Results 6,061-6,080 of 25,732 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation (17 Jan 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 a local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless accommodation and related services rests with individual local authorities. To assist in ensuring...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (17 Jan 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme provides for the purchase by eligible tenants of local authority houses which are available for sale under the scheme. All applications for the Scheme must satisfy the requirements outlined in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 and the associated regulations. The clawback, otherwise known as the incremental purchase charge, is an...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (17 Jan 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 dwellings in local authority ownership at a given time. The most recent report, relating to 2022, is available on the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (17 Jan 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 848 and 849 together. Under Housing for All, the Government will deliver 47,600 new build social homes and 3,500 social homes through long-term leasing in the period 2022-2026. Our clear focus is to increase the stock of social housing through new build projects delivered by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs). For 2023 and 2024, the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (17 Jan 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I have no function in this matter. My Department has not allocated specific funding for the St. Brigid 1500 celebrations in County Kildare. Furthermore, my Department does not collate specific information on the funding of local festivals or commemorative events as outlined in the question. Details in respect of the funding provided for this event may, in this case, be available from Kildare...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (17 Jan 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, the implementation of a planned maintenance programme and carrying out of responsive repairs, are matters for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. Local authorities also have a legal obligation to ensure that all of their tenanted...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Appointments to State Boards (14 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The information requested is not held by my Department. In making appointments to State boards under my remit, my Department operates in accordance with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards, published in November 2014. The Public Appointments Service has responsibility for managing an open, accessible and transparent system...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Correspondence (14 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Pathway 4 of Housing for All sets out a blueprint to address vacancy and make efficient use of our existing housing stock. In July 2022 the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant was launched to support bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use. From 1 May 2023, a grant of up to a maximum of €50,000 is available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (14 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All sets out the range of actions necessary to increase the supply of housing to the required 33,000 homes, on average, per year over the next decade. 54,000 affordable homes will be delivered between now and 2030 to be facilitated by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), the Land Development Agency (LDA) and through First Home, which is a strategic partnership...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (14 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. This includes the delivery of 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost rental homes. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4bn per annum. In respect of the Land Development Agency's (LDA) work...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (14 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities are designated as lead agencies for coordinating the response to flooding emergencies and severe weather as per the Government decision relating to the “Framework for Major Emergency Management” (2006). The arrangements for emergency management are seen as having worked very well, in particular the responses led by local authorities to flooding and other...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Both the Programme for Government and Housing for All commit to strengthening the Mortgage to Rent scheme and ensuring that it can help those who need it. The 2021 Review of the Mortgage to Rent Scheme was published on 24 January 2022. Building on the significant changes already made to the scheme in 2017, the 2021 Review examined the impact of these changes and what further changes would...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (14 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015 provided for the development of a deposit protection scheme to be operated by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB). However, significant changes have taken place in the rental market since this Act and in order to inform decisions on the commencement of this measure, work is underway in my Department to complete Action 2.10 of the Housing for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (14 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Scheme supports building 5,000 apartments for sale to owner-occupiers up to 2026. The Scheme aims to bridge the current “viability gap” between the cost of building apartments and the market sale price (where the cost of building is greater). The Scheme is managed by the Housing Agency on behalf of my Department and is targeted principally at...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Pathway 4 of Housing for All sets out a blueprint to address vacancy and make efficient use of our existing housing stock. In July 2022 the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant was launched to support bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use. From 1 May 2023, a grant of up to a maximum of €50,000 is available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Policies (14 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government, Our Shared Future, is the foundation for my Department's main policy initiatives. My Department has commitments across 10 of the 12 Missions in the Programme. My Department's 2021 Statement of Strategy was published in April 2021 and set out our strategic goals, objectives and actions. It is available on my Department's website at the following link:...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (14 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. This includes the delivery of 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost rental homes. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4bn per annum, through an overall combination of €12bn in direct...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (14 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Local Authority Home Loan is a Government backed mortgage scheme for creditworthy applicants who cannot get sufficient funding from commercial banks to purchase or build a home. It has been available nationwide from local authorities since 4 January 2022 for first-time buyers and fresh start applicants. The loan can be used both for new and second-hand properties, or to self-build. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Government Reform (14 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: It should be noted that local authorities have been under sustained financial pressure since the beginning of the pandemic, which has necessitated extensive financial support from Government over the past number of years, in the form of a commercial rates waiver, compensation for lost income and pandemic related expenditure, and, more recently, assisting authorities faced with increased...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (14 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. This includes the delivery of 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost rental homes. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4bn per annum, through an overall combination of €12bn in direct...