Results 13,221-13,240 of 26,864 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (19 Jan 2022)

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: Local Authorities (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Specific allocations of funding are not made to local authorities for land; they make their own decisions regarding land acquisition in line with their needs across a range of purposes and they do not present all proposals for the acquisition of new land in advance to my Department.  When land is used for the construction of new social housing, my Department provides full...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Dublin Housing Delivery Group (DHDG) was established in June 2021 to co-ordinate and drive delivery of social and affordable housing in the four Dublin local Authorities.   Membership of the DHDG includes the Chief Executive of the four Dublin Local Authorities, the Chief Executive of Housing Agency (HA), programme co-ordinators from the Housing Delivery Co-Ordination Office (HDCO)...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All – a new Housing Plan for Ireland includes an action to provide for default conciliation as part of the disupte resolution process within the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) and my Department is currently working to amend the Residential Tenancies Acts to provide for this process under Part 6 of the Acts. The Government recognises that it is in the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The primary focus of the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) is on supporting projects that will contribute to compact growth and that will improve the liveability of our cities and towns.   To date there have been two calls for proposals under the URDF, the first in July 2018 and the second in January 2020.  Both calls were advertised widely, and the circulars for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Regeneration Projects (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Following on from reviews of the conditions of its older flat complexes and based on the need to modernise and bring the living conditions up to acceptable levels and as part of its climate action plans, Dublin City Council (DCC) has advised my Department that they are developing a long term strategy for the redevelopment and/or refurbishment of many of these...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on all social housing delivery activity. This data is available to the end of Q3 2021 and is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provis ion/.  In relation to affordable homes for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 583, 584 and 585 together. Donegal and Mayo County Council have responsibility for the administration of the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant scheme. This includes the assessment of applications for eligibility and payment of grants to successful applicants under the specific remediation option approved. Applications can continue to be made to local authorities...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Coastal Erosion (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Further to the Question No. 452 of 19 October 2021, the Steering Group has not met but is expected to meet in the coming weeks.  Rather than convene a full meeting, to assist and support the work of the group, my Department and the OPW have engaged in a series of bilateral meetings in the interim with relevant Departments and key stakeholders. These bilateral meetings have provided...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Child Safety (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at the local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities with...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities are independent in the exercise of their functions and, as such, 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. Lone parents are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Stations (19 Jan 2022)

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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 introduced the Rent Predictability Measure to moderate rent increases in those parts of the country where rents are highest and rising fastest. The Residential Tenancies (No. 2) Act 2021 introduced measures in July 2021 to extend the operation of Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) until the end of 2024. The Act also provides...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: In respect of homeless accommodation supports, determining whether a person is homeless is a matter for the relevant local authority under the Housing Act 1988.  The Act allows local authorities to provide an immediate response to ensure households are provided with the accommodation and supports required - the ultimate aim being to work with households to exit homelessness in the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme provides for the purchase by eligible tenants, or joint tenants, of local authority homes available for sale under the scheme. Applicants must meet certain minimum criteria, including minimum reckonable income and minimum time in receipt of social housing supports, to be eligible.   The scheme was reviewed in line with Programme for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) are making an important contribution to social housing delivery, as envisaged under current Government policy.  My Department operates a number of funding programmes that assist local authorities to work in partnership with AHBs to construct, purchase and lease new homes and make them available for social housing. One such programme that AHBs progress...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Public Sector Staff (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 604, 605 and 606 together. Under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he or she is responsible. My Department oversees workforce planning for the local government sector, including the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (19 Jan 2022)

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 national standards, providing a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: To date there have been two calls for proposals under the Urban Regeneration Development Fund  (URDF), the first in July 2018 and the second in January 2020.  Galway City Council submitted five applications under Call 2 of the URDF, three of which were successful, attracting a combined total €53,239,000 in URDF support.  This Call 2 URDF funding is in addition...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (19 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I am committed to working collaboratively with my colleague the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to improve student accommodation provision through a dedicated working group set up for that purpose.  I believe that Housing for All : A New Housing Plan for Ireland will transform every aspect of our housing including the area of student...