Results 12,881-12,900 of 26,864 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: 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...

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

Darragh O'Brien: As set out in Housing for All, this Government is committed to supporting 54,000 new affordable homes by 2030, of which 36,000 will be for purchase. The Affordable Housing Act 2021 provides for two new affordable purchase schemes, which will both be targeted at moderate-income households constrained by the maximum mortgage and deposit available to them. The Local Authority Affordable...

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

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: Housing Schemes (8 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 293 and 294 together. The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Schemeis open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the Scheme. The Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 provides that the Minister may set out a minimum income required to purchase under the scheme. The minimum income requirement...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (8 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Pursuant to section 94 of the the Planning and Development Act 2000, each planning authority is required to include a housing strategy in respect of the area of its development plan. In relation to the Housing Needs Demand Assessment (HNDA), objective 37 of the National Planning Framework requires each local authority to carry out a HNDA in order to correlate and accurately align overall...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (8 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All, the Government's housing plan for Ireland, sets out four pathways to a sustainable housing system. A key objective is that everyone in the State should have access to a home to purchase or rent at an affordable price, built to a high standard and in the right place, offering a high quality of life. Housing for Allrecognises that particular challenges arise for facilitating...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (8 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Planning and Development (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2018, which came into operation on 8 February 2018, provide for an exemption from the requirement to obtain planning permission in respect of the change of use of certain vacant commercial premises to residential use, including the conversion of vacant areas above ground floor commercial premises to residential use. This measure was...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (8 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All (published in September 2021) provides a new housing plan for Ireland to 2030 with the overall objective that every citizen in the State should have access to good quality homes through a steady supply of housing in the right locations, with economic, social and environmental sustainability built into the system. The strategy sets out, over four pathways, a broad suite of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (8 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: In April 2018, a Working Group was established to conduct a review of the wider investment needs relating to rural water services. The Group's aim is to recommend measures to ensure an equality of outcome between those who receive water services from Irish Water and non-Irish Water customers. The terms of reference of the review provide for a two-strand approach. Strand 1 is considering...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Contracts (8 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The reply to Question No. 82 of 26 January 2022 set out the position as regards contracts granted in relation to Covid-19 by my Department since the beginning of the pandemic. None of these were consultancy contracts. My Department does not maintain the requested information in respect of the State bodies under its aegis. These State bodies may be contacted directly by e-mail by members of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (8 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme was reviewed in 2021 in line with Programme for Government and Housing for All commitments. The amendments, which came into effect on 1st February 2022, include a reduction in the minimum reckonable income required to be eligible under the scheme from €15,000 to €12,500. This means older tenants, whose only income might be the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (8 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 307, 317, 318 and 329 together. The Programme for Government sets out a number of commitments in respect of the important policy area addressing building defects. It commits to an examination of defects in housing, having regard to the recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing’s report, "Safe as Houses ?". Housing for All, the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Official Travel (8 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: St Patrick's Day presents an invaluable opportunity to promote Ireland's interests with political, business and community leaders as well as to deepen the political, economic and cultural links between Ireland and other nations. The Government is in the process of finalising the programme to mark St Patrick’s Day around the world. This will include a programme of visits by...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (8 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 310 and 311 together. Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) are independent, not-for-profit organisations providing affordable rented housing for people who cannot provide housing from their own means and for particular groups, such as older people or homeless people. AHBs also include housing co-operatives, which are housing organisations controlled by their...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (8 Feb 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The development at Woodpark, Ballinteer known as St Anne's was funded through the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS); this funding supports priority areas such as age-friendly housing, accommodation for individuals and families who are homeless and housing for people with a disability. The CAS Scheme at St Anne's was built to provide accommodation for older people. A 30-year loan in the sum of...