Results 15,961-15,980 of 27,055 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Guidelines (3 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Under planning legislation, all development requires planning permission unless it is specifically exempted development. In this regard, section 4 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the Act) and Schedule 2 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, as amended (the Regulations), set out various exemptions from the requirement to obtain planning permission. Any such...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (3 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department publishes a detailed monthly report on homelessness, based on data provided by housing authorities. The Report outlines details of individuals utilising State-funded emergency accommodation arrangements that are overseen by housing authorities. Data relating to homeless families and their dependants are presented at a regional level. The Reports are available to access on my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (3 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Under Call 2 of the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund, which was launched last year, Kildare County Council submitted an application seeking support for the project in question. There were a large number of proposals received under Call 2, with every local authority submitting at least one application. Because of the nature of the URDF programme the proposals are very complex,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Flood Relief Schemes (3 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities are designated as a principal response agency as well as being 'lead agency' for coordinating the local response to flooding emergencies as per the Government decision relating to the “Framework for Major Emergency Management” (2006). The arrangements for emergency management have evolved and, when called upon, are seen as having worked well, in particular...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Schemes (3 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides capital funding to Local Authorities with regard to Disabled Persons Grants (DPG) on an annual basis. These grants allow local authorities to undertake adaptations and extensions to their existing social housing stock. In line with previous years, all local authorities, including Roscommon and Galway, will be notified shortly in relation to their DPG funding allocation...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Data (3 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: There have been a number of deaths, in recent months, of people who had been sleeping rough or accessing homeless services. Each of these deaths is a tragedy and I extend my sympathies to the families concerned. The deaths of people availing of homeless services are a concern and are being taken very seriously. It is important that we establish the facts concerning the circumstances...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (3 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Section 12 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 deals with District Court proceedings for possession by a local authority where there has been a breach of a tenancy agreement or rent-related obligation. The tenancy agreement includes a term relating to anti-social behaviour. Anti-social behaviour is defined in section 1 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1997, as...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Residential Tenancies Board (3 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2020 regulates the landlord-tenant relationship in the rented residential sector and sets out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants. The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Act to operate a national tenancy registration system and to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants. In...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Waste Management (3 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Minimum standards for rental accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 made under section 18 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992. These regulations focus on tenant safety and include measures covering heating appliances, carbon monoxide and window safety. All landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that their rented...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Home Loan Scheme (3 Mar 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: Local Authority Housing (3 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: During 2020, funding of €56.4 million was paid to Local Authorities from my Department for the remediation of 3,607 vacant units under the Voids Programme. The table below provides a breakdown of the units remediated by each local authority for 2020. The numbers provided are based on total units returned under the Normal, Covid and July Stimulus Voids programme. Local ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Covid-19 Pandemic (3 Mar 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Government announced that additional public health restrictions would apply under Level 5 of the Plan for Living with COVID-19 on 6 January 2021. The additional restrictions required all construction activity to cease from 6pm on Friday 8 January, with a number of exceptions. These measures are set out in The Health Act 1947 (Section 31A - Temporary Restrictions) (Covid-19) (No. 10)...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Public Procurement Contracts (25 Feb 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Further details of the contracts referenced in Parliamentary Question No. 76 of 25 November 2020 are set out in the attached table. My Department endeavours to comply with Section 27 of the Disability Act, 2005, with reference to the National Disability Authority (NDA) guidelines on the subject. These include the NDA’s 2012 publication, ‘Access and Procurement’, which can...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Covid-19 Pandemic (25 Feb 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 121 and 122 together. The Government announced that additional public health restrictions would apply under Level 5 of the Plan for Living with COVID-19 on 6 January 2021. The additional restrictions required all construction activity to cease from 6pm on Friday 8 January, with a number of exceptions. These measures are set out in The Health Act 1947...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Energy Efficiency (25 Feb 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 124 and 125 together. The Energy Efficiency Programme for 2021 will be the first year of a newly revised ten year programme designed to help deliver on the Programme for Government commitment to retrofitting 500,000 homes by 2030 to a B2/cost optimal BER standard. It is expected that approximately 36,500 of those will be local authority owned homes. The 2021...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (25 Feb 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: There are a range of funding and delivery mechanisms available to local authorities to deliver social housing supports in partnership with Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs). The funding is provided by my Department directly to local authorities, who in turn, advance the funding to the AHBs, as appropriate. The organisation detailed by the Deputy is an Approved Housing Body and details of the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Home Loan Scheme (25 Feb 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. With a Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan you can borrow up to 90% of the market value of a residential...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Data (25 Feb 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Under the Voids Programme funded by my Department, 13,769 vacant social housing homes were returned to productive use in the period 2015-2020. This figure does not include homes which were returned to productive use by local authorities using funding from their own resources. Between 2015 and 2020, Exchequer funding of approximately €202.5m was provided supporting local authorities in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (25 Feb 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) was launched in 2018 to support more compact and sustainable development. The URDF is one of four funds established under the National Development Plan 2018-2027 and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has responsibility for its implementation. The Fund is providing part-funding for applicant led projects that will...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Data (25 Feb 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity. Delivery statistics to the end of Quarter 3 2020 are published on my Department’s website, at the following link: . Statistics for Quarter 4 are being collated and will be published in the coming weeks. The Buys and Renew Scheme facilitates local authorities in...