Results 11,581-11,600 of 25,858 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (3 Mar 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 fire authorities through setting general policy, providing the legislative...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (3 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 144 and 199 together. My Department is currently developing proposals to support the provision of waste water collection and treatment requirements for villages and similar settlements that do not have access to public waste water infrastructure. I propose to make a further announcement on this aspect of the Programme in the coming weeks.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (3 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 147 and 209 together. 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. In this regard, the decisions of the Commissioner for Environmental Information (CEI/18/0019) of 13 February 2019...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (3 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides funding under the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability, to assist people in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. Details on the number of grants paid and the amount spent for the past two years by all local authorities, are available on my Department's website at the following link: .

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (3 Mar 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. Measures to deliver this housing are supported by over €4 billion in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (3 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing Need Demand Assessment (HNDA) tool estimates overall future housing requirement divided into four tenure-based categorieson the basis of estimates of housing affordability: 1. Owner-occupier 2. Private renter 3. Affordability Constraint 4. Social renter The HNDA tool does not separate the affordability constraint category into further sub-categories, e.g. cost-rental. The Housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (3 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the statutory role of local authorities in relation to the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons. Housing for Allrecognises reducing and preventing homelessness as a top priority for the Government and commits to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (3 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides funding to local authorities under the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability, to assist people in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. Housing for All commits to undertaking a review of the range of housing grants available to assist with meeting specific housing needs both for our ageing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (3 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Social housing is a long-term support intended to support households that have continuing, long-term difficulty meeting their own accommodation needs. This is reflected in the underpinning legislation and the Household Means Policywhich provides for applicants’ eligibility to be assessed on their net average income over the previous 12 months from the date of their application. This...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (3 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Affordable Housing Act 2021, the first ever standalone affordable housing legislation, established a basis for four new affordable housing measures. These measures will deliver on the Programme for Government commitment to put affordability at the heart of the housing system and prioritise the increased supply of affordable homes through (1) delivering affordable homes on local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (3 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for Allis the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing over the next decade. Greater supply will be key to meeting demand, helping moderate property price increases, and addressing affordability pressures facing renters, homeowners and potential buyers in the coming years. Housing for All includes unprecedented direct investment in social and affordable housing,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (3 Mar 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: Domestic Violence (3 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department has not received an application for funding to date in respect of a Domestic Violence Refuge for the Cavan/Monaghan area. However, that area has been identified in the recently published Tusla 'Review of Accommodation Services for Victims of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence' as one where new refuge places are needed as a priority. Accordingly, my Department looks...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (3 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The response to Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (DSGBV) is a cross-Departmental and multi-agency issue, with overall policy coordinated by the Department of Justice. Responsibility for developing and providing services to support victims rests with my colleague the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. Statutory responsibility for the care and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (3 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 167 and 204 together. The Affordable Housing Act 2021, the first ever standalone affordable housing legislation, established a basis for four new affordable housing measures. These measures will deliver on the Programme for Government commitment to put affordability at the heart of the housing system and prioritise the increased supply of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (3 Mar 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. This strategy provides for a broad suite of measures and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (3 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I brought a Memorandum to Government on an enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme on the 30 November 2021. It included an unprecedented suite of improvements to the current scheme. Government approved the enhanced scheme which it is estimated will cost approximately €2.2Bn. Included in the Government decision was a commitment that a parallel programme for Exchequer funding of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (3 Mar 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. Long term lease arrangements, including the enhanced lease of privately owned dwellings, can be entered into by either local authorities or approved housing bodies (AHBs) for periods of between 10 to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (3 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Increasing the supply of social and affordable homes is a priority for this Government as shown clearly in our new Housing for All strategy. Following the launch of the strategy last September we issued social housing targets to all local authority Chief Executives for the 5 years 2022 to 2026. Of the national target of over 50,000 new social homes, I’m asking Carlow County Council...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (3 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Detail on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority administrative area is provided in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA). The SSHA captures the total number of households whose social housing need has not yet been met and helps better inform policy and the delivery of the right types of social housing support. The...