Results 6,221-6,240 of 15,555 for speaker:Eoghan Murphy

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Development Contributions (6 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 613 and 616 together. Local authorities operate on an accrual accounting basis and recognise income and expenditure as incurred relating to the period it falls due, regardless of the cash transactions.  The annual financial statements, AFSs, of local authorities do not show the annual receipts from development contributions but instead show the gross...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Development Contributions (6 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Development contributions provide critical resources to facilitate the provision of essential public infrastructure and facilities that support the implementation of local authority development plans. My role as Minister with regard to development contributions is to provide the necessary statutory and policy framework within which individual development contribution schemes are adopted...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Charges (6 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: The Water Services Act 2017 (No. 29 of 2017), which was enacted on 17 November 2017, reflects the recommendations of the report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services, which was published in April 2017 and approved by both Houses of the Oireachtas. The Act provides for the discontinuance of domestic water charges for dwellings as set out in the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Rents (6 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Considerable work has been carried out by my Department in developing a draft national differential rents framework, which will harmonise local authority rents, including income disregards. The introduction of a rent framework will mean that the amount of rent payable by some households may be subject to change in some cases.  This work is now being examined further in the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (6 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Government policy, as expressed in the Programme for Partnership Government and Rebuilding Ireland, is to support older people to live in their own home with dignity and independence, for as long as possible. In this context, the preparation of a policy statement on housing for older people is at an advanced stage.  This policy statement is being progressed by...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (6 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Statistics in relation to social housing are compiled by the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) in its annual reports on performance indicators in local authorities. These reports provide a range of information in relation to social housing stock, including the total number of dwellings in each local authority area. The most recent NOAC report containing this information is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (6 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: The purposes for which housing authorities may incur expenditure in addressing homelessness are prescribed in section 10 of the Housing Act 1988. My Department may recoup housing authorities up to 90% of payments reasonably made. Under the section 10 funding arrangements that are in place between my Department and housing authorities, exchequer funding is provided on a regional basis,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Charges Administration (6 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: The Water Services Act 2017 (No. 29 of 2017), which was enacted on 17 November 2017, reflects the recommendations of the report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services, which was published in April 2017 and approved by both Houses of the Oireachtas. The Act provides for the discontinuance of domestic water charges for dwellings as set out in the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Safety (6 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: In the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower tragedy of 14 June 2017, and in recognition of fears expressed for fire safety, I tasked my Department’s National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management with convening and coordinating a high-level Task Force to lead a re-appraisal of fire safety in Ireland. Local authorities were directed also to undertake a review of fire safety in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payment (6 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: A landlord or an agent acting on behalf of a landlord is not legally obliged to enter into a tenancy agreement with a Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) recipient. However, since 1 January 2016, a person cannot be discriminated against when renting because they are in receipt of certain housing related payments, including HAP. If a person feels that they have been discriminated against by a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (6 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 627 to 629, inclusive, together. Through the supports made available from my Department under Rebuilding Ireland, funding is available to all local authorities to deliver additional social housing stock through new construction projects, the acquisition of new and previously owned houses/apartments and through working with approved housing bodies under a range...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Accommodation Standards (6 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 630 and 631 together. Minimum standards for rental accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2017. All landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that their rented properties comply with these Regulations. Responsibility for the enforcement of the Regulations rests with the relevant local authority. Since the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Agency (6 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Dr Conor Skehan was due to step down from the role of Chair of the Housing Agency at the end of his term (31 December 2017). In anticipation of this vacancy, the required State Boards appointment process under the Public Appointments Service (PAS) was initiated by my Department during 2017. Two potential candidates were identified, following an extensive process. Prior to making an...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rent Pressure Zones (6 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: The Government has given priority to the drafting and early publication of a Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill to address urgent issues in the rental sector. My Department recently conducted a review of the Rent Predictability Measure on the basis of the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) rent data and the recently conducted public consultation on the operation of the Rent Pressure...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Staff Data (6 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: There are no secondees from the companies listed in the Question working in my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grant Funding (6 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Notification of the 2018 funding allocations to local authorities will issue shortly in respect of the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability (private houses) and also in respect of the Adaptations and Extensions to Social Housing Stock - Disabled Persons Grants, Extensions and Improvement Works in Lieu (IWILS). Ahead of the notification of these...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water and Sewerage Schemes Grants (6 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: The Water Services Act 2017, which was signed into law on 17 November 2017, provided the mechanism through which the majority of the recommendations of the April 2017 report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services are introduced. The Act made provision for, among other things, the refund of water charges paid by customers on public water services...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (6 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 639, 640 and 645 together. Under the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended), all development, including a material change of use, unless specifically exempted under the Act or the associated Regulations, requires planning permission. Section 4 of the Act, and Article 6 and Schedule 2 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001-2017, set...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector Strategy (6 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 641 to 644, inclusive, 646 and 648 to 657, inclusive, together. Under Action 18 of the Strategy for the Rental Sector, my Department established in June 2017 a Working Group of all major public stakeholders with a policy interest in Short-Term Lettings, to develop guidance in relation to planning applications, changes of use relating to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Home Loan Scheme (6 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Following a review of the two existing local authority home loan schemes, the House Purchase Loan and the Home Choice Loan, I have introduced from 1 February 2018, a new loan offering, known as the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan. The new loan will enable credit worthy first time buyers to access sustainable mortgage lending to purchase new or second-hand properties in...