Results 5,901-5,920 of 15,555 for speaker:Eoghan Murphy

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Banking (20 Mar 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: The Local Government Fund, which is managed and controlled by my Department, includes an investment account which does not currently attract negative interest rates. The information sought insofar as the agencies under the aegis of my Department are concerned is an operational matter for the agencies themselves. Arrangements have been put in place by each agency to facilitate the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Mortgage to Rent Scheme Data (20 Mar 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: There are currently two Mortgage to Rent (MTR) schemes funded by my Department. A scheme exists whereby a local authority (LA) can acquire ownership of properties with unsustainable local authority mortgages, thus enabling the household to remain in their home as a social housing tenant (LA-Mortgage-to-Rent). The other scheme provides for an Approved Housing Body (AHB) to acquire ownership of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Severe Weather Events Response (20 Mar 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Arising from the recent spell of severe weather, each local authority will be reporting in due course to their Council members  on their response activities over this period. Local authority reports will also be supplied to my Department where they will be considered and relevant information included in the national review report. It is the normal practice for my Department to compile...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Advertising Expenditure (20 Mar 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: My Department did not incur any expenditure on third party public relations advice or communications advice from January 2017 to date in 2018.  The engagement of external expertise is generally only considered where the issues involved require expert skills or capabilities that are not readily available within my Department. While my Department does not collate data in a manner that...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Expenditure (20 Mar 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: The Government has made housing a top priority and, through the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan, has a framework in place to deliver a significant increase and acceleration in the supply of high quality housing, including social and affordable homes, particularly in the major urban areas where demand is greatest. Under the Plan, 50,000 new social homes will be delivered in the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (20 Mar 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1010, 1012, 1015 and 1019 together. The economic downturn had a very significant impact on housing supply and the construction industry. Between the peak in 2006 and the trough in 2013, housing construction fell by over 90%. In particular, all forms of medium- to large-scale residential development in our cities and urban areas stalled.  With our economy...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Consultations (20 Mar 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Public participation and consultation was a key element in developing the National Planning Framework since preparatory work began on developing the framework in late 2014. There have been two formal phases of public consultation, including the publication of an Issues and Choices paper over February/March 2017 and the publication of a consultation draft...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Staff Data (20 Mar 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Two Special Advisers have been appointed to my Office, as well as civilian drivers for myself and Ministers of State English and Phelan.  These appointments were all made in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in relation to Ministerial appointments for the 32nd Dáil. Aside from the above, there are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Public Sector Staff Remuneration (20 Mar 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: My Department is based across a range of locations, primarily Dublin, Wexford and Ballina, each of which was impacted somewhat differently by Storm Emma. For reasons of safety, staff were informed that Departmental buildings in Wexford and Dublin would close at 5pm on Wednesday 28 February; for mainly travel and also safety reasons, some staff departed prior to this time with the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Planning Framework (20 Mar 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: The National Planning Framework (NPF) was published by Government on 16 February 2018, alongside the National Development Plan 2018-2027 as part of Project Ireland 2040. The NPF sets out an ambitious high-level, national vision for Ireland for 2040, and provides the framework and principles to manage future population and economic growth over the next 20 years, including the need for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Regeneration (20 Mar 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Preparatory work on the Vacant Home Strategy was undertaken by a working group chaired by the Housing Agency which also comprised senior representatives from my Department, local authorities, the Irish Council for Social Housing and from the Housing Agency itself. My Department received the output of the working group in June 2017 and is presently further developing the strategy with a view...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Irish Water Funding (20 Mar 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels, pursuant to Section 7 of the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 which provided for the transfer to Irish Water of all water services functions conferred on the county and city councils by the Water Services Act...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Issues (20 Mar 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: On 1 July 2017, updated regulatory standards, the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2017, came into effect. These Regulations focus on tenant safety and include new measures covering heating appliances, carbon monoxide, ventilation and window safety. All landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that their rented properties comply with the Regulations. As set out in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Maintenance (20 Mar 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966 provides that the management and maintenance of local authority housing stock is a matter for each individual local authority. This includes the achievement of energy efficiency, the implementation of planned maintenance programmes and carrying out of responsive repairs and pre-letting repairs.  My Department operates certain funding programmes to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (20 Mar 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: The active management of the publicly-owned housing land bank is part of a range of complementary actions being progressed under the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, designed to accelerate and increase housing output. The Oscar Traynor Road site referred to is one of three significant sites being brought forward by Dublin City Council under its Housing Land...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (20 Mar 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: The process of allocating funding under the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund began in August 2016 when Local Authorities were invited to submit proposals which were subsequently assessed and 34 of those proposals received preliminary approval in March 2017. The fund was fully allocated at that time. However, as part of Budget 2018, I announced an additional €50 million...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Loans (20 Mar 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Following a review of the two existing local authority home loan schemes, the House Purchase Loan and the Home Choice Loan, a new loan offering, the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan, was introduced on 1 February 2018. Section 63(3) of the Local Government Act 2001 provides that, subject to law, a local authority is independent in the performance of its functions. Section 6 of the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Data (20 Mar 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1028 to 1030, inclusive, together. The delivery of more affordable homes, to buy or rent, is a major priority for Government, focusing in particular on the cities of Dublin, Galway and Cork, where people are facing the greatest affordability challenge. Increased delivery of homes at more affordable prices will involve local authorities...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Charges Data (20 Mar 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1034, 1037 and 1038 together. The consolidated local authority Annual Financial Statements (AFS) compiled by my Department from the audited financial statements published by each local authority provide a summary of major revenue collections, including in respect of commercial water, at Appendix 7. The AFS are available on my Department’s Website at:...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (20 Mar 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: The Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF) is a key element Rebuilding Ireland: An Action Plan for Housing & Homelessness. The objective of the fund is to provide public off-site infrastructure to relieve critical infrastructure blockages. Funding of €200 million was originally  provided under LIHAF, of which €150 million is funded by the...