Results 11,401-11,420 of 25,844 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (5 Apr 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011 introduced maximum net income limits for each local authority in 2011. The limits are unchanged since then. Cognisant of significant rental price growth across the country since thresholds were originally set and the need to take account of the variation in the cost of private accommodation across the State, Housing for All committed to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (5 Apr 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Group Water Schemes are community-owned and community-run enterprises. In order to be eligible for support from my Department (as administered by local authorities) Group Water Schemes must meet the general terms and conditions of my Department's funding schemes. In particular schemes must also be, for their enduring operation, properly constituted in a way that recognises the members as the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Parks (5 Apr 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The appointment of Education Liaison Officers is a matter for the Minister of Education and Skills. My Department is engaging with that Department to optimise the appointment of these Officers. The National Parks and Wildlife Guide Service which operates from our National Parks and a number of other centres across the country provide a different service than that of the Education...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Contracts (5 Apr 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The table below shows the cost of consultants for the Department in 2020, 2021 and to date in 2022. It also outlines the role of each consultancy. Consultancy service providers are only engaged by my Department where specific expertise is required which is not available in the organisation at the relevant time. Consultant Name Role Year Paid Cost ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Environmental Investigations (31 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I have no role in determining the function of the Environment Health Service of the Health Services Executive which would fall to the Minister for Health who has overall policy responsibility for public heath matters generally. I understand that the Environmental Health Service undertakes certain functions on behalf of local authorities on an agency basis, but that is a matter between the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (31 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the Scheme. The Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 provides that the Minister may set out a minimum income required for tenants to qualify under the scheme. The minimum income requirement has a dual purpose - it ensures the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Property Registration (31 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Property Registration Authority (PRA) continued to maintain a high level of service to support a robust property market throughout the period of Covid-19 restrictions. In 2021, overall completions of applications had recovered to 90 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. Notwithstanding this level of activity, there has been an increase in the length of some completion times and an increase in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (31 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Applications for social housing support are assessed by the relevant local authority in accordance with the eligibility and need criteria set down in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated Social Housing Assessment Regulations. The Regulations prescribe maximum net income limits for each local authority, in different bands according to the area concerned, with...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (31 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I am considering the report, entitled 'A Review Into Certain Planning Matters in Respect of Donegal County Council', by Mr. Rory Mulcahy S.C., and will bring this matter to Government for consideration in due course. With regard to the question of the publication of the Mulcahy Report, the decisions of the Commissioner for Environmental Information (CEI/18/0019) of 13 February 2019 and the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (31 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme was reviewed in 2021 in line with Programme for Government and Housing for All commitments. The amendments, which came into effect on 1st February 2022, include a reduction in the minimum reckonable income required to be eligible under the scheme from €15,000 to €12,500. The time an applicant is required to be in receipt of social housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (31 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 248 and 249 together. The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, the implementation of a planned maintenance programme and carrying out of responsive repairs, are matters for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. Local authorities also have a legal...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (31 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Part 4 of the Affordable Housing Act 2021 provides the basis for the First Home Scheme, which will be available nationwide. This scheme will support eligible first-time buyers to buy a new-build home in private developments by means of an equity share model, similar to that employed in the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme. First Home will operate for the period 2022 to 2025 and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (31 Mar 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 Policy (31 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I refer to the reply to Question No. 343 of 22 March 2022 which sets out the position in the matter.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Gender Equality (31 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department prides itself on being an equal opportunity employer. At the end of February 2022, 50.88% of the workforce was male while 49.12% were female. It is committed to equal pay and all salaries are equal regardless of gender. Action 8.5 of the Civil Service Renewal Plan makes a commitment “to improve gender balance at each level by reviewing supports and policies to ensure...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Transport Policy (31 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is committed to encouraging the use of active travel measures when travelling to and from work. These efforts were recognised recently when my Department was awarded a Gold Certificate as a cycle-friendly employer under the European Bike2Work project. We are the second Government Department to achieve this certification and it acknowledges my Department’s work in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (30 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Both the Programme for Government and Housing for All, the Government’s national plan on housing to 2030, set out a range of commitments in respect of the important policy area of building defects. This includes the commitment to ensure that the remediation fund for pyrite and mica is fully drawn down. In this context, €60m has been provided under Budget 2022 to continue to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Capital Expenditure Programme (30 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Exchequer funding available for the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS) in 2022 is €96 million and the target is for AHBs to provide 400 units for the target groups, including age-friendly housing, accommodation for individuals and families who are homeless and housing for people with a disability. CAS funding also supports other important and emerging areas of housing need including the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (30 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Requests for housing transfers are considered solely by the relevant local authority concerned in accordance with that authority’s allocation scheme, which is made by the elected members under section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and in compliance with Social Housing Allocation Regulations 2011. Local authorities are responsible for assessing housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (30 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA) Tool is used to estimate current and future housing needs by tenure type in local authority areas. Projections on population and structural household demand produced by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), as well as data on existing need and income, are built into the HNDA Tool and use Census data to produce the output of estimated...