éireann is independent in the performance of its functions. It is understood from...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The allocation of social housing, including newly constructed housing, is dealt with by individual local authorities. My Department doesn't have a role in such allocations. I understand from Carlow County Council that the new social homes at the development referred to encountered challenges with water supply services which they now inform us, have been resolved and will allow the allocations...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department operates a number of funding programmes that assist local authorities to work in partnership with Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to construct and purchase homes and make them available for social housing. One such programme that local authorities and AHBs progress Social Housing projects through is the Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF). CALF funding is capital support...