Results 14,041-14,060 of 26,864 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is working closely with all local authorities in relation to increasing and accelerating the delivery of a range of social housing programmes and supports, including through the use of design-build rapid delivery methodologies (including prefabricated and modular build units). Local authorities have been advised that design- build rapid delivery approaches should be adopted...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 138, 146, 151, 163 and 178 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. The 2011 Regulations...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I believe Housing for All: A New Housing Plan for Ireland will transform our housing system, removing the constraints leading to delays and blockages in the provision of housing. In particular, the actions set out under Pathway 3 of the Plan, "Increasing New Housing Supply", will create the environment needed to enable the supply of over 300,000 new homes by 2030, meaning an annual average of...

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

Darragh O'Brien: 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 increasing this funding in future years in line with the Programme for Government commitments and the Policy Statement...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 142 and 160 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: Housing Schemes (28 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing for All Strategy delivers on the Programme for Government commitment to put affordability at the heart of the housing system. It is the largest State-led building programme in our history, backed up by an unprecedented financial commitment in excess of €4bn per annum. Over 300,000 new homes will be built by the end of 2030, including a projected 90,000 social homes, 36,000...

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 Provision (28 Sep 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Government’s commitment to increase the supply of public housing was underpinned in Budget 2021, which provided €3.3 billion to deliver housing programmes this year. This funding will support social and affordable housing delivery, along with the implementation of a broad range of programmes providing targeted support to meet housing need. The recently published Housing...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government provides for a package of social housing reforms, including the introduction of a social housing passport to allow households move from one local authority list to another. It should be noted that the four Dublin local authorities already co-operate in arrangements that enable social housing applicants to apply for housing in one or two of the other Dublin...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 155, 175 and 349 together. The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme came into operation on 1 January 2016. The Scheme is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the Scheme. To be eligible, tenants must meet certain criteria, including having a minimum reckonable income of €15,000...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Changes in relation to building material costs are monitored and recorded by the Central Statistics Office (Wholesale Price Index for Building & Construction Materials). The cost and supply issues that have arisen for basic building materials such as steel, timber, concrete and plastics are also occurring internationally. They appear to result from a range of contributory factors...

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

Darragh O'Brien: 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. Regulation 12 of the 2011 Regulations prescribes the timescales for the processing of applications by...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Under Action 4.12 of Housing for All, in the period to December 2021 local authorities will be preparing Housing Action Delivery Plans to include social and affordable housing where necessary (affordable purchase and cost rental). This will allow each Local Authority to determine the affordability constraint in their area based on the Housing Need and Demand Assessment. Over the period...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Under Action 4.12 of Housing for All, in the period to December 2021 local authorities will be preparing Housing Action Delivery Plans to include social and affordable housing where necessary (affordable purchase and cost rental). This will allow each Local Authority to determine the affordability constraint in their area based on the Housing Need and Demand Assessment. The Housing for...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Land Development Agency (LDA) was established on an interim basis in September 2018, by way of an Establishment Order made under the Local Government Services (Corporate Bodies) Act 1971. The Land Development Agency Act was recently signed in law and, on enactment, the LDA will be established as a commercial State agency. There is ongoing engagement between the LDA and my Department in...

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

Darragh O'Brien: As part of Housing for All, I announced that a reformed successor to the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan Scheme, the 'Local Authority Home Loan', will be in place later in 2021. The Local Authority Home Loan will include an increase in the income ceiling for single applicants, thus increasing the number of people eligible for a mortgage. I have already implemented a reduction of the mortgage...

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

Darragh O'Brien: In response to concerns being raised by homeowners in relation to the Defective Concrete Block grant scheme, I established a time-bound working group, with representatives from my Department, the local authorities and homeowner representative groups who are tasked with reviewing the operation of the scheme and providing a report with recommendations by 31st July. Included within the terms of...

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not hold or collate the information referred to in the Question. The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) which was established as an independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2021, operates a national tenancy registration system and to facilitate the resolution of disputes between landlords and tenants. The Clerk of the Dáil...

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides both capital and current funding to local authorities across a range of funding initiatives to assist them in providing homes for families and individuals on their social housing waiting lists. To provide transparency on the new social housing projects being advanced, each quarter my Department publishes a Social Housing Construction Status Report and updated Social...

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department has informed councils requesting admittance to the scheme that before any extension of the scheme can be considered, the same rigorous analysis as that put in place prior to the rollout of the scheme to the counties of Donegal and Mayo would have to be undertaken. Local authorities should endeavour to determine, using the IS: 465 protocol now in place, that issues arising...