Results 12,101-12,120 of 25,858 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Quality (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Primary responsibility for the monitoring, management, protection and improvement of water quality is assigned to local authorities under the Local Government (Water Pollution) Acts and related legislation. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through its Office of Environmental Enforcement, exercises general supervision in relation to the performance of these functions by local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Under Housing for All, each local authority was required to prepare a Housing Delivery Action Plan, setting out details of social and housing affordable delivery in the period 2022-2026. This includes information on the locations where housing will be delivered in addition to information on the planned the delivery streams. All local authorities submitted their Plan to me in December...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I refer to the reply to Question No. 508 of 19 January 2022 which sets out the current position on this matter for all local authorities including Galway City Council and Galway County Council.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I refer to the reply to Question No. 146 on today's Order Paper.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Health Service Executive (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I am very aware of these properties in Portrane and my Department is in on-going discussions with Fingal County Council regarding the redevelopment of these derelict units to social housing; significant refurbishment works are necessary to bring them up to the required standard. My Department is open to funding these works, however, as the properties are in the ownership of the HSE,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Mortgage to Rent (MTR) scheme introduced in 2012 is targeted at supporting households in mortgage arrears who have had their mortgage position deemed unsustainable by their lender under the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (MARP); agree to the voluntary surrender of their home and are deemed eligible for social housing support. The property in question must also meet certain...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 303 and 304 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. In this regard, the assignment of local authority staff to a particular function, such as the delivery...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Expenditure (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The table below sets out the Gross allocation and expenditure for my Department (Vote 34) in 2021. €000 Original REV allocation 5,118,437 Supplementary 198,915 Total REV allocation 2021 5,317,352 Deferred Surrender Capital Carryover 2020 214,000 Total...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Emergency Accommodation (25 Jan 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 the local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities, with...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not have a budget line for schemes specifically focussed on matters around gender based violence, however, some funding is provided towards domestic violence shelters under the Homelessness programme. The primary purpose of homeless current funding is for local authorities to provide accommodation for those who are unable to provide accommodation from their own resources....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The full year exchequer expenditure for the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) and Leasing schemes for 2021 is set out in the following table:- Scheme 2021 Exchequer Expenditure (€m.) Leasing 106.7* HAP 541.7 RAS 122.0 * includes LA Direct, AHB Leasing,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Horticulture Sector (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Working Group on the Use of Peat Moss in the Horticultural Industry was established following a series of High Court decisions which determined that large-scale peat harvesting requires planning permission and licensing by the Environmental Protection Agency. The Working Group was tasked in particular with examining the potential of alternatives to peat for the horticultural industry....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I refer to the reply to Question No. 508 of 19 January 2022 which sets out the current position on this matter. In addition, the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Initiative will be delivered by local authorities for the provision of serviced sites for housing, to attract people to build their own homes and to support the refurbishment of vacant properties, enabling people to live in small...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Parks and Wildlife Service (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Lough Hyne is protected as a designated Statutory Nature Reserve, and also as a designated Special Area of Conservation. The “within site” activities identified as having the potential to negatively impact on Lough Hyne are governed by the Lough Hyne Regulations (S.I. No. 207 of 1981) and include the regulation of activities such as limited traditional fishing, removal of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 313 and 314 together. My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on all social housing delivery activity. This data is available to the end of Q3 2021 and is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provis ion/. A...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (25 Jan 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 qualified for social housing support across the country whose social housing need has not yet been met and helps better inform policy and plan for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme plays a vital role in housing eligible families and individuals. At the end of Q3 2021, 97,600 HAP tenancies had been set-up since the scheme commenced, of which there were more than 62,300 households actively in receipt of HAP support and over 33,600 separate landlords and agents providing accommodation to households supported by the scheme. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing for All strategy is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. The annual targets include the delivery of 88,400 new social homes and 53,800 new affordable homes in the period 2022-2030. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4bn per annum, through an overall combination...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for Allis the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. Over 300,000 new homes will be built by the end of 2030, including a projected 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost rental homes. The Plan is backed by historic levels of investment with in excess of €20bn through the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (25 Jan 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 aliathe efficiency of the current banding model and income limits applicable to local authorities, was completed in Q4, 2021. I expect to make a decision...