Results 11,661-11,680 of 25,858 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (1 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 381 and 382 together. Under the Local Authority Home Loan scheme social welfare payments are not generally considered as part of repayment capacity. However, certain long-term State benefit payments may be considered as repayment income only where the main income source is of an earned nature (i.e., more than 50% of the income that forms the full Home Loan...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (1 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 384 to 386, inclusive, together. The Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 specify requirements in relation to a range of matters, such as structural repair, sanitary facilities, heating, ventilation, natural light, fire safety and the safety of gas, oil and electrical supplies. All landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that their rented...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (1 Mar 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I condemn in the strongest terms any instances where properties are offered for rent in return for sexual acts. This Government is totally committed to preventing and addressing sexual abuse and gender-based violence in all its forms. I have sought and received advice from the Attorney General in relation to this matter, which I am currently considering in consultation with my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Stations (1 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 the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Emergency Accommodation (24 Feb 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 role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and associated services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (24 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I brought a Memorandum to Government on an enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme on 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. I aim to bring the required primary legislation to give effect to the enhanced scheme before the Oireachtas...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (24 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government commits to ensuring that Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) levels are adequate to support vulnerable households, while we increase the supply of social housing. Maximum rent limits for HAP were set for each housing authority area in 2016, in conjunction with the Department of Social Protection. Local authorities also have the flexibility to agree to a HAP payment...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (24 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All – A New Housing Plan for Ireland 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, was completed in Q4 2021. I am currently considering...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (24 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on social housing delivery for each local authority on a quarterly basis. The statistics are currently available to the end of Quarter 3 2021. In the first nine months of the year, a total of 5,187 social homes were delivered, including 3,144 social homes delivered through new build, 1,576 social homes delivered through leasing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Meetings (24 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: In the period under question, my Department had 13 engagements with the National Women’s Council of Ireland; 3 of them included attendance by a Minister of State at my Department. The engagements included research briefings and meetings on the participation of women in local government.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (24 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Affordable Housing Act 2021, which I commenced in August 2021, laid the provisions for the introduction of two new affordable purchase schemes: an affordable purchase scheme delivered via Local Authorities and the Land Development Agency delivering primarily on their own lands, and also the national First Home shared equity scheme supporting purchases in the private market. Part 4 of the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (24 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Local Authority Home Loan has only 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. Therefore, information on...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (23 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 103 and 104 together. The Mortgage to Rent (MTR) scheme was introduced in 2012 for borrowers of commercial lending institutions and is targeted at those households in mortgage arrears who have had their mortgage position deemed unsustainable by their lender under the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (MARP), who agree to the voluntary surrender of their...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (23 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 105, 106 and 107 together. The Pyrite Resolution Act 2013 provides the statutory framework for the establishment of the Pyrite Resolution Board and for the making of a pyrite remediation scheme.  The provisions of the Act apply only to dwellings affected by significant damage attributable to pyritic heave consequent on the presence of reactive pyrite in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wind Energy Generation (23 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: A decision on the substitute consent application for the Derrybrien Wind Farm in County Galway, the subject matter of the Court of Justice of the EU's ruling in case C-261/18, was signed by An Bord Pleanála (the Board) on Friday 4 February 2022. In their decision, the Board refused to grant substitute consent for ESB’s wind farm, which ends the statutory process seeking to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (23 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Help-to-Buy scheme is the policy responsibility of the Minister of Finance. The appropriate loan-to-value ratio is a matter for that Minister. My Department has a number of policies in place to support homeownership. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (23 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 117 and 118 together. Under Section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he or she is responsible. During the period 2009 to 2015 and in line with government policy on staffing and numbers in the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (23 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is currently developing proposals to support the provision of waste water treatment requirements for villages and similar settlements that do not have access to public waste water infrastructure. I propose to make an announcement in relation to these proposals in the coming weeks.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (23 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The position in relation to legal responsibility for water services infrastructure is set out in the Water Service Act 2007. In line with this Act, a water services authority is responsible for water services infrastructure, including manholes, extending from a waterworks or waste water works to the curtilage of a private property. Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has been responsible for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (23 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA)details the number of households qualified for social housing support, and whose needs have not been met, in each local authority area. The most recently published summary for all counties, conducted in November 2020, is available at: www.gov.ie/en/publication/970ea-summary-of-social-housing-as...