Results 5,481-5,500 of 25,732 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (20 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Electoral law provides for postal voting for a number of different categories of people: 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 makes it likely that they will...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (20 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All is an agile plan and has an in-built flexibility to review measures to address the changing and complex needs of the housing system. The latest updated Action Plan, published in November 2023, continues to focus on activating and delivering housing at pace, enhancing affordability, whilst fundamentally reforming our housing system. The actions in the Plan are updated on an...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (20 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I commenced the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) on 22 June 2023 which contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023. Section 36 of the Act provides that the Government may make a further Defective Concrete Blocks (DCB) scheme for the purposes of enabling a designated local authority or an...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Waste Management (20 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not hold information on the number of Domestic Waste Water Treatment System (DWWTS) grants processed by each local authority. However, to be helpful, the table below sets out the number of DWWTS grants and the amount paid by my Department to each local authority in 2022 and 2023. County Number of grants paid in 2022 Amount paid in 2022 ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) is a social housing support that meets the needs of people in receipt of Rent Supplement for 18 months or longer and who are assessed as having a long-term housing need. Accommodation provided under RAS is governed by the terms of the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 to 2021, as amended. RAS involves a three way contractual relationship between...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Land Issues (20 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 353 and 354 together. The Residential Zoned Land Tax (RZLT) is a new tax introduced in Finance Act 2021 which seeks to increase housing supply by encouraging the activation of development on lands which are suitably zoned and appropriately serviced. It aims to bring those lands which have benefitted from investment in services and are capable of being...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (20 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The administration of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme is a matter for the relevant local authority and HAP application processing times may vary across local authorities. Once a HAP application has been received and confirmed as valid by the relevant local authority, it is entered on the system by the local authority and then submitted for processing and payment by the HAP...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Waste Management (20 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The policy of providing grant funding for remedial work on domestic waste water treatment systems arises from the need to address damage being done to water quality in sensitive areas in particular. There are three grant schemes available to householders relating to DWWTS, commonly known as septic tank grants. The grants are focused on these areas of greatest environmental priority. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (20 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies Board, (RTB), was established as a quasi-judicial independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 to regulate the rental sector; provide information to tenants and landlords; maintain a national register of tenancies; resolve disputes between tenants and landlords; and conduct research and provide information to inform policy. Prior to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (20 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I commenced the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) on 22 June 2023 which contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023. The enhanced grant scheme facilitates the remediation of existing houses that have been damaged by the use of defective concrete blocks, but not the construction of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (20 Feb 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 or 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: Homeless Persons Supports (20 Feb 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. The Midlands...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defective Building Materials (15 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I will conclude on this really quickly because it is important. The pyrite and infill scheme did set aside the "should have known" clause, if someone can actually prove they genuinely did not and made every effort to. I expect that to be the same with the apartment defects scheme.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defective Building Materials (15 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: To answer Deputy Ó Broin's question, duplexes within multi-unit developments are included. The onus is on the purchaser when purchasing a property to ensure the property is surveyed properly. With regard to properties that are sold on, survey work should obviously be done before someone purchases a home. This happened in the pyrite and infill schemes where people genuinely did not...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defective Building Materials (15 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: It was last night.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defective Building Materials (15 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: With regard to the defective concrete block, DCB, scheme, I specifically structured the legislation to ensure we can add additional counties. Homeowners need to know that where they have defective concrete blocks and they meet the criteria set out in the primary legislation, the State is there to help them because of a market failure. To answer Deputy Harkin, I await the final submission. I...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defective Building Materials (15 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 69 and 89 together. I thank Deputies Ó Broin and O'Callaghan for their questions on this matter and also their ongoing interest and input. I fully acknowledge the difficulties of homeowners and residents of many apartments and duplexes and the stress they are facing as a result of building defects. The Government is committed to helping those whose...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (15 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputy is correct. There are many people renting who do not want to rent, although some at different stages of their lives will. That is why we took a measure to increase the renter's tax credit to €750. Between 2022 and 2023, that is €1,750 per renter back in their pocket. The private rental market is not functioning as it should. That is why we must ensure that we...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (15 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta O'Callaghan for his question. Increased supply is key to meeting our housing needs and addressing the challenges in the housing market. That is why we brought forward, as a Government, Housing for All, which is the single biggest intervention in housing any Government has made in the history of the State, and rightly so. That needed to happen....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (15 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputy. Undoubtedly, the first-time buyer supports are helping. I meet people across the country and in my constituency who say they are working. This Government is committed to retaining them when others want to abolish them. Importantly, with regard to the outlook for this year, we have seen an increase in construction costs. We had to address that. The plan had to be...