Results 16,521-16,540 of 27,055 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Part IV of the Housing Act 1966 deals with overcrowding and establishes effective limits on the numbers of people that can occupy the same bedroom.  The Act requires, inter alia, that there is at least 400 cubic feet of free air space for each person in a bedroom. Local Authorities are responsible for the enforcement of this legislation. Under the Act, a housing authority may...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 257 and 261 together. Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority area is provided in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA). The most recent summary, conducted in June 2019, shows that 68,693 households were assessed as qualified for and being in need of social housing support....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payment (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: At the end of Q3 2020, almost 83,000 HAP tenancies had been set-up since the scheme commenced, of which there were more than 58,200 households actively in receipt of HAP support and over 32,000 separate landlords and agents providing accommodation to households supported by the scheme. The number of active HAP tenancies at end 2018, 2019 and at Q3 2020 are set out in the table...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 259 and 260 together. The Programme for Government, 'Our Shared Future', commits the Government to the development of a new Cost Rental housing sector in Ireland, in which the rents charged will be set to cover the costs of delivering, managing, and maintaining the homes. A number of work strands are underway to deliver Cost Rental housing, with State...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government commits to bringing forward a package of social housing reforms, which includes standardising the differential rents regime across the country to ensure fairness.  Work on the review of the current rent schemes has been ongoing and I have asked my Department to prepare recommendations regarding the potential for a standardised local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payment (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Total expenditure by my Department on the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) for the period that the scheme has been in operation 2014 – 2019,  and the amount spent in 2020 for HAP at end November 2020 is in the table below. Year  Outturn €M  2014 0.3 2015 15.6 2016 ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payment (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Tenants in the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme are required to sign a rent contribution agreement to pay a weekly rental contribution to the relevant local authority, in line with the local authority’s differential rent scheme. As set out in the rent contribution agreement, this weekly rental contribution must be paid by them so that they remain eligible for the HAP...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Strategy for the Rental Sector 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 Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 specify requirements in relation to a range of matters, such as structural repair, sanitary...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Residential Tenancies Board (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: On 1 July 2019, the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act expanded the role of the Residential Tenancy Board (RTB) to investigate and sanction landlords who engage in certain breaches of the law, defined in the Act as Improper Conduct. This brought about a fundamental change in the operation of the RTB by expanding its regulatory remit. The breaches of rental law that the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Expenditure (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: In supporting ‘Continuous Professional Development’ (CPD), my Department's Training and Development Strategy recognises the value of membership of professional bodies in the context of keeping pace with the latest professional standards and practices. In 2020, 71 professional fees were paid totaling€28,080.68 A full breakdown is contained in the attached Excel...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Staff (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: As the Deputy will be aware, in 2014, the then Minister appointed a temporary Chief Executive for Galway County Council until a permanent appointment was made. This took account of the ongoing local government reform programme.  Following the outcome of the legislative process in relation to the Local Government Bill 2018, my Department is reviewing the issues arising,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The difference between the average social housing capital investment figures provided in the reply to Question No. 632 of 3 November 2020 and Question No. 297 of 1 December 2020 is due to the fact that Question No. 632 sought information on social housing units completed in 2019 whereas Question No. 297 sought information on social housing units that...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Pyrite Remediation Programme (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks in Construction (Remediation) (Financial Assistance) Regulations 2020 provide for a grant scheme of financial assistance to support affected homeowners in the counties of Donegal and Mayo only, to carry out the necessary remediation works to dwellings that have been damaged due to the use of defective concrete blocks....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF) is an innovate mechanism to secure and deliver social housing at a fraction of the capital cost to the State. AHBs secure 70%+ of the funding through private finance arrangements with the Housing Finance Agency or other sources.   Part of the decision process by my Department is the assessment of the level of CALF funding that a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides Unit Cost Ceilings (UCCs) to each local authority as a key benchmark for the development and costing of new build social housing. They are based on returned data from tendered social housing schemes over an extended period and are updated based on published tender index information as required. The current UCCs were issued to local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I understand that Dun-Laoghaire Rathdown County Council are in discussions with the developer of the site referenced in relation the Part V obligation for social housing in accordance with the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, and are evaluating options and calculating and agreeing the land value. As yet no submission has been made to my Department for funding of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Funding of €75 million in Budget 2021 has been be allocated to a new National Affordable Purchase Shared Equity Scheme, which will be introduced in 2021.  I intend to target this scheme at first time buyers including single persons, who are seeking to buy a new home but who cannot quite secure the full mortgage amount to do so at the present time. Subject to the final qualifying...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, requires all local authorities to make an allocation scheme determining the order of priority to be accorded in the allocation of dwellings to households qualified for social housing support, the allocation of which would, in the opinion of the authority, meet the accommodation needs and requirements of the households. Under...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Expenditure (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing First enables homeless individuals with high levels of complex needs to obtain permanent secure accommodation with the provision of intensive housing and health supports to help the individuals concerned maintain their tenancies. The National Implementation Plan for Housing First was published in September 2018. The Plan includes an overall target of 663 tenancies in the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payment (10 Dec 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Increased rent limits for the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and the Rent Supplement Scheme were introduced in 2016. These limits were agreed in conjunction with the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP).  In reviewing the rent limits, my Department worked closely with DEASP and monitored data gathered from the Residential Tenancies Board...