Results 8,801-8,820 of 25,732 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I understand the Question is referring to the new funding measure which I announced on the 28 April 2022, as an advance stage of the new Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme, for the waste water collection and treatment needs of villages and settlements that do not have access to public waste water services.  I can confirm that €50 million has been allocated under the National...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 323 and 348 together. The funding provision for 2023 for the Private House Grants, which includes the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability and other schemes such as the Thatching grant, is €67 million, an increase of €2 million on the 2022 provision of €65 million, continuing the year on year increases...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 324 and 344 together. The Programme for Government sets out a number of commitments in respect of the important policy area of addressing building defects. These include a commitment to examine defects in housing, having regard to the recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing’s report Safe as Houses?  Housing for All,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Ukraine War (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The launch of the unoccupied homes call 'Offer a Home', which is being led by local authorities with oversight from my Department, took place on 24 November 2022. Property owners can offer homes at offerahome.ie or by contacting the local authority in which their property is located. Properties offered need to be habitable and must meet certain health and safety standards, developed...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Affordable Housing Fund is available to assist all local authorities in bringing forward affordable housing schemes. Following the publication of Housing for All in September 2021, I asked local authorities to prepare Housing Delivery Action Plans. Each local authority was asked to assess the level of housing demand with affordability constraint projected for their area based on...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Staff (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The information requested in relation to the appointment of Special Advisers is set out in the tables below.  All three advisers were reappointed following the Government rotation in 2022.  The formal process in relation to these appointments is currently under way and should be complete in the coming weeks. Minister Adviser Payscale ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Electoral Commission (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Electoral Reform Act 2022 ('the Act') provides for, among other matters, the establishment of the Electoral Commission - which will be titled An Coimisiún Toghcháin.  In addition, the Act provides for the review of Dáil and European Parliament constituencies to be undertaken by the new Coimisiún following its establishment.  Under the provisions of the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides funding to local authorities in respect of the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability, to assist eligible people in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. The suite of grants include the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability (max grant €30,000), the Mobility Aids Grant (max...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Derelict Sites (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Derelict Sites Act 1990 imposes a general duty on every owner and occupier of land to take all reasonable steps to ensure that the land does not become, or continue to be, a derelict site. The Act also imposes a duty on local authorities to take all reasonable steps, including the exercise of appropriate statutory powers, to ensure that any land within their functional area does not...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Domestic Violence (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: While my Department does provide support through the Capital Assistance Scheme for accommodation for victims of domestic violence, responsibility for the development and provision of accommodation and related services to support victims of domestic violence rests with my colleague the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. I understand that the delivery of these...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Emergency Accommodation (31 Jan 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.  Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless accommodation and related services rests with individual local authorities.    ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Emergency Accommodation (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not fund any homeless service directly but provides funding to housing authorities towards the operational costs of homeless accommodation and related services under Section 10 of the Housing Act, 1988.  Under Exchequer funding arrangements, housing authorities must provide at least 10% of the cost of services from their own resources.  Furthermore, housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Under Housing for All, my Department was tasked with undertaking an analytical exercise to examine whether an increase in the level of discretion available to Local Authorities under HAP was required. The Housing Agency carried out this analytical exercise, on behalf of my Department, to better understand what level of discretion should be made available to Local Authorities under HAP to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 336 and 337 together. As part of their day-to-day management of the social housing system, local authorities are responsible for taking appropriate measures to counter anti-social behaviour. Local authorities are empowered under the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 to apply to apply to the District Court to terminate a tenancy and recover possession...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wildlife Rangers (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Based on the current pay levels for Conservation Rangers, the estimated cost of recruiting an additional 30 Conservation Rangers for the National Parks and Wildlife Service is €892,000. My Department is currently engaged with the Public Appointments Service in recruiting additional Conservation Rangers.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Official Travel (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The information requested is set out in the table below.   Year C02 emissions (tonnes) Kilometres  travelled Payment submitted to the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications 2020 10.88 58,342 €220.31 2021 8.23 75,364 €241.20 ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Regulatory Bodies (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: As provided for in the Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) Act 2019 (the Act), the Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority (AHBRA) was formally established on 1 February 2021.  AHBRA is an independent body tasked with the regulation of Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) for the purposes of protecting housing assets provided or managed by such bodies. The powers and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Official Engagements (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I have no proposals to visit the site at this time.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The setting and collecting of rents, and the management of rents arrears, are matters for individual local authorities in accordance with section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. My Department has no role in this regard.  That said, the Housing for All Action Plan Update (November 2022) commits to developing proposals for a standardised national differential rents scheme in 2023 and this...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (31 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: A new Mixed Tenure Unit was established in my Department in April 2022. This Unit acts as a single point of contact for Local Authorities for mixed tenure developments. The Unit co-ordinates funding applications and responses for projects seeking a combination of funding for social housing, affordable purchase and/or cost rental. The Unit is led by an Assistant Principal Officer, reporting to...