Results 14,701-14,720 of 25,999 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Land Transfers (31 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Property Registration Authority (PRA) has established a dedicated unit to investigate issues raised with them. While the required investigations can take some time to complete, the PRA expedites processing where they are notified of urgency relating to a case. The specified application has been expedited and will be processed without delay. In relation to any specific cases with the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (31 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides funding to local authorities in respect of the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability, to assist eligible people in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. The suite of grants include the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability (max grant €30,000), the Mobility Aids Grant (max grant...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (31 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides funding to local authorities under the Disabled Persons Grants scheme to carry out works on social housing stock to address the needs of older people or people with a disability. The programme is 90% funded by the Department and a 10% contribution from the Local Authority. Typical works include adaptations such as stairlifts, level deck showers, ramps and grab rails,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Staff (31 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The information requested is set out in the table at the link.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Stations (31 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Services Acts, 1981 and 2003. My Department supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Inland Waterways (31 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I have no function in the matter raised. Local authorities are entirely independent corporate entities having full responsibility under law for the performance of their functions and the discharge of their governance and other responsibilities. Under section 103 of the Local Government Act 2001 all budgetary decisions of local authorities are reserved functions of the elected members.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Programme for Government (31 Mar 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 regard, my Department has been actively engaging with key stakeholders and I have had several...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Safety (31 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the very stressful circumstances which owners and residents face when their homes are affected by construction defects. In general, building defects are matters for resolution between the contracting parties involved, the homeowner, the builder, the developer and/or their respective insurers, structural guarantee or warranty scheme. Under the Building...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (31 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Funding approvals and allocations under my Department's Multi-annual Developer Provided Water Services Infrastructure Resolution Programme 2019-2021 were announced in September 2020. The approvals included demonstration projects for four locations across three local authorities that the Expert Panel (appointed to review the bids) recommended for approval, subject to the authorities...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (31 Mar 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 a local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless services rests with individual housing authorities. Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988 sets out the purposes...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (31 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended, set down a standard procedure for assessing applicants for social housing support. Under this procedure, a household may apply for support to one housing authority only, which may be the authority for the area in which the household normally resides or with which it...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Irish Sign Language (31 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Irish Sign Language Act 2017 came into effect on 23 December 2020. The Act imposes certain obligations on all public bodies. In particular, section 6 of the Act provides that: - A public body shall do all that is reasonable to ensure that interpretation into Irish Sign Language is provided for a person who is competent in that language and cannot hear or understand English or Irish when...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Commencement of Legislation (31 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (31 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department supports a number of local authority housing stock improvement programmes which have seen €457m of exchequer funding invested in local authority housing stock improvement works since 2014. For example: The Energy Efficiency Programme aims to improve energy performance and comfort levels in homes. Since 2014, 60,357 homes have benefited from some level of retrofitting...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Expenditure (31 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The information sought is not readily available in the format requested. Its compilation would involve a disproportionate amount of time and work as it would require a cross-check of all of the payments made by the Department during 2018, 2019 and 2020 against all contracts awarded following a public procurement process and a breakdown of each payment by goods, services or capital works. My...

Residential Tenancies Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (25 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Are we disposing of amendments Nos. 19 to 21, inclusive, in this grouping?

Residential Tenancies Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (25 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I will be as brief as I can, if that is okay with the House. I cannot accept amendments Nos. 16 to 18, inclusive, which seek to amend paragraph (c) of the new subsection 1A of section 12 of the Planning and Development, and Residential Tenancies, Act 2020 as proposed to be inserted into that Act by section 1(d)(ii) of the Bill. The new subsection 1A of section 12 applies as per paragraph...

Residential Tenancies Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (25 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I am responding to the Deputy.

Residential Tenancies Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (25 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I am.

Residential Tenancies Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (25 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I always respect her rulings. We are dealing with amendments Nos. 1 to 15, inclusive, and 19 to 21, inclusive. The Deputy has gone to the trouble of tabling the amendments so he should give me some opportunity to respond to them in detail. Maybe he does not want me to do so but I believe it is important that to put on the record of the House what this...