Results 12,261-12,280 of 25,880 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (16 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department funds Irish Water through the annual estimates and budgetary process and are published in the Revised Estimates each year. In turn, funding for Irish Water is set within the framework of the Programme for Government, the National Development Plan 2021-2030 under Project Ireland 2040, the Water Services Policy Statement 2018-2025 and funding determinations by its independent...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (16 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government sets out a number of commitments in respect of the important policy area of building defects and provides for an examination of defects in housing, having regard to the recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing report, "Safe as Houses". These commitments are further supported by actions contained in Housing For All. In this context, I...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (16 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I brought a Memorandum on an enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme to Government on the 30 November 2021 and it included an unprecedented suite of improvements to the current scheme. Government approved the enchanced 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: Defective Building Materials (16 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I brought a Memorandum to Government on 30 November 2021, setting out proposals for improvements to the existing Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme. Included as part of these improvements, I, as Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, may, with Government approval, extend the scheme beyond the counties of Donegal and Mayo to additional counties, where the evidence supports...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Regeneration Projects (16 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) was launched in 2018 to support more compact and sustainable development. The Fund is providing part-funding for projects that will enable a greater proportion of residential and mixed-use development to be delivered within the existing built-up footprints of our cities and large towns, while also ensuring that more parts of our urban areas...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Supply (16 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputy is referring to funding under the current Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme. The table at the following link sets out project progress status, amount of funding recouped by my Department and the projected completion date by year, as estimated by Mayo County Council, for schemes/projects within their functional area under the current 2019-2021 cycle of the Programme. GWS(Group...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Supply (16 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The locations named in the details supplied are not included as part of any Community Water Connections project listed for funding in the current Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme 2019-2021. The Rural Water Working Group appointed by my Department is currently considering the scope of the upcoming Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme 2022-2024. I expect to receive a submission based on...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (16 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The minimum standards for rental accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 and 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 installations. The regulations apply to all private rented...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (16 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a flexible and immediate housing support that is available to all eligible households throughout the State. At the end of Q3 2021 there were more than 62,000 households in receipt of HAP and over 33,600 separate landlords and agents providing accommodation to households supported by the scheme. In respect of the provision of HAP funding, Limerick City...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (16 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I understand the Deputy has submitted a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2014 in relation to the data requested to my Department. My Department is processing this request and a response will issue in acccordance with the legislation.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (16 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Mortgage to Rent (MTR) scheme was introduced for local authority borrowers initially as a pilot in 2013, and has been in place nationally since 2014. Under the scheme, a local authority can acquire ownership of properties with unsustainable local authority mortgages, thus enabling the household to remain in their home as social housing tenants. From its inception in 2013 to end 2020, the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: State Bodies (16 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The State bodies under the aegis of my Department are as set out in tabular form below, together with the dedicated contact e-mail address for members of the Houses of the Oireachtas for each such body. State Body Contact E-mail Address An Bord Pleanála oireachtasqueries@pleanala.ie An Fóram Uisce (the Water Forum) ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Environmental Schemes (16 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: In February 2021 my Department asked each local authority to identify a decarbonising zone and to provide a broad outline of the main projects that could be implemented in the decarbonising zone plus an indication of potential outcomes in terms of reductions in carbon emissions. These zones are to act as pilot projects for decarbonisation measures that will be applied more widely to achieve...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (16 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 326 to 330, inclusive, together. The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2021, to operate a national tenancy registration system and to facilitate the resolution of disputes between landlords and tenants. My Department does not collect the data sought, however...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (16 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I refer to the reply to Question No. 436 of 8 September 2020 regarding the funding provided by my Department to the Sue Ryder Foundation. The funding details in the previous reply related to funding provided to the approved housing body (AHB) through individual local authorities. Funding is provided by my Department directly to local authorities, who in turn, advance the funding to AHBs,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (16 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All commits to the provision of 18,000 Cost Rental homes to 2030, an average of 2,000 per year. These will be delivered in our urban centres where affordability issues arise. They will be provided by Affordable Housing Bodies (AHBs) through Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL) funding, by Local Authorities through the Affordable Housing Fund and by the Land Development Agency (LDA) on...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (16 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I brought a Memorandum on an enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme to Government on the 30 November 2021 and 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: Departmental Reports (16 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Details of reports that are pending publication for my Department are set out in the following table. Title of Departmental Report Publication Due Sceilg Mhichíl Management Plan Q4 2021 Housing First National Implementation Plan 2022-2026 Q4 2021 National Policy on Architecture Q1 2022 ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (16 Dec 2021)

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 Act, 1981. My Department supports fire authorities through setting general policy and progressing legislation,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (16 Dec 2021)

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 Act, 1981. My Department supports fire authorities through setting general policy and progressing legislation,...