Results 14,401-14,420 of 26,864 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (14 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Affordable Housing Bill 2021 which has now cleared all stages in the Oireachtas is the first ever stand-alone affordable housing legislation. The provisions of the Bill establish the basis for 4 new affordable housing measures. These measures will deliver on the Programme for Government commitment to put affordability at the heart of the housing system and prioritise the increased...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (14 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Funding provided under the long term leasing schemes to the four Dublin local authorities, from 2019 to end Q1 2021, is set out in the table below. The data is based on the claims received in the Department from each local authority. Local Authority 2019 2020 2021 to end Q1 Dublin City €7,792,948 €11,913,455 ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (14 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Details of the funding provided by my Department to Dublin City Council in respect of the Disabled Persons Grants Scheme/Improvement Works in Lieu (DPG/IWIL) for local authority tenants, including details of the 10% local authority contribution, can be found in the following table: Department Funding (90%) Local Authority Funding (10%) Total ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (14 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a flexible and immediate housing support that is available to all eligible households throughout the State. At end Q1 2021 there were nearly 61,300 households in receipt of HAP and over 33,900 separate landlords and agents providing accommodation to households supported by the scheme. In respect of the provision of HAP funding, Limerick City and County...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (14 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Under the Voids Programme funded by my Department, over €65 million was provided to the four local authorities encompassing the geographic area of the county and city of Dublin in the period 2016-2020. This figure is in addition to the funding provided by the local authorities through their own resources to prepare vacant units for re-letting. The table below provides a breakdown of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 133 and 134 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: A number of measures are currently in place for first-time homeowners seeking to build their own home on private land. The Help to Buy Scheme may return tax paid in the previous four years (up to a maximum amount of €30,000) to eligible first-time homeowners purchasing or self-building a new home. Further information on this support is available online at:...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Correspondence (14 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: 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 examine defects in housing. The group’s terms of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Strategies (14 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 139 and 140 together. My Department has significantly increased activities in recent years to comply with the range of disability statutes, conventions and codes of practice. My Department has appointed an Access Team, with terms of reference and official policy to deliver a targeted Action Plan over 3 years. The objective is to greatly enhance access to my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (14 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department regularly publishes information on the number and value of (i) local authority loan approvals and (ii) local authority loan drawdowns. Local authority approval means that an official letter of offer has been sent to a borrower (and therefore relates to a specific property and loan amount). The requested figures for 2019 and 2020 are available at the below link -...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Septic Tanks (14 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Following on from the recommendations contained in the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services report in April 2017, the Rural Water Working Group was established to conduct a review of the wider resources and investment needs relating to the rural water sector. As part of its work, the Working Group recommended a number of revisions to the existing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (14 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Choice Based Letting (CBL) is a method whereby available social housing stock is let by being openly advertised by local authorities to persons on the social housing waiting list. This allows qualified applicants to 'register an interest' in available homes. Applicants can act on their own initiative to respond to adverts and express an interest in dwellings that they would like to live...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 146 and 147 together. The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a form of social housing support for people who have a long-term housing need. In order to qualify for HAP, a household must first be assessed as eligible for social housing support. Applications for social housing support are assessed by the relevant local authority, in accordance with the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (14 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority area is provided in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA). The most recent summary, conducted in November 2020, shows that 61,880 households were assessed as qualified for, and being in need of, social housing support. This represents a decrease of 6,813 households or...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (14 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing Agency provides a central support service which assesses applications for the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan on behalf of local authorities and makes recommendations to the authorities to approve or refuse applications. Each local authority must have in place a credit committee and it is a matter for the committee to make the decision on applications for loans, in accordance with...

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: The Construction Products Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 (CPR) sets out rules for the marketing of construction products in the EU. Under the European Union (Construction Products) Regulations 2013 each of the building control authorities (local authorities) have been designated as the principal market surveillance authorities for construction products that fall within the scope of the CPR,...

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

Darragh O'Brien: In order to be eligible for HAP support, a household must first qualify for social housing support and be placed on a housing list. 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...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Social Impact Assessment (SIA) is an analytical framework that is designed to examine the demographic profile of public services users, and how they are impacted by budgetary policy decisions.  As a tool predominantly used to assess the impact of certain tax and welfare policy measures, SIAs have been conducted in the main by departments responsible for such functions. Traditionally,...

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department operates the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan, which is targeted at first time buyers who wish to own their own home, have access to an adequate deposit and have the capacity to repay a mortgage, but who are unable to access a mortgage sufficient for them to purchase their first home. The loan enables credit worthy first time buyers to access sustainable mortgage lending to...