Results 11,861-11,880 of 25,858 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: We were both on the committee that looked at turnkey housing. Turnkey housing is ground-up delivery of public homes on public land. I know the Deputy agrees with that. I think we will give as much detail on that as we can. I have initial returns that need to be checked through. Once we have them, we will submit them to the committee.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I will answer the Deputy's last question first. This is complex legislation. Much work is happening in the Office of the Attorney General in this regard. I hope to publish the general scheme in March. In fairness, committee members have offered to co-operate to expedite its passage through the committee, Dáil and Seanad. We need to pass the legislation by the summer recess. I...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Absolutely. The matter of the foundations and the standard is being reviewed by Engineers Ireland. If we find that there is a reason to include foundations, I am not against that at all. Regarding the terms of reference for SCSI, I sent correspondence back to residents this evening. There has been contact between residents, SCSI, my office and me. We are excluding nothing. Those are...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The SCSI will operate independently of me. I have spent a long time moving this forward. I will take what the SCSI brings forward independently of me and my Department-----

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: -----and we will base our decisions on that.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: On the sliding scale, I do not want to be seen in any way to be butting in on the independence of SCSI but it is unlikely there will be a sliding scale in the final set-up.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: It is a good question. In dealing first with the Minister, Deputy Ryan, SEAI grant aid will be available. I need to let the SCSI do its work.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: There has been good co-operation on this across the board. We want to get people's lives and homes back.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank both Deputies for their questions. The Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, is driving forward the electoral commission. Art O’Leary, the former Secretary General to the President, is moving to the commission and we want to get it established. I expect and hope the Bill will come to the committee in this quarter. It will be significant legislation. We have a census this year...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: We have discussed this matter a number of times. I am glad the Deputy continues to highlight it. I have established the national homeless action committee, as he knows. I want standards in this area, especially private emergency accommodation, dealt with. The Deputy mentioned the DRHE's new standards for emergency accommodation, which focus on private emergency accommodation. They are an...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I do not want to take up the Deputy's time but may I mention one quick thing? It is important. I was with Mendicity every week and met people who are accessing its services. When somebody comes out of a hostel, they may unfortunately get beaten up on the street. That is the challenge but there is no question but that we can do better in certain areas. The application of standards,...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: That is a good question. We are engaging with them. I have more housing summits with local authorities the week after next. We have approved another 250 posts across the 31 local authorities for the housing delivery teams. To look at the figures for whole-time equivalents, actual staff, for 2020 - I do not have the full-year figures for 2021 - we had 29,366 staff in local authorities....

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: That funding is for retrofitting units falling within our remit, social housing. We are targeting approximately 2,400 units.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: It is particularly key in addressing the issue of fuel poverty.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: It is okay. My colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, may want to come in on some points. With regard to the URDF, work has been done in the Chairman's constituency of Wicklow, specifically Wicklow town. I have seen the work there. Public realm work has been completed in Tralee and Ennis. There are some fantastic projects there. We need to see ground being broken on those...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Chairman mentioned the Land Development Agency, LDA. Obviously, under Housing for All additional tranches of land have been handed over to the agency under its responsibility to deliver a further 15,000 homes. This year is a most important year for the LDA. We will see it delivering homes this year. We will see it breaking ground on Shanganagh Castle and the LDA proving concept being...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Chairman and all the members for their input and questions today. I thank the committee for its ongoing work and the co-operative and efficient way in which it does its business. We look forward to continuing to work in that manner right the way through 2022 for the good of our people.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (9 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I aim to bring the required primary legislation to give effect to the enhanced scheme before the Oireachtas as soon as possible with Spring 2022 being the indicative target timeline. Arrangements for the implementation of the scheme will be finalised in parallel with the development of the legislation.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (9 Feb 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. The comprehensive changes include: - The current 90% maximum grant will be increased to a 100% grant...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (9 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides funding to local authorities so as to enable them administer the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability scheme. These schemes assist eligible applicants living in privately owned homes to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. The grants available operate on a sliding scale with the highest percentage grants...