Results 11,261-11,280 of 25,844 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wind Energy Generation (26 Apr 2022)

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 my Department in conjunction with the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (26 Apr 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP) supports the delivery of social housing by providing financial support to local authorities for the leasing of houses and apartments. Dwellings under the scheme come from a number of different sources including private owners, Part V and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs). AHBs are important partners for local authorities in the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (26 Apr 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a flexible and immediate housing support that is available to all eligible households throughout the State. At the end of Q4 2021, over 100,000 HAP tenancies had been set-up since the scheme commenced, of which there were more than 61,900 households actively in receipt of HAP support and over 33,000 separate landlords and agents providing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (26 Apr 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 613 and 614 together. All funding provided to Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to support social housing is made available by my Department through local authorities who, as the statutory housing authorities, are the decision makers in relation to the suitability of a proposed social housing project. Local authorities are required to evaluate that any social...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Environmental Schemes (26 Apr 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 615 and 684 together. My Department launched the Energy Efficiency Retrofitting Programme (EERP) in 2013 with the aim of funding the retrofit of social homes requiring insulation and energy upgrade works. Since the programme commenced in 2013 up to the end of 2021 over 75,000 units of social housing stock have been retrofitted with a total exchequer...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (26 Apr 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 618, 647 and 654 together. 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....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (26 Apr 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department introduced a revised social housing application form in March 2021 in consultation with the local authority sector. The application form already provided for applicants to identify housing requirements arising from a disability or medical condition, but now also includes an identifier for persons requiring 'wheelchair livable' accommodation. The Summary of Social Housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (26 Apr 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. The loan can be used both for new and second-hand properties, or to self-build. It is the successor to the Rebuilding Ireland Home...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Staff (26 Apr 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: There are two members of staff who are seconded to another body and whose salaries are covered in full by my Department. One member of staff at the grade of Assistant Principal is seconded to the Department of Foreign Affairs and serves in the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the European Union in Brussels. Their role is to represent my Department across a range of functions...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Apprenticeship Programmes (26 Apr 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is not directly engaged in the training of apprentices at present. In recent years we have participated in cross Departmental apprenticeship programmes run by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in the area of ICT and also in cooperation with Accounting Technicians Ireland in respect of apprentices in that discipline.  The details requested in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (26 Apr 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing for All Strategy delivers on the Programme for Government commitment to step up housing supply and put affordability at the heart of the housing system, with an ambitious target of 300,000 homes over the next decade for social, affordable and cost rental, private rental and private ownership housing. 54,000 affordable home interventions will be delivered between now and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Staff (26 Apr 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: There are 6 members of staff  employed in my Department with a rate of pay below the living wage of €12.30. These staff are employed on a part-time basis in the National Parks and Wildlife Service under an joint agreement with Ability West, a non-profit organisation who provide services and supports to adults with an intellectual disability.   My Department does not...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (26 Apr 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides Exchequer funding to local authorities to support the Housing Adaptation Grant for Older People and People with a Disability schemes. These grants schemes are available to assist eligible applicants living in privately owned homes to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs to remain living independently in their own homes. My...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (26 Apr 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All: A New Housing Plan for Ireland (September 2021) is a whole-of-Government Plan, and includes a detailed set of actions, across each of the four pathways to a sustainable, housing system. Each action has an agreed delivery timeframe and is assigned a lead actor with responsibility for implementation. In terms of progress to date, of a total 213 actions in Housing for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (26 Apr 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government sets out a number of commitments in respect of the important policy area of addressing building defects. It commits to an examination of 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,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Staff (26 Apr 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The information requested is set out in the tables below. 1January 2020 to 26 June 2020 Name Salary Expenses Minister Eoghan Murphy TD €40,053.25 €1,231.24 Minister of State Damien English TD €19,538.96 €8,094.08 Minister of State John Paul Phelan...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (26 Apr 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 632 to 634, inclusive, 674 and 686 together. In relation to the questions posed, I can inform the deputies that I am aware of the allegations which have been made and understand that those allegations are denied by the Board member concerned. A Senior Counsel is being appointed to provide a report to inform my consideration of the matter. I also...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Staff (26 Apr 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 636 and 644 together. My Department currently hosts 13 staff on full time secondments from other public sector organisations, mostly from the Local Authority sector.  As the receiving organisation my Department either pays the salaries of these staff directly or recoups their parent organisation for their salary costs.  There are no secondments...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Land Issues (26 Apr 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: An application to register unregistered lands in the Land Registry can be made to the Property Registration Authority (PRA) by lodging a First Registration Application.  On completion of a First Registration Application, a folio number is assigned to the property by the PRA. There are differing types of First Registration Applications that may be lodged, including applications based...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Staff (26 Apr 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: No interns are currently engaged by my Department.  However, my Department does facilitate internships by students engaged in full-time or part-time further and higher education courses from time to time depending on business needs and the requirement for short term specific expertise.  In general such internships are unpaid but on occasion some such internships have been...