Results 1,441-1,460 of 15,555 for speaker:Eoghan Murphy

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service Staff (8 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: As the Deputy outlined, the retirement age for retained firefighters is 55, with provision for an annual extension up to the age of 58, subject to a formal application process, including a compulsory medical assessment. The retirement age for full-time firefighters is, in general, 55. The retirement ages reflect the legitimate requirement that firefighters should be capable of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Data (8 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: The Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness has a target to deliver more than 50,000 new social homes by the end of 2021. This will be achieved through a blend of build, including Part V, acquisition and leasing activity, under programmes led by both local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs). While there are published targets for build, acquisition and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (8 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: My Department publishes data on a monthly basis outlining the number of homeless persons accommodated in emergency accommodation funded and overseen by housing authorities. These reports are based on data provided by housing authorities and are produced through the Pathway Accommodation & Support System (PASS). The reports are collated on a regional basis and are published on my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grant Data (8 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 505 and 506 together. My Department provides funding to local authorities for the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability in respect of private houses, with funding of €71.25 million allocated for 2019. Information on the allocations to each local authority in respect of these grants for 2016 – 2019 is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Interdepartmental Working Groups (8 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Work is progressing on implementing the Government’s decision that Irish Water would become a standalone publicly owned, commercial regulated utility separated from the Ervia Group. An Inter-Departmental Steering Group on the Separation of Irish Water from the Ervia Group has been established and has held 4 meetings to date. The Group, whose work is ongoing, is considering all the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Regeneration Projects (8 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: The development of publicly owned lands for housing remains a priority for this Government, and my Department is working closely with all local authorities to support the development of their sites. Decisions regarding particular developments and any tenure mix for new housing on local authority land are, in the first instance, a matter for each local authority, including its elected members....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme Review (8 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: The Housing (Sale of Local Authority Houses) Regulations 2015, provide the basis for the Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme for existing local authority houses. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (8 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: My Department is currently undertaking a focused review of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines in line with the “preferred draft approach” which was announced in June 2017 by the then Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, in conjunction with the then Minister for Communications, Climate Action and the Environment. The review is addressing a number of key...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Residential Tenancies Board (8 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 to operate a national tenancy registration system and to facilitate the resolution of disputes between landlords and tenants. The service provided by the RTB is quasi-judicial and all of their mediators, adjudicators and tribunal members have independent...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Supply (8 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: There is a grant currently available, which is funded by my Department through the local authorities, for the provision or necessary improvement of an individual water supply in a house. This is more commonly called the individual or private wells grant. The grant, subject to certain conditions, assists households dependent on these supplies with the costs incurred in providing such a supply...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (8 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Part 5 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 was commenced in June 2018 to provide a statutory basis for the delivery of affordable housing for purchase. Regulations in respect of the making of Schemes of Priority were signed on 12 March 2019, and these were issued to local authorities on 22 March 2019. The purpose of a Scheme of Priority is to set out the affordable purchase...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payment Administration (8 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Limerick City and County Council provide a highly effective transactional shared service on behalf of all local authorities in the administration of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme. The HAP Shared Services Centre (SSC) manages all HAP related rental transactions for the tenant, local authority and landlord. Once a HAP application has been received and confirmed as valid by the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Standards (8 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: All local authorities are being funded to significantly increase their delivery of social housing as part of Rebuilding Ireland, including through the acquisition of new and previously owned house and apartments. Properties acquired by local authorities for social housing purposes, must comply with building regulations. In that regard, Part L of the Building Regulations will require from 1...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Waiting Lists (8 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Housing waiting lists are compiled by all local authorities and are based on the identified needs of social housing applicants in their areas. Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority area are set out in the statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA), which includes breakdowns by each local authority across a range of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Oversight and Audit Commission (8 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: The Code of Practice for Inspecting and Certifying Buildings and Works requires local authorities to inspect a minimum of 12-15% of new buildings for which valid commencement notices have been received. The indication in the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) report that 8 local authorities did not meet this minimum requirement in 2018 is disappointing. However, it should...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector Strategy (8 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: The Strategy for the Rental Sector, published in December 2016, set out a series of measures to be introduced to ensure the quality of private rental accommodation by strengthening the applicable standards and improving the inspection and enforcement systems. The Strategy acknowledged the overall low rates of inspection of the private rental stock and low rates of compliance, as well as the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Supply (3 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: There is a grant currently available, which is funded by my Department through the local authorities, for the provision or necessary improvement of an individual water supply in a house.  This is more commonly called the individual or private wells grant. The grant, subject to certain conditions, assists households dependent on these supplies with the costs incurred in providing such a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Issues (3 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: As part of the actions under the Government's Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness the Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 (the Act) introduced new streamlined arrangements to enable planning applications for strategic housing developments (SHDs) of 100 housing units or more, or student accommodation or shared accommodation...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payment (3 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Under the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme, a tenant sources their own accommodation in the private rented sector. The accommodation sourced by tenants should be within the prescribed maximum HAP rent limits, which are based on the household size and the rental market within that area.  The tenancy agreement is between the tenant and the landlord and is governed by the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (3 Oct 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: My Department has been in regular contact with relevant planning authorities regarding the implementation of the new short-term letting legislation, both before and subsequent to its commencement on 1 July 2019.   In order for the new legislation to have the desired effect and achieve its objective of returning much-needed accommodation to the long-term rental market, it is...