Results 14,621-14,640 of 25,999 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (21 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Increasing the supply of public, social and affordable homes is a central commitment in the Programme for Government. In Budget 2021, we backed this objective with funding of €3.3 billion for the delivery of housing. Subject to the impact of COVID, this funding will support the delivery of 12,750 new social homes. A major focus of this investment is the delivery of new build homes,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (21 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: An Implementation Monitoring Group chaired by my Department and with membership from the Housing Agency, the Health Service Executive, the Department of Health, the National Disability Authority and a number of disability stakeholder organisations monitors the identified actions in the National Housing Strategy for People with Disability 2011-2016 which was extended to 2021. In accordance...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Staff (21 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 828 and 829 together. Under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he or she is responsible. My Department oversees workforce planning for the local government sector, including the monitoring of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (21 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Government set out its housing priorities in the Programme for Governmentacross numerous areas, including homelessness, affordable home ownership, public and social Housing, the Land Development Agency, rent reform and planning and my Department is focused on moving those priorities forward. The Programme for Government commits to the delivery of 50,000 new social homes, with a focus on...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on the Programme for Government: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (20 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I am joined by my colleagues, the Minister of State with responsibility for planning and local government, Deputy Peter Burke, and Minister of State with responsibility for heritage and electoral reform, Deputy Noonan. I will ask them to make brief statements on their areas of responsibility.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on the Programme for Government: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (20 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: We will do that. I am conscious that this is the first opportunity we have had to go through elements and commitments in the programme for Government, but it will not be our last. I will cover my headline items first. Implementation of the Department's commitments in the Programme for Government, Our Shared Future, is well under way across all functional areas. While it will not be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on the Programme for Government: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (20 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: If the Chairman wishes, I will leave the water element open to questions, if that is okay. The Minister of State, Deputy Noonan's area is heritage and electoral reform, and the Minister of State, Deputy Burke's area is local government, Traveller accommodation and planning. I ask that they would make a few brief remarks. We can then take some questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on the Programme for Government: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (20 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: On Deputy McAuliffe's last question-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on the Programme for Government: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (20 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank Deputy Ó Broin. Details are still being worked through by the way, so I am not at liberty to give the Deputy the specifics right now. I will be bringing the Bill to Cabinet the week after next along with the regulations. What I can say is the scheme itself is different from the UK scheme. Some have been very-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on the Programme for Government: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (20 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: No, hold on. I can answer the questions. The rates will be substantially lower than a scheme the Deputy has regularly quoted. It is not a debt-based scheme; it is equity-based-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on the Programme for Government: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (20 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I can tell the Deputy that the regulation and the rates will be published probably within the next two to three weeks. Everything will be there for everyone to go through. Even the Deputy may be pleasantly surprised.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on the Programme for Government: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (20 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: As I have said, the details are still being worked out. While the Deputy feels he may know the details, the agreement has not been finalised yet and still requires the approval of the Central Bank of Ireland, CBI.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on the Programme for Government: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (20 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: It is not the committee that would be the one to accept the scheme. It would be-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on the Programme for Government: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (20 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: With respect to Deputy Ó Broin, he was able to come out and criticise the scheme before he had even seen it, so I do not know whether the detail of the scheme really mattered to him, in real terms. The reality-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on the Programme for Government: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (20 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I am trying to answer the question. If you will not let me answer it, that is fine.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on the Programme for Government: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (20 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: While it might not suit Deputy Ó Broin's narrative, the reality is that the details are being finalised right now. It is the first affordable scheme in decades. It is the first affordable build since the mid-2000s. There are excellent elements in it because the Government believes in affordable housing and we are going to bring it about. The regulations and the details of the Bill...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on the Programme for Government: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (20 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputy will appreciate we have been dealing with a pandemic and, as a Department, we have been responding to that and the urgent work that is required. I have engaged on a regular basis-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on the Programme for Government: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (20 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputy wants to keep interrupting me and I know it is his modus operandi. To be fair, I will be coming to the committee with significant legislation that will make a difference to people, namely, the Land Development Agency Bill and the affordable housing Bill. I hope Deputy Ó Broin will be able to support some of those real solutions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on the Programme for Government: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (20 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I agree.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on the Programme for Government: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (20 Apr 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I will let the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, respond to the last point raised.