Results 16,541-16,560 of 26,886 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme (24 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme came into operation on 1 January 2016. 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 income of €15,000 per annum and having been in receipt of social housing support...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (24 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Budget 2021 made available total funding of €3.3 billion for the delivery of housing programmes. Of that sum, €468 million will be specifically provided to support housing affordability measures. This includes the Serviced Sites Fund (SSF), the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF), the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan and the Land Development Agency (LDA). In...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (24 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government commits to increasing the social housing stock by more than 50,000, with an emphasis on new builds. In 2021, the total funding being made available for the delivery of housing programmes is €3.3bn. This includes funding to deliver 12,750 social homes through build, acquisition and leasing. A major focus of this investment is the delivery of new build,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing for People with Disabilities (24 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 365 and 366 together. My Department operates a broad range of programmes which support the housing needs of people with disabilities. This includes the delivery of new social homes through local authority and Approved Housing Body led build, acquisition and leasing schemes and also the provision of key supports to maintain people with disabilities within...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Electric Vehicles (24 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The information sought is not available in my Department. The relevant information would be available from individual local authorities.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (24 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The detailed advancement of housing and other works under the Rebuilding Ireland programme is a matter in the first instance for Limerick City and County Council. My Department has issued all necessary approvals on this project and construction is underway. The management of the building contract is a matter for Limerick City and County Council. I understand that the Council has...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (24 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The detailed advancement of housing and other works under the Limerick Regeneration programme is a matter in the first instance for Limerick City and County Council. The Limerick Regeneration Framework Implementation Plan (LRFIP) published in 2013, heralded a move away from demolitions and towards a prioritisation of the refurbishment option along with the delivery of some targeted, high...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (24 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The detailed advancement of housing and other works under the Rebuilding Ireland programme is a matter in the first instance for Limerick City and County Council. My Department has received a submission from Limerick City and County Council in respect of a housing project at Ballygrennan Close, Moyross, Limerick. My Department is currently examining the proposal.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Environmental Policy (24 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department has responsibility for environmental issues spanning many areas of our functional responsibilities including Water Sector Policy, Marine Environment, Foreshore, Planning Legislation and Policy, Built Environment, Climatology, Forecasting, National Parks and Wildlife Service, Built Heritage and Peatlands. My Department engages with stakeholders on such environmental issues in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Data (24 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority area is provided in the statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA). The most recent SSHA, conducted in June 2019, shows that 68,693 households were assessed as qualified for and being in need of social housing support. This represents a decrease of 3,165 households or 4.4% on the last...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: House Prices (24 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: In terms of the delivery of more affordable homes for sale by local authorities, €310m is available for Serviced Sites infrastructure funding that will support the delivery of up to 6,200 new homes that will be made available under this scheme. The first SSF project that will be deliver affordable homes will be Boherboy Road in Cork City in early next year at prices ranging from...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Data (24 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 384 and 385 together. My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on all social housing delivery activity under Rebuilding Ireland. This is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link: . The "Breakdown of Social Housing by Local Authority" tables will provide the Deputy...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Data (24 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The granting, modification or refusal of local authorities ‘Own Development’ under Section 179 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, is a reserved function of the elected members. I am specifically precluded from exercising any power or control in relation to any particular case with which a planning authority or the Board is or may be concerned. My Department...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Data (24 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 387 and 388 together. My Department does not collect information on the number of Rebuilding Ireland Home Loans applications on hand and awaiting approval as requested by the Deputy. However, my Department does publish information on the overall number and value of (i) local authority loan approvals and (ii) local authority loan drawdowns. Local authority...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (24 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 389 and 390 together. The Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF) was designed to support housing supply by relieving critical infrastructure blockages. 30 projects were approved with an overall budget of €195.7m, €146.8m Exchequer funded and the remainder funded by local authorities. Full details of the approvals are available...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (24 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The relevant details are being compiled and will be provided to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (24 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Recognising the difficulties faced by businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Programme for Government – “Our Shared Future” committed to set out how commercial rates would be treated for the remainder of 2020. One of the earliest priorities of Minister O'Brien and I was to secure funding to provide a waiver of commercial rates for businesses impacted by the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme (24 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme came into operation on 1 January 2016. 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 income of €15,000 per annum and having been in receipt of social housing support...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Stations (24 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The existing five-year Fire Services Capital Programme managed by my Department comes to an end this year. That programme has seen more than €60 million invested in fire appliances and specialist equipment, building or upgrading of prioritised Fire Stations, upgrading Communications and Mobilisation systems and improvements to Training Centres. A new capital programme for the period...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (24 Nov 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: In Budget 2021, the total funding made available for the delivery of housing programmes was €3.3 billion. This represents an increase of €641m or 24% on 2020 and the single biggest spend on housing by any Government, and will be the largest build programme in the history of the State. From this sum, €110 million was ring-fenced for two new national schemes to deliver...