Results 8,561-8,580 of 25,732 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Further Revised)
Vote 23 - Electoral Commission (Further Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Further Revised) (23 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: We want them all to be exceeded. We have a housing summit next week and I am meeting the chief executives to discuss this matter.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Further Revised)
Vote 23 - Electoral Commission (Further Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Further Revised) (23 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Will the revised upwards targets be published?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Further Revised)
Vote 23 - Electoral Commission (Further Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Further Revised) (23 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: No, the targets are set and we need certainty within the targets but they are a baseline. There is no change to what we have asked local authorities to do at the very least. Some of those targets are very challenging. They were not set arbitrarily by me. They were set by my Department and the local authority sector, working together. I expect many local authorities to exceed those...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Further Revised)
Vote 23 - Electoral Commission (Further Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Further Revised) (23 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: It will be below the target but there is a reality and there was a reality the previous year where the Deputy said that we missed targets, we had a construction shutdown.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Further Revised)
Vote 23 - Electoral Commission (Further Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Further Revised) (23 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: : We have allowed provision for 1,500 acquisitions this year under the tenant in situscheme The requisite funding will be provided and I want local authorities to use this money. Some local authorities have been more active than others. I am meeting the chief executives next week to reinforce that message. It is a good way to ensure people do not fall into homelessness. It adds to our...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Further Revised)
Vote 23 - Electoral Commission (Further Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Further Revised) (23 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Yes, they do. We have some AHB purchases as well. It depends on the ground. There have been some complications with people who are on HAP tenancies in different local authorities residing somewhere else. That has come up and we are trying to work that through, particularly in the Dublin region but I do not want a property not to be purchased with a HAP tenant just because that tenant...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Further Revised)
Vote 23 - Electoral Commission (Further Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Further Revised) (23 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: We have a mechanism to help in that case. Not many sites have closed. Some stalled for a while, particularly in the second quarter, after the outbreak of the Ukraine war. We saw what happened there but we will reassess any reasonable request for a price increase. We receive requests every week where there has been an increase for the contractor. We do not want to see any projects stalled...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Further Revised)
Vote 23 - Electoral Commission (Further Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Further Revised) (23 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Exactly. The Deputy also asked about output and delivery. He is correct. The overall target for social housing for last year was approximately 10,500 units. It will be very close to that overall. I still expect our new builds to be between 7,500 to 8000. I do not have the final figures yet but it will be in that range. When taking into account other delivery mechanisms, it will be more...

Eviction Ban Bill 2022: Second Stage [Private Members] (22 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I am always here.

Eviction Ban Bill 2022: Second Stage [Private Members] (22 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I am always here. The Deputy only catches the tail end of debates.

Eviction Ban Bill 2022: Second Stage [Private Members] (22 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputy has left out one element of the scheme.

Eviction Ban Bill 2022: Second Stage [Private Members] (22 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: He left out the infrastructure piece.

Eviction Ban Bill 2022: Second Stage [Private Members] (22 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: In contrast to the proposed Bill, the issuing of notices to quit is allowed to continue under the current winter eviction ban. This allows for a flow of tenancy terminations to continue after the relevant deferred termination date. There is no obstacle to tenants choosing to leave their tenancy during the winter months if they are in a position to re-accommodate their households. I will...

Eviction Ban Bill 2022: Second Stage [Private Members] (22 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputy opposed the LDA legislation. He voted against it. He voted against its capitalisation-----

Eviction Ban Bill 2022: Second Stage [Private Members] (22 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: -----and he voted against the standing up of the agency. We have a national cost rental scheme now in place, which was underpinned by the Affordable Housing Act. The Deputy voted against the Affordable Housing Act that does not just give cost rental housing and a national cost rental scheme, which we wish to scale up even further, and we will do. We will have more cost rental tenancies...

Eviction Ban Bill 2022: Second Stage [Private Members] (22 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett and his colleagues for bringing forward the Bill. I do not question their motives or bona fidesin this matter. We have debated and discussed it. I will go through the matters in the Bill. It was clear yesterday that we are considering the legal and policy issues right now. We have not just started doing that. Any extension of the eviction ban period is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (22 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 133 and 135 together. I refer to the reply to Questions Nos. 302 and 303 of 21 February 2023 which set out the position in this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Staff (22 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: There were 1,247 (1,205.74 FTE) staff serving in my department at the end of 2020. By the end of December 2021 the headcount had increased to 1,409 (1,365.50 FTE). That growth increased during 2022, finishing the year at 1,605 (1,560.94 FTE). The year on year headcount changes at grade level within their respective grade streams are set out in the table below. Grade ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (22 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 136 and 137 together. I can confirm that funding of €68.5 million has been allocated, under the National Development Plan, for the period 2021-2025, to address legacy water services issues including the Developer Provided Water Services Infrastructure Resolution Programme (DPI) which is run by my Department. The DPI programme is focused on housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (22 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Addressing vacancy and making efficient use of existing housing stock is a key priority for Government, as set out in Pathway 4 of Housing for All.In January 2022, my Department communicated with local authorities outlining that funding, made available since 2018 to support the work of a Vacant Homes Office including a Vacant Homes Officer (VHO), would be increased from €50,000 to...