Results 10,181-10,200 of 25,799 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (14 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My officials understand from DCC that they are considering a new social housing Turnkey proposal at Carraig Airt in Co Donegal. This proposal is separate to one which my Department previously gave initial funding approval. To date my Department has not received this new proposal from the Council but we look forward to receiving further proposals from them and will work with them on any such...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme remains open to applications from eligible social housing tenants. The scheme is not funding based, rather it operates by way of a discounted price on the purchase of a local authority property by a qualifying tenant. The discount is typically 60%, 50% or 40% depending on the purchaser’s level of reckonable income. The scheme was reviewed in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Constitutional Amendments (14 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: In line with commitments in the Programme for Government and Housing for All: A New Housing Plan for Ireland, the Housing Commission was established by Government in December 2021 to independently examine and review the housing system in Ireland. The Commission’s Terms of Reference cover a wide range of issues connected to housing, one of which is to consider the complex...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Staff (14 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department continues to work as per transitional work arrangements following the lifting of restrictions on workplace attendance in the spring of this year. Staff who normally worked from home under pandemic restrictions currently attend the office on a minimum of 2 days per week. Since these arrangements are transitional, no formal agreement is in place and no applications have been made...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Projects (14 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: 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 the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (14 Sep 2022)

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 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. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (14 Sep 2022)

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 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. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (14 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity. This data is available to the end of Quarter 1 2022, and is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provis ion/ My Department also publishes the Social Housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (14 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 233 and 236 together. While the Government and I recognise that there remain some challenges to overcome, one year on from its publication, the Housing for All plan is delivering through increased housing supply; a range of affordable purchase and rental measures; new initiatives to tackle homelessness; and ongoing, long-term reforms of the housing and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (14 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Information on the fluctuation in the number of applicants for local authority housing over the past 12 months is not held by my Department. That said, details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority area is provided in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA). The SSHA captures the total number of households qualified...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (14 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department publishes the Social Housing Construction Status Report (CSR). The CSR provides details of social housing developments that have been completed, are under construction or are progressing through the various stages of the design and tender processes. The most recent publication was for Quarter 1 2022 and is available at the following link:...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Under Housing for All a number of schemes have been made available to support purchasers including first-time buyers in accessing more affordable homes. The Local Authority Home Loan is a Government-backed mortgage for those on modest or low incomes who cannot get sufficient funding from commercial banks to purchase or build a home. It has been available nationwide from local authorities...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (14 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 239 and 240 together. On 28 April 2022 I announced funding for a new measure under 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. Details of the announcement can be found at the following link: ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 Sep 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The First Home Scheme, launched on 07 July, supports first-time buyers in purchasing new houses and apartments in the private market through the use of an equity share model. The Scheme uses regional price ceilings based on the median prices of new-build first-time buyer homes. This is to temper any inflationary pressures and to target support at the lower part of the price distribution in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (14 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All (published in September 2021) provides a new housing plan for Ireland to 2030 with the overall objective that every citizen in the State should have access to good quality homes through a steady supply of housing in the right locations, with economic, social and environmental sustainability built into the system. The strategy sets out, over four pathways, a broad suite of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (14 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department funds Irish Water through the annual estimates and budgetary process, which are published in the Revised Estimates each year. As part of Budget 2022, I secured funding of €1.57 billion to support water services. This includes €1.459 billion for domestic water services provision by Irish Water. Of which, €830 million in capital has been allocated, to allow...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (14 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 343 and 390 to 392, inclusive, together. My Department introduced an Energy Efficiency Programme that commenced in 2013, with the ambition to fund retrofit on all social homes requiring insulation and energy upgrade works, this programme has seen improved energy efficiency and comfort levels in over 75,000 Local Authority homes over the period 2013 to the end...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Legal Cases (14 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: On 12 November 2019, the Court of Justice of the European Union issued its judgment in case C-261/18 relating to the Derrybrien wind farm in Galway, which followed on from the Court's judgment in case C-215/06. The 2019 judgment ruled against Ireland and imposed a lump sum fine of €5m and a daily fine of €15,000 until compliance is achieved, plus legal costs.  As the Deputy...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Reports (14 Jul 2022)

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: Regeneration Projects (14 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The advancement of housing and other works under the Limerick Regeneration Programme is a matter in the first instance for Limerick City and County Council.   The Limerick Regeneration Framework Implementation Plan provides a roadmap for the regeneration of Limerick and includes plans for a community centre in St Mary's Park.  There are no proposals currently with...