Results 8,961-8,980 of 25,732 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (24 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: Planning Issues (24 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: Housing Policy (24 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the Act), there is no specific preclusion to the development of log cabins as a housing type. All development, unless specifically exempted under the Act or associated Regulations, requires planning permission. Any person may lodge an application for permission to a planning authority in accordance with section 34 of the Act for the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (24 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, the implementation of a planned maintenance programme and carrying out of responsive repairs, are matters for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. Since 2014, Exchequer funding has been provided through my Department's Voids Programme to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (24 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 313 and 316 together. Oversight of financial institutions is outside the scope and remit of my Department but I confirm that I have engaged with my colleague, the Minister for Finance on these matters. The Minister for Finance advised that neither he nor his Department have any role in relation to the commercial decisions of individual regulated...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Building Regulations (24 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The query referred to relates to the operation of the building control system and my Department is in the process of replying to the individual concerned. In the context of the issues raised, the July 2022 report, Defects in Apartments, Report of the Working Group to Examine Defects in Housing,the Working Group, which I established, concluded that there is no single cause of the defects in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (24 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I launched a new joint National Housing Strategy for Disabled People (NHSDP) 2022-2027 on 14 January 2022, together with my colleagues Peter Burke, TD Minister of State for Planning and Local Government and Anne Rabbitte, T.D., Minister of State with responsibility for Disability (available at www.gov.ie/en/press-release/1c6c5-new-national-housing-strat...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (24 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I understand that the Question refers to the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 ('the 2022 Act'). The purpose of the 2022 Act is to implement and give legislative underpinning to a series of measures to improve and enhance the current defective concrete blocks (DCB) grant scheme, as agreed by Government on 30 November 2021. The administrative...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (24 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The delivery of new social housing is planned and implemented by local authorities, working in partnership with housing associations and the construction sector, with funding support from my Department. Following the publication of Housing for All, the Government's housing plan for Ireland, I issued social housing delivery targets to all local authority Chief Executives for the 5 year period...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (24 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 320 and 322 together. The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, as amended, to operate a national tenancy registration system and to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants. Accordingly, the implementation of the new tenancy management system that registers...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (24 Jan 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. The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Acts to operate a national tenancy registration system and to facilitate the resolution of disputes between...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (24 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The purpose of the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 ('the 2022 Act') 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 administrative areas of the following counties have been designated by the 2022 Act for the purposes of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (24 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 administrative areas of the following counties have been designated by the Act for the purposes of the enhanced grant...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (24 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Local Government (Maternity Protection and Other Measures for Members of Local Authorities) Act 2022 was signed into law by President Michael D. Higgins on 21 December 2022. The Act amends the Maternity Protection Act 1994 to make available maternity leave entitlements to local authority elected members. It also amends the Local Government Act 2001, first, to provide that a casual vacancy...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Grant Payments (24 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department has no funding stream that supports geological ground surveys. However, the project in question may be eligible to apply to the Heritage Council’s Community Heritage Grants Scheme, details of which may be found on www.heritagecouncil.ie. Should further information on this scheme be required, arrangements have been put in place by all bodies under the aegis of my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (24 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: Business Supports (24 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (19 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: Housing Provision (19 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, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost rental homes. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4bn per annum, through an overall combination of €12bn in direct...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (19 Jan 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Government recently agreed to increase the baseline income thresholds by €5,000 for all local authorities with effect from 1 January 2023. The thresholds increased to €40,000, €35,000 and €30,000 for bands 1, 2 and 3 respectively, with an estimated 16,000 additional households potentially eligible for social housing support as a result. While local authorities...