Results 14,501-14,520 of 26,971 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

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

Darragh O'Brien: In the period concerned, my Department officials had engagement on the National Broadband Plan as set out in the table below: Date Type of Engagement Organisation Engaged Details 19 May 2021 Meeting Department of Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) To discuss the National Broadband Plan in the context of...

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is committed to providing high quality, courteous and timely services to all its customers in accordance with the Government’s 12 Guiding Principles for Quality Customer Service.Details of the Quality Customer Service provided by my Department are at:www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/28f3d1-quality-cus tomer-service/. Save for particular reasons, my Department aims...

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on social housing delivery activity on a quarterly basis. Details on the number of social housing units provided by local authorities in 2020 and Q1 2021 is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provis ion/. Cost...

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department's role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of emergency accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (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: 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...