Results 6,881-6,900 of 26,864 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Council of Europe's Congress of Local and Regional Authorities 2023 Report on the Application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in Ireland made a number of recommendations, including to encourage Ireland's signature of the Additional Protocol to the European Charter of Local Self-Government on the right to participate in the affairs of a local authority (CETS No. 207). The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (13 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...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Development contribution charges to be applied on developers are set at the planning permission stage but are not collectable by the relevant local authority until after the development work commences. Commencement notices are issued by the developer to the local authority and these generally trigger the raising of the charge. The normal practice is for the developer to issue a commencement...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I have committed to undertake a review of the baseline allocation. The LPT revaluation process was completed with updated data available in terms of the revised yield and, in addition, Census 2022 data was available for consideration. These circumstances facilitated my Department to set up a Working Group in 2023, to complete the promised review of the allocation of baseline funding. The...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Narrow Water Bridge is a cross-border project led by Louth County Council and supported by the Shared Island Fund. The Bridge will link the Mourne Mountains in Co. Down with the Cooley Peninsula in Co. Louth, bringing tourism and economic benefits, and creating new opportunities and deepening connections between communities on both sides of the border. When complete, the bridge will...

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

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 and through First Home, which is a strategic partnership between the...

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

Darragh O'Brien: A General Scheme of a Bill to update the Fire Services Act, 1981 & 2003 is being prepared within my Department. The primary purpose of this legislation will be to update the Fire Services Act, 1981 & 2003. The shape of the Bill has been considered on a number of occasions by the Board of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM). The Board is...

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

Darragh O'Brien: On the 7 December 2023 I announced the successful applications that are approved funding under the Waste Water Collection and Treatment needs for villages without access to Public Waste Water Services. I can confirm that my Department recently wrote to Clare County Council, setting out the decision as regards funding and the next steps required for the projects referred to in the details...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Lands at the Department of Defence owned site at Columb Barracks, Mullingar was agreed by Government for transfer to the Land Development Agency (LDA) under Housing for All, with the potential to deliver approximately 100 new homes. I understand that an advisory group was set up in January 2021 to provide an opportunity for key partners to collaborate and advise the LDA in developing a...

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

Darragh O'Brien: At its core, Housing for All is about significantly increasing the supply of housing of the right type, in the right place, and at an affordable price. Since Housing for All was launched in 2021, there has been a substantial uplift in the amount of new homes being delivered, with some 29,750 new homes delivered in 2022. And, despite the significant economic headwinds over the past 12 to...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (13 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Cathaoirleach and members of the committee. We will all be acutely aware of the significance of this Bill. It is one of the largest in the history of the State, running to over 700 pages and 541 sections. It is complex. It necessarily requires and includes multiple cross-references both internally and in relation to other regulations and legislation, which must be kept...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (13 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: That is the Long Title. It is just a procedural issue that it is taken at the very end. I asked that question last week. It will be taken at the very end.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (13 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank Deputy Cian O’Callaghan for introducing his amendments and explaining the rationale behind them. To be helpful, I refer to section 46 - I will deal with the amendment as well - which relates to the obligation to prepare a strategy relating to creation, improvement, preservation of sustainable places and communities. This deals with the local authority development plans as...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (13 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Deputy O'Callaghan put it very well when he said that he is talking not just about housing here but also about the public realm, and that is why I would again refer him to section 46. That puts, and rightly so, an onus on the local authorities in the preparation of their development plans to ensure for persons with disabilities that the disability strategy place is in place, not just for...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (13 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Not to repeat, and I will come back specifically with regard to Part M, but there is no formal review of that. I have engaged with groups myself on it, and we have to ensure with any changes that developments continue and that any changes are appropriate, and that would happen. I am still of the firm belief the best place for this is the criteria within the development plan that drives the...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (13 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: What I said is there is no formal review of Part M right now, but I have engaged with groups specifically on it.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (13 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I know what those groups have asked for and I have engaged with them and we have assessed the feedback and the asks they have. That is being reviewed at the moment.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (13 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: We all want to ensure developments are accessible for people. Anyone, by way of fair assessment, will see that developments under way now and that have been in recent years provide much better quality of life for people of all generations and all abilities. What we have to do, as Deputy O'Callaghan has said, is to ensure that underpinning our development plan are things like our public...