Results 10,321-10,340 of 25,799 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Contracts (12 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: There is no record of any payments to ‘Kinzen’ (www.kinzen.com/company) on my Department’s Financial Payments System. Carr Communications Ltd was engaged by my Department on several occasions over the 30 months within the scope of the question – predominantly for staff training on leadership/people management, presentations and interviews. The costs incurred during...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (12 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 406 and 413 together. 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,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (12 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: In April 2018 the Department of Finance published the Stability Programme Update for 2018 which was the first set of fiscal projections produced by that Department to incorporate the CSO decision to reclassify the majority of Tier 3 Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) as part of the local government sector. This was an important first step in the Government's assessment as to the impact of the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (12 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels in accordance with Section 7 of the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013. This includes the connection of new developments to the public water services system. In line with the creation of Irish Water, development...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation (12 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 415 to 419, inclusive, together. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless accommodation and related services rests with individual local authorities. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (12 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Local Authority Home Loan is a Government backed mortgage scheme 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 since 4 January 2022 for first-time buyers and fresh start applicants. The loan can be used both for new and second-hand properties, or to self-build....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Stations (12 Jul 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: Departmental Schemes (12 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides funding to local authorities for 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. Funding of €81.25 million is available nationally in 2022 which is an increase of €6.25 million on the 2021...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (12 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Tenant Purchase Scheme provides for the purchase by eligible tenants, or joint tenants, of local authority homes available for sale under the scheme. Applicants must meet certain criteria, including minimum reckonable income and minimum time in receipt of social housing supports, to be eligible. The Government has recently reduced the minimum reckonable income required under the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (12 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Since 2013, Exchequer funding has been provided through my Department's Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme (EERP) to support local authorities with the retrofit of local authority owned homes requiring insulation and energy upgrade works. Since the programme commenced in 2013 over 75,000 homes have been retrofitted with a total exchequer spend of €184 million under the scheme. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (12 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 427 and 428 together. The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme plays a vital role in housing eligible families and individuals. At the end of Q4 2021, over 100,000 HAP tenancies had been set-up since the scheme commenced, of which there were nearly 62,000 households actively in receipt of HAP support, including 1,711 households in Wicklow. At the end of Q1...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Programmes (12 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 429 to 431, 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 of 2021...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (12 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides funding to local authorities under the Disabled Persons Grants Scheme to carry out works on local authority owned social housing stock to address the needs of older people, people with a disability or relieve overcrowding. The detailed administration of this scheme including assessment, approval and prioritisation of applications is the responsibility of local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (12 Jul 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 2022. The purpose of this Bill is to implement and give legislative underpinning to a series of measures to improve and enhance the scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (12 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: 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 since 4 January 2022 for first-time buyers and fresh start applicants. The loan can be used both for new and second-hand properties, or to self-build. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (12 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Local Authority Home Loan has been available nationwide from local authorities since 4 January 2022. Prior to that, the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan was the mortgage available from local authorities. As of 4 January 2022, no new Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan applications will be accepted, although applications/approvals already in process will be honoured The Housing Agency provides a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Septic Tanks (12 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Under the Water Services Acts 2007 and 2012 (Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems) Regulations 2012, the owner of a domestic waste water treatment system is responsible for its maintenance and renewal and should ensure that its parts and components are fit for purpose, operational where appropriate, kept in good order and repair so as to prevent a risk to human health or the environment. My...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (12 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not collect quantitative data on the performance of Choice Based Letting in local authority areas. The Department reviews the uptake of Choice Based Letting from time-to-time with a view to supporting its roll-out and standardisation across local authorities. Feedback from local authorities, to date, shows more than half operating a Choice Based Letting system, which they...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wildlife Regulations (12 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The current Wild Bird Declarations, one general and one relating to air safety allowing for the control of certain wild bird species, were extended by me in April 2022 and are due to expire on 31 July 2022. I have now signed two new Declarations, one general and one relating to air safety, that reflect Article 9 of the Birds Directive. These new Declarations will cover the period from 1st...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (12 Jul 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 444 and 445 together. The information requested by the Deputy is not held by my Department.