Results 13,061-13,080 of 25,880 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (28 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 142 and 160 together. 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". In this context, I established a working group to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (28 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing for All Strategy delivers on the Programme for Government commitment to put affordability at the heart of the housing system. It is the largest State-led building programme in our history, backed up by an unprecedented financial commitment in excess of €4bn per annum. Over 300,000 new homes will be built by the end of 2030, including a projected 90,000 social homes, 36,000...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: House Prices (28 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing supply has been impacted by Covid-19. The periods of lockdown since early 2020 have reduced construction activity and placed limitations on the ability to conduct normal sales activity, and this has impacted on house prices. The considerable growth in household savings, related to the public health restrictions which reduced consumption, also seems likely to be contributing to recent...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (28 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Government’s commitment to increase the supply of public housing was underpinned in Budget 2021, which provided €3.3 billion to deliver housing programmes this year. This funding will support social and affordable housing delivery, along with the implementation of a broad range of programmes providing targeted support to meet housing need. The recently published Housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (28 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government provides for a package of social housing reforms, including the introduction of a social housing passport to allow households move from one local authority list to another. It should be noted that the four Dublin local authorities already co-operate in arrangements that enable social housing applicants to apply for housing in one or two of the other Dublin...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (28 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 155, 175 and 349 together. The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme came into operation on 1 January 2016. The Scheme is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the Scheme. To be eligible, tenants must meet certain criteria, including having a minimum reckonable income of €15,000...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (28 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Changes in relation to building material costs are monitored and recorded by the Central Statistics Office (Wholesale Price Index for Building & Construction Materials). The cost and supply issues that have arisen for basic building materials such as steel, timber, concrete and plastics are also occurring internationally. They appear to result from a range of contributory factors...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (28 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Applications for social housing support are assessed by the relevant local authority, in accordance with the eligibility and need criteria set down in section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended. Regulation 12 of the 2011 Regulations prescribes the timescales for the processing of applications by...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (28 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Under Action 4.12 of Housing for All, in the period to December 2021 local authorities will be preparing Housing Action Delivery Plans to include social and affordable housing where necessary (affordable purchase and cost rental). This will allow each Local Authority to determine the affordability constraint in their area based on the Housing Need and Demand Assessment. Over the period...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (28 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Under Action 4.12 of Housing for All, in the period to December 2021 local authorities will be preparing Housing Action Delivery Plans to include social and affordable housing where necessary (affordable purchase and cost rental). This will allow each Local Authority to determine the affordability constraint in their area based on the Housing Need and Demand Assessment. The Housing for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (28 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Land Development Agency (LDA) was established on an interim basis in September 2018, by way of an Establishment Order made under the Local Government Services (Corporate Bodies) Act 1971. The Land Development Agency Act was recently signed in law and, on enactment, the LDA will be established as a commercial State agency. There is ongoing engagement between the LDA and my Department in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (28 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: As part of Housing for All, I announced that a reformed successor to the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan Scheme, the 'Local Authority Home Loan', will be in place later in 2021. The Local Authority Home Loan will include an increase in the income ceiling for single applicants, thus increasing the number of people eligible for a mortgage. I have already implemented a reduction of the mortgage...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (28 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: In response to concerns being raised by homeowners in relation to the Defective Concrete Block grant scheme, I established a time-bound working group, with representatives from my Department, the local authorities and homeowner representative groups who are tasked with reviewing the operation of the scheme and providing a report with recommendations by 31st July. Included within the terms of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (28 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not hold or collate the information referred to in the Question. The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) which was established as an independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2021, operates a national tenancy registration system and to facilitate the resolution of disputes between landlords and tenants. The Clerk of the Dáil...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (28 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides both capital and current funding to local authorities across a range of funding initiatives to assist them in providing homes for families and individuals on their social housing waiting lists. To provide transparency on the new social housing projects being advanced, each quarter my Department publishes a Social Housing Construction Status Report and updated Social...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (28 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department has informed councils requesting admittance to the scheme that before any extension of the scheme can be considered, the same rigorous analysis as that put in place prior to the rollout of the scheme to the counties of Donegal and Mayo would have to be undertaken. Local authorities should endeavour to determine, using the IS: 465 protocol now in place, that issues arising...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (28 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: While my Department is focused on ensuring that existing housing stock is utilised to its fullest extent, the management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, responsive repairs and implementing planned maintenance programmes, is a matter for each individual local authority, in line with Section 28 of the Housing (Miscellaneous...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (28 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government has set out a clear commitment to ensure that everybody should have access to sustainable good quality housing to purchase or to rent at an affordable price and built to a high standard. The recently published 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,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (28 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Local Authorities have a range of legislative powers available to them to deal with under-utilised and derelict properties in their functional areas, for example, through the compulsory purchase powers and under Derelict Sites and Housing legislation. I encourage Local Authorities to adopt a proactive approach in utilising their available legislative powers for compulsory purchase, where...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Nitrates Usage (28 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Clean and well-protected water is important for the continuing success of Ireland’s society and economy. Protecting and restoring water quality in Ireland requires, among other actions, robust measures to address the loss of agricultural nutrients into our rivers, lakes and groundwater. My Department works closely with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on...