Results 9,561-9,580 of 26,787 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Public Sector Pay (28 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Building Momentum Public Service Agreement 2021-2022 provides for the following pay adjustments over the period of the Agreement: - a general round increase in annualised basic salary for all public servants of 1% or €500, whichever is greater, on 1 October 2021; - the equivalent of a 1% increase in annualised basis salaries to be used as a sectoral bargaining fund on 1 February...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Electoral Commission (28 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Electoral Commission - An Coimisiún Toghcháin - was established on 9 February 2023 by way of the Electoral Reform Act 2022 (Establishment Day) Order 2023 and is now operational. In this regard, section 30(3) of Electoral Reform Act provides that an Coimisiún shall be independent in the performance of its functions. I understand that An Coimisiún is currently...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Public Procurement Contracts (28 Feb 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: Public Procurement Contracts (28 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The table below sets out the awards made to Microsoft by my Department in each of the years 2018 to 2022 inclusive Description/Purpose Amount Timeline Output Microsoft Advance Support Add-on Package /Annual -Maintenance Support €5,248.66 January 2018 Support drawn down as required Microsoft...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (28 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides funding to local authorities so as to enable them administer the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability scheme. These schemes assist eligible applicants living in privately owned homes to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. The schemes are means tested and operate on a sliding scale with the highest percentage grants...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (28 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Following on from the Government decision of the 30 November 2021 in respect of the enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant scheme, the Government approved the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (DCB) Bill 2022 on 21 June and the Bill passed through both Houses of the Oireachtas and was subsequently signed into law by the President on the 23 July, 2022....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (28 Feb 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: Wildlife Conservation (23 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Cork Harbour is one of over 100 Irish sites that are part of BirdLife International’s list of Important Bird Areas (IBA); six species were listed for Cork Harbour IBA: Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwit; Bar-tailed Godwit; Curlew; Redshank; and Common Tern. Cork Harbour is also classified, by way of Statutory Instrument 391 of 2021, as a Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Reviews (23 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Baseline funding for local authorities for 2024 and 2025 has not yet been finalised. Provisional Local Property Tax (LPT) allocations comprising baseline funding and equalisation funding where required, are normally notified to Government and subsequently to local authorities in July of each year, in advance of the local LPT variation decision process. The review of local authority...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Ambulance Service (23 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 210 to 212, inclusive, 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Projects (23 Feb 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Details of the studies, reviews and research undertaken or commissioned by my Department and currently underway, are set out in the attached table, together with the scheduled completion date. Information in relation to recently published reports is available on the homepage of my Department's website at: www.gov.ie/en/organisation/department-of-housing-local-gover nment-and-heritage/

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: I will keep my statement as brief as possible. For the information of members and the Cathaoirleach, I am joined by my officials, Mr. Brían Munnelly, Mr. David Kelly, Ms. Sinead Kehoe and Ms. Janet Jacobs, along with the Ministers of State. As the Cathaoirleach has said, we have provided briefing material in advance so I will keep my remarks brief. The Further Revised Estimate...

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: There was very strong delivery in quarter 4. It was a matter of a debate that we had in the Dáil Chamber and, indeed, at committee. Last year, the outturn was 29,851 new homes across all tenures. That figure has been verified by the Central Statistics Office, the independent agency the State depends on and respects. If others want to call the CSO figures into question, they must...

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: The first home scheme is one of the affordability measures we have in place and it is working very well. We have just short of 1,000 approvals already. The scheme only launched on 7 July last year. We wanted to ensure we had the IT system in place to back it up. There has been strong interest in it. The State is taken an equity stake and not a second mortgage. It helps bridge the...

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: To answer the question directly, with the first home scheme in particular, we have had approvals in 29 of the 31 local authorities. There are only two counties in Ireland that have not had approvals yet. It helps to drive first-time buyer development and delivery and we are seeing that response on the ground. We were in Drogheda this morning and all those homes will be under the caps for...

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: I will make two quick points. Under the affordable housing fund for local authority-led affordable housing, we saw the first homes being built and sold last year. There were some issues with conveyancing that have been rectified. We have approved 42 schemes throughout the country and these will deliver more than 3,000 so far for affordable purchase, let by the local authorities. On cost...

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: The Deputy knows the CSO itself was strong in its defence of its figures and methodology, which have never been brought into question before. It is our independent statistics office we depend on for the collation of such data. I do not think anyone has ever called the office's expertise, knowledge or know-how into question before. The Deputy has raised a point on completion certificates...

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: First, we must look at the context of where this discussion came from, which was the announcement by the Government that we had exceeded our targets under Housing for All of 5,000 units. In fairness, it was in that context that this debate happened; it was post that.