Results 8,901-8,920 of 25,732 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The purpose of the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 is to implement and give legislative underpinning to a series of measures to improve and enhance the current grant scheme, as agreed by Government on 30 November 2021. The current and enhanced defective concrete block (DCB) grant schemesare not compensation or redress schemes. They are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All, is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. This includes the delivery of 90,000 social homes by 2030. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4bn per annum, through an overall combination of €12bn in direct Exchequer funding, €3.5bn in funding through the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (26 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 Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme 2022-2025, for the waste water collection and treatment needs of villages and settlements that do not have access to public waste water services. To fund this measure, an allocation of €50 million has been committed...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Under Housing for All, the Government will deliver 54,000 affordable homes between now and 2030, to be facilitated by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), the Land Development Agency (LDA) and through a strategic partnership between the State and retail banks. 2022 represented the first year of a very ambitious programme of affordable housing delivery. Significant funding...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Traveller Accommodation (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998 provides that housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of multi-annual Traveller Accommodation Programmes (TAPs) in their areas. My Department’s role is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in place to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability facilitates older people and disabled people to remain living independently in their own homes. Voted capital funding of €66.5 million is available in 2023, which is an increase of €1.5 million on the 2022 provision of €65 million, continuing the year on year increases since 2014. My...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The key aim of the review and consolidation of the Planning and Development Act 2000, which was led by the Attorney General, was to put plan-making at the centre of the planning system by bringing increased clarity and streamlining to the legislation and improving the functioning of the planning system for both practitioners and the general public. This Review and the Draft Bill it has...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Under Housing for All, the Government will deliver 54,000 affordable homes between now and 2030, to be facilitated by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), the Land Development Agency (LDA) and through a strategic partnership between the State and retail banks. 2022 represented the first year of a very ambitious programme of affordable housing delivery. Significant funding...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Building Regulations (Part M Amendment) Regulations 2022 will greatly improve community participation and social inclusion for people with complex care needs. The key objectives of the Building Regulations (Part M Amendment) Regulations 2022 are to increase the provision of changing places toilets in certain new buildings, and to improve the accessibility and usability of existing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not provide specific allocations to local authorities, rather funding for housing programmes is made to the local authorities as programmes and projects advance and relevant claims fall due for payment. Funding provided by my Department to each Local Authority for Housing programmes in each of the years 2017 to 2021 is set out in the table below. The funding details for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I wish to explain at the outset that my role as Minister in relation to the planning system is primarily to provide a policy and legislative framework under which the planning authorities, An Bord Pleanála (the Board) and the Office of the Planning Regulator (the OPR) perform their statutory planning functions. The legislative framework chiefly comprises the Planning and Development...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is currently undertaking a focused review of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines. The review is addressing a number of key aspects including noise, setback distance, shadow flicker, community obligation, community dividend and grid connections. Guidance on the noise aspect is currently being finalised by the Department in conjunction with the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Water Services Act 2007, as amended, required all owners of premises served by an individual domestic waste water treatment system to register the system with their local authority by 1 February 2013. Having a strict cut-off date to register, together with appropriate sanctions for non-compliance, helped to ensure that an estimated 95% of systems were registered. The Domestic Waste...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 216 and 218 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 Services Acts 1981 and 2003. My Department supports fire authorities...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The NDP allocation for the Department was agreed in mid-2021, supporting very ambitious targets for delivery of Capital infrastructure across all areas of my Department. In September 2021, the Government published Housing for All, a new plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. This includes the delivery of 90,000 social homes, 36,000...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: 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, the Government’s national plan on housing to 2030, reiterates...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Reports (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department has not directly conducted or commissioned research into premature deaths of persons experiencing homelessness. However, a review of homeless deaths was undertaken on behalf of the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) by Dr Austin O’Carroll. The review analysed the available data concerning deaths in homeless services for 2020 to identify learnings for homeless and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: On 19 January 2022, the Government announced their decision to make a Covid-19 recognition payment for frontline healthcare workers to recognise their unique role during the pandemic. This once-off payment is ring fenced to staff who were ordinarily onsite in Covid-19-exposed healthcare environments within the period from 1 March 2020 to 30 June 2021. It applies to eligible staff in the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (26 Jan 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 Schemes (26 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Under Pathway 4 of Housing for All a blueprint is set out 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...