Results 13,441-13,460 of 25,880 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (13 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: 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 monitoring of local government sector employment levels. To this...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (13 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS) was developed to assist private property owners and local authorities or approved housing bodies (AHBs) to harness the accommodation potential that exists in vacant dwellings across Ireland. Subject to the suitability of the dwelling for social housing, the cost of the necessary repairs will be met upfront by the local authority or an AHB with the cost...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (13 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: 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.A dispute may be referred to the RTB under Part 6 of the Acts - please see www.rtb.ie for information on the RTB's dispute...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (13 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 338, 340 and 341 together. With effect from 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels for public water services, including the delivery of water services capital infrastructure, encompassing the management of urban waste water collection and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (13 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: With effect from 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels for public water services, including the delivery of water services capital infrastructure, encompassing the management of urban waste water collection and treatment infrastructure. In terms of the construction of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (13 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The cracking of external walls of dwellings in Donegal and Mayo, due to the crumbling of concrete blockwork, came to light in 2013. An Expert Panel was established in 2016 to investigate the matter. It was chaired by Mr. Denis McCarthy and it included representatives nominated by the National Standards Authority of Ireland, Association of Consulting Engineers of Ireland, and the Institute of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (13 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 343 and 345 together. My Department received correspondence from Clare County Council in October 2020, requesting the extension of the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant scheme to County Clare. A comprehensive reply was subsequently issued to the Council in November 2020. My Department informed the Council that before any extension of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (13 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 344, 346 and 347 together. Donegal and Mayo are currently the only local authority areas within the scope of the Defective Concrete Blocks grant scheme.  The proposed LPT exemption being formulated by the Department of Finance is intended to only apply to  homes which have received a Stage 1 approval – Confirmation of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Registration of Title (13 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 352 to 354, inclusive, together. The following figures represent the number of staff working in the Property Registration Authority, the statutory body responsible for controlling and managing both the Land Registry and the Registry of Deeds.   Year  Headcount Full-Time Equivalents  2016 526 ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Registration of Title (13 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: In relation to any specific cases with the Property Registration Authority (PRA), arrangements have been put in place to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas.  Further information in relation to the specific case referred to may be obtained by contacting the dedicated e-mail address in respect of the PRA at reps@prai.ie.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (13 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I assume that the Question is referring to Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs). Under Section 6 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992, housing authorities may provide assistance to bodies approved for the provision and management of housing accommodation. There are currently 470 bodies with approved status. The register of AHBs can be found on the following...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (13 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The local authority has responsibility for the detailed 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.  Where a local authority has approved a homeowner for grant assistance under the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (13 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020 provided that arent increase was not permitted to take effect during, or in respect of any part of, the period from 27 March 2020 to 1 August 2020. From 1 August 2020, the blanket ban on rent increases taking effect inside or outside of a Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ) was lifted for all, apart from the most vulnerable tenants. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Legal Cases (13 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (13 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The focus of the Government is on preventing homelessness to the greatest extent possible.  Budget 2021 reflects this commitment, with funding of €218m this year for homeless services provided by local authorities.A significant portion of expenditure incurred by housing authorities goes towards initiatives aimed at preventing households entering emergency...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Environmental Policy (13 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The provision of a fire service and the assessment of the requirements arising, including the nature of the fire hazards and the probable incidence and extent of fires, in its functional area is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under Section 10 of the Fire Services Act 1981.  Despite the best efforts of communities, wildland fires can occur in certain...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (13 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: To date, a total of 62 leasing projects have been approved by my Department in 2021 under the Long Term Leasing and Enhanced Leasing Schemes. These 62 projects have approval for the delivery of 783 dwellings under long term lease agreements and 135 dwellings under Part V lease agreements. A breakdown of these approvals by local authority, detailing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (13 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks in Construction (Remediation) (Financial Assistance) Regulations 2020 provide for a grant scheme of financial assistance to support affected homeowners in the counties of Donegal and Mayo only, to carry out the necessary remediation works to dwellings that have been damaged due to the use of defective concrete...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (12 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Senators. As the Chair has outlined, I am just reporting on amendments made in the Dáil. Amendments Nos. 1, 2 and 3 relate to section 6 of the Bill, which allows local authorities to enter arrangements with specific bodies for the provision of affordable homes. I previously accepted a Seanad amendment to subsection 6(4) to refer to the long-term sustainability of diverse...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (12 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: No, we have a fair bit to get through. I appreciate that everyone is working on this co-operatively throughout. I might just come back in my closing remarks.