Results 7,621-7,640 of 28,221 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Expenditure (5 Mar 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing is delivered through a range of local authority and Approved Housing Body (AHB) delivery programmes. Capital expenditure on the delivery of new social homes is also supported by current funding provided through the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP). In respect of Affordable Housing delivery, Housing for All provides for a number of important affordability...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (5 Mar 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Further to Parliamentary Question No. 341 of 20 February 2024, to qualify for a Local Authority Home Loan an applicant must currently have a legal right to reside and work in the State. As previously advised the Credit Policy requires that applicants from outside the EEA/EU must be legally resident in Ireland for a period of 5 years or have leave to remain extending to permit 5 years...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (5 Mar 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: It is the responsibility of each local authority to ensure appropriate supports are in place for elected members with disabilities, alongside a statutory responsibility to ensure practical and appropriate access to its buildings and services under the Disability Act of 2005. Obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, along with the Public...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (5 Mar 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides funding to improve the quality, quantity and reliability of the water services relied upon by rural dwellers, where Uisce Éireann water services are not available. In relation to the group water scheme referred to I understand that funding has been approved to carry out water treatment improvements and that the relevant local authority continues to work with...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (5 Mar 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The First Report on Relevant Public Lands which was published by the LDA in 2023 identified state owned land with potential for housing development in the five cities and five key growth centres. That potential identified is being assessed further in the light of ongoing developments on those sites. Suitable sites for housing development being recommended for transfer to the LDA will be...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Reviews (5 Mar 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (5 Mar 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 432, 428, 429 and 431 together. Funding provided by my Department to each local authority for the delivery of housing programmes in each of the years 2019 to 2022 is set out in the tables attached. The detailed breakdown of 2023 housing expenditure, by local authority and delivery stream, is being finalised within my Department and will be available in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (5 Mar 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 430 and 433 together. The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Service Acts, 1981 and 2003. My Department supports fire authorities...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Register of Electors (5 Mar 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities, in their capacity as registration authorities, are responsible for the management and maintenance of the electoral register. My Department does not collect data on the age profile of the electoral register.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: There are a few issues with the amendment but, in principle, I agree having a public consultation over, say, a holiday period will not exercise the minds of the public. In practice, however, that is extremely rare. As an example, we discussed yesterday the sustainable residential development and complex settlement growth guidelines. I had them ready before Christmas. Most local...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Like the Deputy.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: To be helpful, I do not believe we are a million miles away from each other on defining "reasonable". The Deputy has attempted to expand on "reasonable" and the requirements in his amendment. I genuinely do not believe the language is appropriate for inclusion in the primary legislation and that it would be more appropriate to address the matter via a circular or guidance, which can be...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The last two words of the section read "considers reasonable". I know that Deputy has flipped it the other way. On whether it is more appropriate to specify through guidance, this could be done anyway. It certainly could be done under the provision. However, on the basis of what I have mentioned already, and without being in any way dismissive, I believe the wording of the amendment is...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: It could be Eid or another occasion. These types of matters are appropriate at the time. With regard to trying to come up with a definition, we could certainly consider setting down the principle in guidance. It already applies to bank holidays and the like. No one is going to put something out for public consultation during St. Patrick's week. It is effectively a week now as opposed to...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Do they?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Not really. I agree with Deputy O'Callaghan that public consultation is crucial. I have always believed in it. Unquestionably, it makes things better when the public is consulted, even in the case of small schemes like schemes for ramps on roads, for argument's sake. In our own area, draft proposals for road ramps are put on display for public consultation, and rightly so. The public's...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Yes, under section 370, by way of an example.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: No, it is page 557 in the Bill. Basically, I do not have anything further to add. It was to be helpful. It would be much more appropriate in guidance. There is no issue in doing that and setting out the principles in which public consultation can occur. The final thing I will say is to ask if anyone can put an example to me now of really poor public consultation through a State body or...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I will deal with amendment No. 429 first, on the linguistic piece. That crosses over to what we have discussed at length with regard to the Gaeltacht planning, in particular the preservation of and supporting the growth of the Irish language in our Gaeltacht areas. I have dealt with the broader issue of linguistic context previously. We debated this at length. I did not believe it was...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Amendments Nos. 417 to 419, inclusive - which have not been spoken to yet so I will come back in then - seek to amend section 49 concerning the obligation to prepare objectives for the management of areas, uses and structures as part of the development plan. Section 49(2)(g) states the development management statement may include objectives for a number of matters including preserving public...