Results 6,741-6,760 of 26,760 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: To be helpful, all relevant directives are in the Bill.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: We have about 14 that the Deputy listed there. I do not think they are all directives either. All I am saying to the Deputy is that we can provide clarity separately. We have not left anything out. Everything is in the right section. There is no conspiracy here. We are not trying to hide anything. The Bill is better drafted now and relevant to the sections in which the directives would...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: On the Deputy's table?

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Referendum Campaigns (14 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: In accordance with standing procedure, the Department of the Taoiseach issues guidance to all Ministers and Government Departments in respect of the application of the principles of the various Court judgments relevant to the Government’s role in referendum campaigns (these are generally referred to as the ‘McKenna/McCrystal principles’). This guidance was issued by the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (14 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Since the publication of the current Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines in 2005 (which continue to have effect in addition to subsequent clarifications and national policy changes in the NPF) there have been important changes to our planning system. Most notably, obligations under European Directives and international agreements relating to the management and protection of the environment...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (14 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Recognising the need for increased capacity in the public sector planning services and related expertise in addition to the staffing needs of agencies, organisations and the private sector, analysis is being undertaken in relation to the availability of relevant skills and expertise and a set of actions is being developed in a Ministerial Action Plan to respond to the capacity challenges. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: State Bodies (14 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Governance of the Land Development Agency (LDA) is overseen by its Board, which sets the strategic objectives of the Agency and also informs strategic decisions on all key business issues. All Board members are appointed by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform. It is my intention to appoint...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (14 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Under Housing for All, the Government has targeted the delivery of 28,500 new affordable homes from 2022 to 2026, to be facilitated by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), the Land Development Agency (LDA) and through a strategic partnership between the State and retail banks. Each local authority has prepared and published its own 5-year Housing Delivery Action Plan setting...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (14 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Government has implemented several measures to ensure a balanced housing market across all tenures, including home ownership, social housing, and private rental. Under Housing for All, the Government committed to an 'owner-occupier' guarantee, allowing local authorities to designate a percentage of houses and duplexes in a development for owner-occupiers. In May 2021, measures...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (14 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities set and collect rents on their dwellings in accordance with section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. The making or amending of such rent schemes is generally a matter for local authorities within broad principles set out by my Department, including that rent levels should be based on income and reflect tenants’ ability to pay. Local discretion and flexibility are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 Feb 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. At the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (14 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities are constitutionally recognised, independent statutory bodies with their own democratically elected councils, and management and governance structures. The elected council has the primary oversight role in the governance of a local authority, and the chief executive is fully accountable to the council. Elected councils have extensive powers to request information, issue...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (14 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Applications for social housing support are assessed by the relevant local authority, in accordance with the eligibility and need criteria set down in section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended. The Regulations prescribe maximum net income limits for each local authority in different bands...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (14 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The minimum 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Student Accommodation (14 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: With effect from 15 July 2019, the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2019, as amended, applied the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, as amended, to a licence agreement between a student and an owner of student accommodation. The Act defines ‘student accommodation’ to mean ‘a building, or part of a building, used for the sole purpose (subject to paragraphs (a), (b) and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Student Accommodation (14 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 (the Acts) regulate the landlord-tenant relationship in the residential rental sector and set out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants. The Acts apply to every dwelling that is the subject of a tenancy, subject to a limited number of exceptions. Dwellings covered by the Acts include the private rental sector, the cost rental sector, the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Reviews (14 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The elected council of a local authority has the primary oversight role in the governance of the local authority, and the role of the chief executive is to carry into effect all lawful directions of the elected council in relation to the exercise of their reserved functions. The chief executive is also fully accountable to the elected council through, for example, the furnishing of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (14 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Arising from the Government Decision of 30 November 2021 in respect of the enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks (DCB) grant scheme, the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) was tasked with delivering a programme of work to carry out reviews of a number of technical matters, including a review of the impact of pumped cavity wall insulation on cavity wall construction and within homes...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (13 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: On 25 April 2023, the Government approved additional measures under the Housing for All Action Plan to incentivise the activation of increased housing supply and help reduce housing construction costs, including the introduction of temporary time-limited arrangements for the waiving of local authority “section 48” development contributions and the refunding of Uisce Éireann...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Quality (13 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Uisce Éireann has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local level. Under section 7 of the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013, my Department has no operational function in this matter. However, it may be helpful to note that Uisce Éireann has established a dedicated team to deal with representations...