Results 16,741-16,760 of 25,999 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (21 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Persons from all strands of society, including staff of local authority fire services, are eligible to be nominated for an award under the National Bravery Awards. Under this scheme, Deeds of Bravery Awards are given to people who have saved a human life involving personal risk to themselves. Comhairle na Míre Gaile - the Council for the Recognition of Deeds of Bravery - is under...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Data (21 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: At end Q4 2019, in County Tipperary, there were 1,266 approved housing applicants, 1,778 households were actively in receipt of HAP support and there were 1,088 tenancies supported by RAS.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Emergency Accommodation (21 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The role of my Department in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of local authorities in addressing homelessness at local or regional level. Responsibility for the provision of emergency accommodation and related services for homeless persons is a matter for the local authorities. Therefore, the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme (21 Jul 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. The Housing (Sale of Local Authority Houses) Regulations 2015 governing the Scheme provides for a number of specified classes of houses to be excluded from sale, including...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Data (16 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 89 to 92, inclusive, together. The primary objective of the legislative changes introduced last year in relation to the regulation of short-term letting sector through the planning code is to help address its impact on the supply of private rented accommodation, particularly in urban centres of high housing demand i.e. rent pressure zones (RPZs). The planning...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (16 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 93 and 95 together. Applications for social housing support are assessed by the relevant local authority, in accordance with the eligibility and need criteria set down in section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended. Under the Household Means Policy, which applies in all...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (16 Jul 2020)

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 statutory role of local authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Under the Housing Act 1988 it is a matter for each local authority to determine whether a person is regarded as homeless; section 2 of the Act sets out the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Land Development Agency (16 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Land Development Agency (LDA) was established on an interim basis in September 2018, by way of an Establishment Order (S.I. 352 of 2018, as amended by S.I. 603 of 2018) made under the Local Government Services (Corporate Bodies) Act 1971, pending the enactment of primary legislation when it will be established as a commercial State agency. On establishment, the LDA had access to an...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Commercial Rates (16 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on the occupiers of rateable property in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by the independent Commissioner of Valuation under the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2015. In order to support the local government sector, my Department is continuing to keep local authority income, expenditure and cash...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (16 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: With effect from 27 March 2020, under new emergency measures introduced into law to protect tenants during the COVID-19 emergency period, tenants cannot be forced to leave their rental accommodation, other than in exceptional circumstances. The measures also prohibit any increase to rent for the duration of the emergency period. These emergency laws initially applied for a period of 3 months...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Energy Efficiency (16 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: As set out in the Programme for Government, a national retrofitting scheme is due to be rolled out in 2021. The national retrofitting scheme will be managed by a newly designated National Retrofitting Delivery Body which is to be in place by the end of 2020. Responsibility for the National Retrofitting Scheme rests with my colleague, the Minister for Communications, Climate Action &...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (15 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: As an initiative of the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF) is primarily designed to fund the provision of public off-site infrastructure to relieve critical infrastructure blockages and enable housing developments to be built on key sites at scale. In 2018, 30 projects received final LIHAF approval with an...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (15 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 95 and 96 together. This Government is absolutely committed to ensuring that affordable, quality housing is available to everyone in Irish society and this is reflected in the Programme for Government "Our Shared Future" which commits to putting affordability at the heart of our housing system and delivering 50,000 social housing homes. My initial focus is on...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Commercial Rates (14 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government - Our Shared Future, commits to reviewing the treatment of commercial rates for the remainder of the year, as a priority action. This process is underway in my Department in the context of the forthcoming July stimulus. The previously announced waiver forms part of this consideration, with a view to a single communication with local authorities and ratepayers in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (14 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I understand that the Deputy may be referring to the Spatial Planning and National Roads Guidelines 2012 issued by the then Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government under Section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended. The Guidelines were prepared in consultation with the Department of Transport Tourism and Sport, local authorities and the National Roads...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing for People with Disabilities (14 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Administration of the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability, including the assessment, approval and payment of individual grants to applicants, is the responsibility of the relevant local authority. I understand that the local authority in question is awaiting the submission of cost estimates in order to progress the referenced application further.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social Welfare Offices (14 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The question of liability of particular properties for rates is a matter for the Commissioner of Valuation, who is independent in the exercise of his functions under the Valuation Act 2001, as amended. The making of valuations for rating purposes is the sole responsibility of the Commissioner and I, as Minister, have no function in decisions in this regard. The Valuation Acts 2001 to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Supply (14 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: With effect from 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels including the delivery of water services capital infrastructure, while the local authorities remain responsible for private water supplies. Lead in drinking water is both the responsibility of water suppliers and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Commercial Property (14 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on the occupiers of rateable property in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by the independent Commissioner of Valuation under the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2015. Legislative provision is made for the refund of rates paid on vacant commercial properties in certain circumstances. The Local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (14 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 385 and 412 together. Applications for social housing support are assessed by the relevant local authority, in accordance with the eligibility and need criteria set down in section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended. The 2011 Regulations prescribe maximum net...