Results 8,001-8,020 of 25,732 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (18 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Under the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS), my Department provides up to 100% funding to Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) for the capital development costs for new social homes in the priority categories of age-friendly housing and housing for people with disability. Lesser amounts of capital funding are also provided under CAS depending on the AHB’s preferred arrangement with the local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Hare Coursing (18 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 787 and 788 together. Condition 9 of the Section 34 licence to capture hares states that any hare captured pursuant to the licence may not be coursed or trialled more than once on the same day, and that all necessary arrangements shall be made to ensure that hares that have been coursed or trialled can be readily identified to ensure that this condition is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (18 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I understand the Question refers to housing estates with Developer Provided Water Services Infrastructure (DPI). I can confirm that my Department provides funding to progressively address DPI issues under the Multi-Annual Developer Provided Water Services Infrastructure Resolution Programme and that I have announced funding for specific projects across ten separate local authorities. Further...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (18 Apr 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. Many areas of cities, towns and villages of all sizes face the blight of vacant properties, which, if brought back into use, could add real vibrancy and provide new accommodation in those areas. The Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund is a key initiative which underpins...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (18 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Responsibility for housing people with severe intellectual or physical disabilities in line with HIQA requirements is a matter for the Department of Health. However, my Department has published a Design Manual for Quality Housing which is available on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/b3e02-design-manual-for-quality-ho using/. The Manual is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (18 Apr 2023)

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/she is responsible. My Department oversees workforce planning for the local government sector, including the monitoring of overall local government sector employment levels. To...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Pollution (18 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Uisce Éireann has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. The scope, prioritisation and progression of individual projects is a matter for Uisce Éireann and is approved through its own internal governance structures. The Government is aware that significant and sustained investment is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Quality (18 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is currently preparing Ireland’s third-cycle River Basin Management Plan, which will be a strategic government plan that will outline the national policies and high-level goals that will protect and restore our natural waters. The aim of the next plan is the identification and implementation of the “right measure in the right place”, with targeted measures...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Quality (18 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The primary responsibility for the monitoring, management, protection and improvement of water quality is assigned to local authorities under the Local Government (Water Pollution) Acts and related legislation. Bathing water quality continues to improve nationally, with 97% of the 148 identified bathing waters meeting or exceeding the minimum required standard. During the winter,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (18 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme 2016 provides for the purchase by eligible tenants, or joint tenants, of local authority homes available for sale under the scheme. The Scheme was amended by the Housing (Sale of Local Authority Houses) (Amendment) Regulations 2021. These amendments came into effect on 1 February 2022. From that date, the tenant or, in the case of applications...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (18 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: On being appointed Minister in 2020, I undertook a review of co-living development as provided for in the 2018 apartment guidelines document, under the ‘Shared Accommodation’ heading. I concluded that given the scale, location and potential impact of co-living development permitted at that stage, that there were sufficient shared accommodation/co-living units either permitted or...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Small and Medium Enterprises (18 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Multi-Unit Developments Act 2011 falls under the aegis of the Department of Justice and any such engagement would in the first instance, be a matter for the Minister for Justice to consider.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (18 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies Act 2004 has been amended in recent years to greatly enhance tenancy protections for students. The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2019 provides for relevant obligations and rights under residential tenancies legislation to apply to tenancy and licence agreements in student-specific accommodation, provided by public educational institutions or by private...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (18 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Data on the repair and leasing scheme in respect of all local authorities to end Q4 2022 is published on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provis ion/#repair-and-leasing-scheme-rls. While the Department issues general guidance on the scheme, it has no direct role in deciding on individual applications. Local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (18 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme 2016 provides for the purchase by eligible tenants, or joint tenants, of local authority homes available for sale under the scheme. Applicants must meet certain criteria to qualify under the scheme, including a minimum 10 years in receipt of social housing supports. Such supports include social dwellings provided by local authorities, as well as...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (18 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Construction Product Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 (CPR) sets out rules for the marketing of construction products in the EU, regardless of where the construction products are manufactured. Where a construction product covered by a harmonised standard is being placed on the EU market, the CPR requires the manufacturer to draw up a ‘declaration of performance’ and affix a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (18 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The purpose of the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 ('the 2022 Act'), as agreed by Government on 30 November 2021, is to implement and give legislative underpinning to a series of measures to improve and enhance the current grant scheme. The 2022 Act which contains the enhanced grant scheme will be commenced as soon as related Regulations...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (18 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: There are a number of sources of data on vacancy in Ireland, including Central Statistics Office (CSO) data based on the Census, GeoDirectory data and Revenue data based on an analysis of Local Property Tax returns. The preliminary findings of Census 2022 provide a figure of 166,752 vacant homes nationwide or 7.8% of the housing stock. This represents a 9% reduction on the Census 2016...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Correspondence (18 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 812 and 813 together. I am not aware of any such communication. If the Deputy has any further information, my Department would be happy to follow up on it.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (18 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Government’s Housing for All plan targets the delivery of 18,000 Cost Rental homes by 2030, primarily through delivery by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), Local Authorities and the Land Development Agency (LDA). Funding has been allocated to AHBs through the Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL) scheme, and to Local Authorities through the Affordable Housing Fund (AHF). The policy...