Results 11,261-11,280 of 26,886 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 introduced the Rent Predictability Measure to moderate rent increases in those parts of the country where rents are highest and rising fastest. The Residential Tenancies (No. 2) Act 2021 introduced measures in July 2021 to extend the operation of Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) until the end of 2024 and prohibit any...

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 Oireacthas 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: I propose to take Questions Nos. 210, 230 and 232 together. Housing for All was published in September 2021 and, as part of a broad suite of social housing reforms, committed to reviewing income eligibility for social housing. The review, which examined inter alia the efficiency of the current banding model and income limits applicable to local authorities, has been completed and I...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Oversight of the financial institutions is outside the scope and remit of my Department but I did write to 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 entities, such as decisions they may make on applications for credit, or in respect of...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The question of city status for Drogheda is not being considered at the moment. The National Planning Framework published in 2018 sets out a vision and strategy for the spatial development of Ireland to 2040. The Framework recognises the strategic importance of Drogheda and aims to support its development and its economic potential as part of the Dublin-Belfast Corridor and in particular 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 which is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provis ion/. The data that is publicly available includes a breakdown on the delivery programmes for all social homes for all local authority areas.

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides funding to local authorities for the delivery of new social homes through a range of build, acquisition and leasing mechanisms, including in conjunction with Approved Housing Bodies. The funding provided in each of the years 2016 to 2021 is set out in the table below. Year €m 2016 462 2017 ...

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: ...