Results 7,101-7,120 of 26,762 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

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...

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

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 local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual local authorities. A...

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides funding support to the private water sector and to individual households by way of capital grants and an annual subsidy through the Rural Water Programme. Private water supplies are those supplies not operated by Uisce Éireann and includes group water schemes, small private supplies and private wells. The local authorities have responsibility for the...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The EU Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy) establishes a common framework for the protection of inland surface waters, transitional waters, coastal waters and groundwater. The overall aim of the Directive is to maintain high and good status waters where they exist and to restore waters...

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not have direct involvement in executive functions such as procurement, carried out by a local authority. Under Section 149 of the Local Government Act 2001, the Chief Executive of a local authority is responsible for the executive functions of the local authority, and for that purpose to manage and control generally, the administration and business of the authority,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (13 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 I launched the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant which supports 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: Planning Issues (13 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: An Bord Pleanála (the Board) is the national independent statutory body with responsibility for the determination of planning appeals and direct applications for strategic infrastructure and other developments under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, and certain other Acts. There are now more people working at the Board than at any time previously. Since October 2021, my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (13 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Government agreed on 7 March 2023 that the ‘Winter Emergency Period’ under the Residential Tenancies (Deferment of Termination Dates of Certain Tenancies) Act 2022 would come to an end on 31 March 2023, with deferred tenancy terminations taking effect over a staggered period from 1 April to 18 June 2023 as planned and legislated for under that Act. The Government at that...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (13 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: From the details supplied I understand the question relates to the status of an application for a Local Authority Home Loan. The final decision on Local Authority Home Loan applications is a matter for the relevant local authority. In general, the Local Authority Home Loan can be used to finance the purchase of a property under the Tenant Purchase Scheme. The Local Authority Home Loan...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Legislative Measures (13 Dec 2023)

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. Section 2 of the Housing Act 1988 outlines how local authorities can form an opinion on whether or not an individual/household shall be regarded as homeless, while section 10...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (13 Dec 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Further to my response to the Parliamentary Question No. 63 of 7 December 2023, the Land Development Agency's (LDA) 2023 Report on Relevant Public Land identified four state-owned sites in Limerick which have potential for the development of affordable and social homes. This is in addition to the two sites in Limerick, previously agreed for transfer to the LDA under the Government's...