Results 13,121-13,140 of 25,880 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

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 Schemes (28 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Details in relation to the number of approved applicants for adaptation works by local authority for the years in question are not collated by my Department. This information may be available directly from the local authorities. However, details of the grants paid for all local authorities up to 2020, are available on my Department's website at the following link:...

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

Darragh O'Brien: In respect of the Disabled Persons Grants (DPG) Scheme (LA Tenants), all local authorities were asked to submit details of their work proposals and related funding requirements for 2021 earlier this year. These work proposals were evaluated and the 2021 DPG allocations issued to local authorities in May whereby all works that could be completed in 2021 were approved. Details of which can be...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Stations (28 Sep 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 Acts, 1981 and 2003. My Department supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central...

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

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: Housing Policy (28 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Details on Part V social housing delivery for each local authority are included in social housing statistics published by my Department. This data is available to the end of Quarter 2 2021 and is available on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/fd048-affordable-housing-and-part-v -statistics/. The table below, sets out an...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The newly revised ten year Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme launched in 2021 is designed around the Programme for Government commitment to retrofit 500,000 homes to a B2/Cost Optimal BER standard by 2030, of which approximately 36,500 of those homes are expected to be local authority homes. A target of 2,400 social homes for upgrade works has been set for 2021, 750 of which relate...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Pollution (23 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Ballymore Eustace Plant provides a water supply to the areas of Dublin City Council, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown and North Kildare. In a letter to my Department last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) outlined two serious incidents in recent weeks that occurred in drinking water plants serving parts of Dublin City and surrounding areas (the Ballymore Eustace water treatment...

Residential Tenancies (Tenants' Rights) Bill 2021: Second Stage [Private Members] (22 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: There are different approaches in other jurisdictions. All these elements serve to improve the sector but all of us know that increased supply is crucial because the market is constrained. We must also continue to push the cost rental model, which I know the Labour Party supports and supported when it was last in government. I thank the Deputies for the legislation. I have tried to...

Residential Tenancies (Tenants' Rights) Bill 2021: Second Stage [Private Members] (22 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank Deputy Bacik for introducing the Private Members' Bill. It is her first Bill since she was elected in the by-election and I congratulate her on it. I thank her for bringing it forward. It gives me an opportunity to reflect on a number of the issues that have been touched on during this morning's debate. Everyone can agree there is a need to ensure the residential sector is an...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Cybersecurity Policy (22 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department recognises fully that security of its IT infrastructure is key in ensuring the safety and integrity of its systems, files and data. This is achieved through a combination of staff training, security policies and processes and appropriate technological solutions that include security monitoring. For security reasons, my Department does not comment on specific details of its IT...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Flexible Work Practices (22 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is currently working in line with Government COVID-19 guidance, which provides for home working to continue where possible. The vast majority of staff of my Department have worked remotely since the end of March 2020. These staff are continuing to work from home; however, a staggered return to workplaces under ongoing public health restrictions has commenced from 20 September,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation (22 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 64 to 66, inclusive, together. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and associated services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities. My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the primary role...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (22 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The social housing project referred to in the question is being advanced by Mayo County Council with funding support from my Department under the Social Housing Capital Investment Programme. While my Department had provided post-tender (Stage 4) approval for the project to advance to construction, the Council has now advised that it needs to be re-tendered arising from difficulties with...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (22 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Responsibility for the independent economic regulation of the water sector is assigned to the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, or CRU. Water charging policy is based on actual metered consumption, consistent with the requirements of the Water Framework Directive. Under the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 Irish Water is required to collect charges, where relevant, from its customers in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (21 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 248 and 249 together. Since the introduction of the Buy and Renew Scheme, approximately 700 properties have been acquired by local authorities nationally for social housing use, with the estimated cost to deliver these home being c.€135m. In respect of the four Dublin local authority areas, expenditure has been c.€31m to date in respect of 118...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (21 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Data on delivery under the repair and lease scheme in respect of all local authorities to end Q1 2021, and costs to end 2020, is published on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provis ion/#repair-and-leasing-scheme-rls The maximum cost of repairs allowable under this scheme was increased from €40,000...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (21 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Data on delivery and costs under the repair and lease scheme, in respect of all local authorities to end Q1 2021 is published on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provis ion/#repair-and-leasing-scheme-rls To end Q1 2021, 31 properties have been delivered under this scheme in the four Dublin local authorities. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (21 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 252, 307 and 308 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: Local Authorities (21 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 259 and 303 together. Funding of €75 million is available nationally in 2021 for the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability Scheme. This funding has increased year on year since 2014. As part of the annual budgetary process, consideration will be given to this funding in future years in line with the Programme for...