Results 12,221-12,240 of 25,880 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Commission on Housing is now established and held its first meeting on 12thJanuary 2022. Mr. John O’Connor has been appointed as chair of the Commission on Housing. The Commission comprises of 12 Members, including the Chair. I appointed nine members following a public campaign seeking expressions of interest in membership of the Commission and appointed a further two international...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The number of Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) and long-term leasing units at the end of Quarter 3, 2021; and the related cost to the Exchequer for each scheme, is set out in the following table: Scheme No. of  Active Tenancies/Leases Cost to the Exchequer Long-term Leasing* 3,800 ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP) supports the delivery of social housing by providing financial support to Local Authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) for the leasing of houses and apartments. The SHCEP budget funds the ongoing current costs of homes delivered using a variety of different delivery mechanisms through the Housing Leasing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (19 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 Provision (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Affordable Housing Act 2021 sets out the policy framework for how the Affordable Purchase and Cost Rental sectors operate in Ireland.  In relation to affordable purchase, Housing for All confirms the introduction of two new affordable purchase schemes. The first will see the delivery of affordable homes by local authorities. The second will see the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a flexible and immediate form of social housing support for people with a long-term housing need. Any household assessed by their local authority as eligible for social housing is immediately eligible for HAP. These households must find their own accommodation in the private rental sector. The HAP scheme started in 2014. At the end of Quarter 3 2021,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Septic Tanks (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 559 and 560 together. Section 70K of the Water Services Act 2007 (as amended) requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to prepare a national inspection plan with regard to the inspection and monitoring of domestic waste water treatment systems, and authorises the water authorities to implement the plan including arranging for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Septic Tanks (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Under the Water Services Acts 2007 and 2012 (Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems) Regulations 2012, the owner of a domestic waste water treatment system is responsible for its maintenance and renewal and shall ensure that its parts and components are fit for purpose, operational where appropriate and kept in good order and repair so as to prevent a risk to human health or the environment....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All recognises that reducing and preventing homelessness is a top priority for the Government. The Plan also recognises the criticality of the interagency supports required to address the complex combination of social, health and economic needs of homeless persons and those at risk of homelessness, in addition to their specific housing need. In that context, Housing for All...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing First enables homeless individuals with high levels of complex needs to obtain permanent secure accommodation with the provision of intensive housing and health supports to help them maintain their tenancies. The first National Implementation Plan for Housing First, published in September 2018, which put the programme on a national footing, was designed to provide this response, by...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015 provided for, among other things, the establishment of a tenancy deposit protection scheme to be operated by the Residential Tenancies Board. However, there have been significant changes in the rental market since the 2015 scheme was first envisaged and designed. For example, the 2015 scheme was intended to be financed by the interest payable on...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: 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 and safety of gas, oil and electrical supplies. All landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that their rented properties comply with these regulations. Responsibility for the enforcement of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: 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-hou sing-provision/. Details on the size of the units delivered are not...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Supporting individuals and families facing homelessness is a key Government priority. Housing for All details how the Government is approaching this challenge, and includes a commitment to develop a Youth Homelessness Strategy.  Preparing this strategy will involve co-operation and co-ordination between myself and my colleague the Minister for Children, Equality,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Public Private Partnerships (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Building on the successful model of social housing Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) introduced in recent years, which will deliver in the region of 1,500 social homes across 3 bundles nationally, my Department will increase the use of PPPs to deliver social housing under Housing for All.   The PPP model provides a delivery structure whereby social housing units remain in State...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: 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 home and who have very limited options, if any, to meet...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The objective of the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF) is to provide public off-site infrastructure to relieve critical infrastructure blockages. This enables the accelerated delivery of housing on key development sites in Dublin and in urban areas of high demand. LIHAF is designed to specifically address the issue of housing supply, a crucial factor in terms of moderating...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Specific allocations of funding are not made to local authorities for land; they make their own decisions regarding land acquisition in line with their needs across a range of purposes and they do not present all proposals for the acquisition of new land in advance to my Department.  When land is used for the construction of new social housing, my Department provides full...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Dublin Housing Delivery Group (DHDG) was established in June 2021 to co-ordinate and drive delivery of social and affordable housing in the four Dublin local Authorities.   Membership of the DHDG includes the Chief Executive of the four Dublin Local Authorities, the Chief Executive of Housing Agency (HA), programme co-ordinators from the Housing Delivery Co-Ordination Office (HDCO)...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All – a new Housing Plan for Ireland includes an action to provide for default conciliation as part of the disupte resolution process within the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) and my Department is currently working to amend the Residential Tenancies Acts to provide for this process under Part 6 of the Acts. The Government recognises that it is in the...