Results 13,821-13,840 of 25,880 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I cannot accept amendment No. 190 because its purpose is to delete subsection 57(3). As I have explained, this provision is necessary for technical reasons because, without it, lands owned by the Land Development Agency, LDA, would be considered relevant public lands and would confuse matters within this legislation. Basically, that means the LDA would be offering itself back the land it...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Ba mhaith liom fíorbhuíochas a ghabháil leis an gCathaoirleach agus le gach Teachta atá ar an gcoiste as an tsárobair a rinne siad. Ba dhíospóireacht úsáideach agus thábhachtach é. Táim ag súil go mór lenár n-obair bhreise a dhéanamh sa Dáil. I wish to thank the members of the committee for their work and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (16 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 110 and 122 together. 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. If a household meets the eligibility and need...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Construction Industry (16 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the very stressful circumstances which the owners and residents of buildings face when defects occur in their homes. I believe that the ongoing building control reform agenda, with its many initiatives, already provides a comprehensive roadmap for embedding a culture of real compliance within the construction industry. The reform agenda includes: -...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (16 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The pyrite remediation scheme is a scheme of “last resort” applicable to dwellings, which are subject to significant damage attributable to pyritic heave. The full conditions for eligibility under the Scheme are available on the Pyrite Board’s website at www.pyriteboard.ie. €20m was provided under Budget 2021 to cover the implementation of the pyrite...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Real Estate Investment Trusts (16 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 117 and 118 together. My Department does not collect data in relation to the ownership or construction of individual housing units purchased and sold in the housing market. I understand that data published by market commentators indicates that approximately 15,500 units were owned by investment trusts at the end of 2020, making up less than 1% of over 2...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (16 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: In accordance with the provisions of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) 2009, local authorities are responsible for the management and of housing stock in their ownership and my Department does not hold the details requested by the Deputy. Statistics relating to social housing stock have been published by the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) in their Performance Indicator...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (16 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: While the Government’s objective is to focus strongly on local authority led build activity, long term leasing is an important option available to local authorities to supplement delivery and secure high quality social housing on a long term basis. The social housing leasing programme, which began in 2009, allows local authorities and approved housing bodies to lease suitable...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (16 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: All social housing projects, like all publicly funded construction projects, must comply with the Government’s Public Spending Code and Capital Works Management Framework and therefore require prior approval by my Department. The table below provides data on social housing projects under €6 million submitted by local authorities under the Single Stage approval process. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (16 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) has not been discontinued and remains a significant part of the suite of social housing options currently available across the country. It has been an important contributor to social housing supply since its introduction on a pilot basis in 2005 and continues to be delivered by all local authorities, who source accommodation from the private market and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (16 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 specify requirements in relation to a range of matters, such as structural repair, sanitary facilities, heating, ventilation, natural light and safety of gas, oil and electrical supplies. With very limited exemptions, these apply to all private rented accommodation. All landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that their rented...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Budgets (16 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department's Appropriation Accounts which are published by the Comptroller and Auditor General set out the full details of expenditure for the relevant years and can be found at by clicking on "Appropriation Accounts". Summary details of the Allocations and Final outturn of expenditure for the years 2017-2020 are set out below: Vote 34 - DHLGH REV Allocation ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Electric Vehicles (16 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The information requested by the Deputy in respect of my Department is set out in the following table. Year Electric Vehicles Purchased Hybrid Vehicles Purchased 2020 2 0 2021 0 0

Pyrite and Mica Redress Issues: Motion [Private Members] (15 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Ba mhaith liom mo chuid ama a roinnt leis an Teachta Calleary. I welcome this important debate. Decent people who bought a house in good faith, in which to live and raise their family in their local community, have found themselves in an impossible situation through no fault of their own. Crumbling walls have turned bright dreams into darkness. Mica is a blight on these communities and it...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 549 and 550 together. Changes in relation to building material costs are monitored and recorded by the Central Statistics Office (Wholesale Price Index for Building & Construction Materials). Issues relating to increases in construction costs generally and measures to address such issues, are matters for the Minister for Public Expenditure and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: State Properties (15 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: While the State Property Act 1954 is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, I understand that the Minister has approved the granting of a State Property Lease pursuant to that Act to this club for a term of 35 years. The Chief State Solicitors Office and legal representatives acting on behalf of the club are currently finalising the conveyancing and legal...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Both the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan website and call centre are managed by the Housing Agency. Due to remote working, phone contact through the call centre is currently suspended. However the website chat function is available. The Housing Agency has advised that under GDPR the user must activate the Zendesk permissions offered in order to initiate this chat function. Visitors to the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (15 Jun 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. Since 2004, the RTB has replaced the courts in dealing with the majority of disputes between landlords and tenants through its Dispute...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Despite the challenges faced throughout 2020 due to the Covid emergency measures, local authorities and the Housing Assistance Payment Shared Service Centre (HAP SSC) have continued to provide a critical service to all HAP customers. This is evident in the high number of HAP tenancies that have continued to be set-up. Measures that were required to be taken in the context of Covid-19 did,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (15 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 558 and 559 together. 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. While an engineer's report informs a local authority's...