Results 13,081-13,100 of 26,864 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

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

Darragh O'Brien: The objective of the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF) is to provide public infrastructure to relieve critical infrastructure blockages to enable the accelerated delivery of housing on key development sites in urban areas of high demand. LIHAF was designed to specifically address the issue of housing supply, a crucial factor in terms of house prices. 30 projects were...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Land Development Agency (LDA) has an immediate focus on managing the State’s owned lands to develop new homes, and regenerate under-utilised sites. In the longer-term, it will assemble strategic land banks from a mix of public and private lands, making these available for housing in a controlled manner, to bring essential long-term stability to the Irish housing market. Listed...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Tenant Purchase Schemewas reviewed in line with Programme for Government and Housing for All commitments in 2021, with amendments to these criteria subsequently approved by Government. The new regulations were published on 11 January 2022 and will come into effect from 1st February 2022. The scheme provides for the purchase by eligible tenants, or joint tenants, of local authority homes...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Maximising the use of our existing housing stock, especially in our towns and cities, is a critical element of any sustainable housing policy and Pathway 4 of Housing for All, “Addressing Vacancy and Efficient Use of Existing Stock”, is central to the overall Plan. The State, its Departments and Agencies are the owners of large amounts of property. It has already been agreed...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Social housing is a long-term support intended to support households that have continuing, long-term difficulty meeting their own accommodation needs. This is reflected in the underpinning legislation and the Household Means Policywhich provides for applicants’ eligibility to be assessed on their net average income over the previous 12 months from the date of their application. This...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Affordable Housing Act 2021, the first ever standalone affordable housing legislation, established a basis for four new affordable housing measures. These measures will deliver on the Programme for Government commitment to put affordability at the heart of the housing system and prioritise the increased supply of affordable homes through (1) delivering affordable homes on local authority...

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

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: Traveller Accommodation (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I recognise the challenges identified in the report entitled 'A Hidden Crisis: Traveller homelessness in the South West' which was commissioned by the Cork Kerry Regional Traveller Accommodation Working Group and which investigates both the causes and impact of Traveller homelessness and hidden homelessness in the Region which is a valuable contribution on the issue. The Traveller...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All makes the following commitments in relation to Skills & Capacity in housing policy objective 17: - up-to-date forecast of labour demand and supply for the construction sector implementing the policies necessary to fast-track sufficient numbers into the residential construction workforce. Such policies may include, but are not limited to: - an integrated education,...

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department launched the Energy Efficiency Retrofitting Programme in 2013 with the aim of funding retrofit of social homes requiring insulation and energy upgrade works. Since the programme commenced in 2013, over 75,000 units of local authority stock have been retrofitted with a total exchequer spend of over €183 million. The Energy Efficiency Programme was revised in 2021...

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is currently preparing the third River Basin Management Plan for Ireland, to cover the period 2022 – 2027. A key commitment in the new Programme for Government, a new revised and strengthened River Basin Management Plan will advance Ireland’s commitment to the implementation of the Water Framework Directive . Building on the work of the second-cycle, this plan...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 136 and 148 together. 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...

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department builds its strategic water policy and infrastructure delivery programmes around the National Planning Framework 2018-2040 and the National Development Plan 2018-2027. Investment is primarily delivered through Irish Water while my Department operates the Rural Water Programme directly. The Programme for Government supports the uptake of Irish Water's Small Towns and Villages...

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department received a submission from Clare County Council, dated 23 July 2021, requesting the extension of the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant scheme to County Clare. A response issued to the Council on 3 August 2021 indicating that my Department would review the submission and it also sought a detailed breakdown of costs associated with the Report. A breakdown of costs associated with...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Part 4 of the Affordable Housing Act 2021 provides the basis for the establishment of the First Homeaffordable purchase shared equity scheme. The scheme will support first-time buyers on moderate incomes to buy a new-build home, subject to price ceilings reflective of median prices. Budget 2022 allocated €44 million to my Department for First Home. The banking sector has confirmed it...

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on social housing delivery for each local authority on a quarterly basis. The statistics are available to the end of Quarter 3 2021 and show that in the first nine months of 2021, 11 new build social homes were delivered in Mayo in 2021. A detailed Social Housing Construction Status Report (CSR) is published each quarter by my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (25 Jan 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. Included as part of this enhanced scheme is a revised application process which will be introduced and...

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

Darragh O'Brien: All social housing support recipients can apply for a transfer, including from one form of support to another, for example from HAP to social housing, or from one local authority dwelling to another. The oversight and practical management of housing lists is a matter for the relevant local authority in accordance with the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated...