Results 8,401-8,420 of 25,732 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (9 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Last September, I launched the Ready to Build Scheme as part of the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund. Under this scheme, local authorities will make serviced sites in towns and villages available at a discounted rate to individual purchasers who will self-build their own home and live in it as their principal private residence. It is intended that the local authority will either...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (9 Mar 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 statutory role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of emergency accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (9 Mar 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. Significant progress is being made under Housing for All including: - The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (8 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I refer to my reply of Question No. 546 of 18 January 2023 regarding this issue. Landlords and agent customers are still experiencing some issues when registering tenancies through the Residential Tenancies Board’s (RTB) new tenancy management system. As outlined previously, this is an operational matter for the RTB, whose members having been working collaboratively and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (8 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: In implementing Housing for All, each local authority has prepared and published a Housing Delivery Action Plan in respect of local authority supported or overseen delivery from 2022 to 2026. Individual five-year housing delivery targets were set for local authorities and for 18 local authorities with a strong and identified affordable housing need, including Fingal County Council, specific...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (8 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the Act) includes several legislative provisions that relate to the duration of a planning permission. Section 40 of the Act provides that the appropriate period for the completion of a planning permission shall generally be 5 years, unless otherwise specified by the planning authority pursuant to section 41 of the Act. Section 42 of the Act...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (8 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The First Home Scheme, launched on 7 July 2022, supports eligible first-time buyers in purchasing new houses and apartments in the private market through the use of an equity share model. It also supports certain other purchasers, who have previously owned a home, under the 'Fresh Start' principle. The scheme is administered by the First Home Scheme Ireland DAC, which is responsible for the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (8 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Pyrite Resolution Act 2013 provides the statutory framework for the establishment of the Pyrite Resolution Board and for the making of a pyrite remediation scheme to be implemented by the Board with support from the Housing Agency. The provisions of the Act apply only to dwellings affected by significant damage attributable to pyritic heave consequent on the presence of reactive...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (8 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies (Deferment of Termination Dates of Certain Tenancies) Act 2022 was signed into law on 29 October 2022. The Act made emergency provision to defer the termination dates of certain residential tenancies that fall, or would fall, during the 'winter emergency period', beginning on 30 October 2022 and ending on 31 March 2023. The aim of the Act was to mitigate the risk...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (8 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 regulates the landlord-tenant relationship in the rented residential sector and sets out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants. Section 123 of the Acts provides, inter alia, that the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) shall publish dispute determination orders issued by its Director. These orders can be found on the RTB website at...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (8 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I have no function in relation to the matters raised in the question and the information requested is not available in my Department. Local authorities are entirely independent corporate entities, having full responsibility under law for the performance of their functions and the discharge of their governance and other responsibilities. The policy in relation to compensating persons as...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Public Sector Pay (8 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: 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 Services Acts 1981 and 2003. My Department supports fire authorities through setting general policy, providing the legislative...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (8 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: While the management and operation of Choice Based Letting (CBL), including measures in place to assist older persons and persons with disabilities access online CBL systems, is a matter for the local authorities, in line with the commitment in Housing for All (September 2021) and the Housing for All Action Plan Update (November 2022), my Department monitors and promotes the roll-out of CBL....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (8 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: An Interdepartmental Group (comprising officials from my Department; the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts Gaeltacht, Sport and Media; and Údarás na Gaeltachta) is in place to support and accelerate the ongoing work in relation to planning in Gaeltacht areas. One of the key aims of this group is to ensure that procedures and systems will be tailored, as appropriate to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Contracts (8 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department initiated a procurement competition for Security Services for 90 North King Street, Smithfield, Dublin 7 on 1 December 2022, utilising Lot 2 of the Multi Supplier Office of Government Procurement Framework agreement for Security Services. After reviewing and evaluating the tender responses received against the specific award criteria, the company referenced was chosen and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Staff (8 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: There were 1,621 (1,576.39 FTE) staff serving in my Department at the end of January 2023, 258 (253.36 FTE) of whom are located in County Wexford. The Wexford staff headcount by Division is set out in the table below. Division Headcount FTE Corporate & Business Support 53 51.63 Heritage 48 46.93 ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Staff (8 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: There were 1,621 (1,576.39 FTE) staff serving in my Department at the end of January 2023. The staff headcount by Division is set out in the table below. Division Headcount FTE Corporate & Business Support 262 254.53 Heritage 556 534.71 Housing Policy, Legislation &...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Staff (8 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 118 and 119 together. 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...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The former chief executive of Limerick City and County Council, Mr. Conn Murray, has done a significant amount of work in the refurbishment programme that has sat with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. We have stood up a new procedure under which Mr. Michael Walsh, the chief executive of Waterford City and County Council, will be co-ordinating the...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Mar 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Deputy Guirke should answer that. Did his councillors get support? How much?