Results 13,361-13,380 of 25,880 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Emergency Accommodation (27 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 785 and 791 together. My Department's role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the statutory role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of emergency accommodation and related services for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (27 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 787 and 788 together. My Department assesses, approves and records local authority social housing delivery on a project basis, rather than on the basis of individual unit types. As Social Housing Investment Programme (SHIP) funded construction projects by local authorities must, like all publicly-funded construction programmes, comply with the Public Spending...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (27 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Increasing the supply of public, social and affordable homes is priority of this Government. The Programme for Government includes a commitment to deliver 50,000 new social homes with a focus on new build homes. This commitment was underpinned by investment of €3.3bn towards housing programmes in Budget 2021. The focus of the Government is to reduce and prevent homelessness to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (27 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not hold data on the number of vacant properties or the numbers that might be suitable for social housing. However, my Department is providing full funding support to all the local authorities for the acquisition of suitable properties for social housing use. The extent to which this is availed of by the local authorities can depend on the opportunities that exist to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (27 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Under Call 2 of the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF), a total of €32,005,146 has been provisionally allocated  for Kerry County Council's successful Call 2 projects; Destination Killarney was allocated €16,068,429 while Positioning Tralee as a Regional Economic Driver & Destination Town was allocated €15,936,717. In the coming weeks, my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (27 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department publishes a Social Housing Construction Status Report each quarter, which contains details of all social housing developments completed, under construction or at the planning and design stage in each local authority area including Kerry. The report provides details of the location of each project, the status and the number of units approved. Information on the number and type...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (27 Jul 2021)

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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Policies (27 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: A framework exists for the protection of Ireland's marine ecology, coastline and water quality through the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). It is overseen by my Department while the National MSFD Steering Group made up of my Department along with other Departments, agencies and representatives of civil society coordinates its implementation. In tandem with this, Ireland's...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (27 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing Circular 41 of 2019, issued 20 December 2019, provided local authorities with revised guidelines for the operation of the Housing Adaptation Grant for Older People and People with a Disability scheme, in respect of private houses. This circular also included a revised single application form for use by all local authorities. The new form and guidelines cover the operation of the...

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (15 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Chathaoirleach. I thank all or most Senators for their contributions this afternoon. I thank Senator Boyhan for his amendment. It is well-researched and he has put forward an argument. He has gone through it and it is based on fact unlike a couple of the other contributions that supported his amendment. I know from the Senator and from the work he has...

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (15 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I must leave the debate to attend a Cabinet sub-committee meeting.

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (15 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, is coming in.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Animal Welfare (15 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The control of live hare coursing, including the operation of individual coursing meetings and managing the use of hares for that activity, is carried out under the Greyhound Industry Act 1958, which is the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. My responsibility relates to the conservation status of the hare. While the regulation of hare...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (15 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is committed to ensuring that tenants in social housing are provided with adequate housing that meets the standards most recently laid down in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019. My Department is actively engaging with the local authority sector to promote the preventative maintenance of local authority housing stock and provides significant funding...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (15 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Details of the funding provided by my Department to each local authority in respect of the Disabled Persons Grants Scheme/Improvement Works in Lieu (DPG/IWIL) for local authority tenants in 2020 is available at the following link. www.housing.gov.ie/housing/grantsfinancial-assistance/disabl ed-persons-grants-and-improvement-works-lieu-schemes The 2021 DPG allocations issued to local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (15 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 187 and 188 together. My Department provides funding under the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability, to assist people in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. The grants include the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability, the Mobility Aids Grant and the Housing Aid...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (15 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 189, 195, 208 and 209 together. The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2021, to operate a national tenancy registration system and to facilitate the resolution of disputes between landlords and tenants. My Department does not collect the data sought, however...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (15 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015 provided for, among other things, the establishment of a tenancy deposit protection scheme to be operated by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB). The Programme for Government commits to the examination of a system of holding rental deposits and how best to achieve this is under consideration my Department. However, there have been...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Reports (15 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: A number of Departmental reports are pending publication, i.e. expected to be published in Quarter 3 2021, the details of which are set out in the following table: Title of Departmental Report Completion Due Housing for All – A New Housing Plan for Ireland July 2021 Impacts of 2018 Fires on the Biodiversity of Killarney...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Legislative Process (15 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is working on a number of Bills that are pending publication, i.e. expected to be published in Quarter 3 2021, the details of which are set out in the following table: Title of Bill Anticipated Publication Date Maritime Area Planning Bill July 2021 Building Control (Construction Industry Register Ireland) Bill...