Results 16,801-16,820 of 26,886 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Residential Tenancies Bill 2020: Order for Second Stage (22 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I move: "That Second Stage be taken now."

Residential Tenancies Bill 2020: Second Stage (22 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am grateful to the Ceann Comhairle and all Deputies and Senators for facilitating the urgent passage of this critical legislation through the Houses of the Oireachtas. This evening I am asking Deputies to pass the Bill in order to help mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on tenants and to support the Government's efforts to restrict the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payment (22 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 77 and 78 together. The minimum standards for rental accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019.  All landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that their rented properties comply with these Regulations. Responsibility for enforcement of the Regulations rests with the relevant local authority.  The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Management (22 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Section 136(2) of the Local Government Act 2001, as amended, provides for the preparation and furnishing by the Chief Executive of a management report to each elected member of a local authority on or before the seventh day of each month or on a date in each month set by resolution of the council. Guidelines regarding the preparation of monthly management reports were issued to local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Parks and Wildlife Service (22 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The issue of Lyme disease is not one confined or specific to the National Parks. Ticks, are widespread throughout the countryside and in areas of rough vegetation and forestry.  They are not at all confined to National Parks, Nature Reserves or State lands. Ticks can be found on a variety of domesticated and wild animals including sheep, goats, horses, cattle, dogs, deer, rodents...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (22 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: With regard to the Voids July Stimulus Programme, the funding available per dwelling in relation to the "standard" and "homeless" voids should be sufficient to cover 100% of the re-let costs where the local authority focus is on meeting re-let standards and re-letting the home in the minimum time possible. There is no funding cap on "long term vacant" voids where...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water and Sewerage Schemes (22 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: In February 2019, the previous Minister announced details of the measures being funded through my Department's Multi-annual Rural Water Programme 2019-2021. Local authorities were invited to submit their bids for the funding of projects in their functional areas. Mayo County Council made a number of bids under Measure 6 including for a proposal for Murrisk Community Water Connection...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (22 Oct 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 role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level.  Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and associated services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (21 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The details attached reflect the estimated current and capital allocations for 2021 in respect of each relevant programmes under Vote 34, on the basis of the financial provision made for my Department in the Expenditure Report 2021 published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform following decisions made in the context of Budget 2021.  Further detailed...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (21 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Under my Department's Serviced Sites Fund (SSF), €310 million has been allocated to provide infrastructure to support the delivery of more affordable new homes for purchase or rent in those areas where local authorities have identified an affordability challenge and the viability to deliver homes and below open market purchase prices.  Funding under the SSF is available for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (21 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 101 and 102 together. I can confirm that in July 2020 an application for grant funding under the Serviced Sites Fund (SSF) was formally submitted by Dublin City Council (DCC) to my Department in respect of the proposed development in Emmet Road, Inchicore of 375 Cost Rental units. This site has been identified as a pilot Cost Rental scheme and my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (21 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 103 and 104 together. This Government is committed to ensuring that affordable, quality housing solutions are available to everyone in Irish society, and this is reflected in the Programme for Government "Our Shared Future". The Programme commits to putting affordability at the heart of the housing system through the progression of State-backed affordable...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (21 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Budget 2021 provides for an unprecedented level of funding to deliver housing programmes next year through an overall investment of €3.3 billion, an increase of €641m (24%) on 2020. This investment will ensure that the housing needs of over 28,500 households are met in 2021. This includes delivering 12,750 social homes through Build, Acquisition and Leasing. The funding...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Accommodation Scheme (21 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Under the terms of the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS), local authorities retain the responsibility to source alternative accommodation for a household accommodated under the RAS scheme, should the dwelling that the household is living in become unavailable.  In such circumstances, it is a matter for the local authority to secure suitable alternative accommodation for the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (21 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The report referred to by the Deputy was published in 2019.  Since then, the monthly homeless reports published by my Department have confirmed a reduction of 15% in the overall number of individuals, and a reduction of 35% in the overall number of families, experiencing homelessness. Supporting individuals and families experiencing homelessness is a priority for this...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (21 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I have established a Homelessness Task Force, to inter alia, provide a forum for engagement with key organisations working to address homelessness priorities and to provide input on the implementation of the commitments on homelessness in the Programme for Government. The membership of the taskforce consists of the Chief Executives of the Dublin Region Homeless Executive, Crosscare,...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I have established a  High Level Housing Delivery Group, to inter alia, provide a forum for engagement with key housing delivery partners and to provide input on the implementation of the commitments on housing delivery in the Programme for Government. The membership of the Group consists of representatives from the City and County Management...

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

Darragh O'Brien: In accordance with the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of multi-annual Traveller Accommodation Programmes in their areas.  My Department’s role is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Home Loan Scheme (21 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 111 and 112 together. My Department publishes information on the overall number and value of (i) local authority loan approvals and (ii) local authority loan drawdowns. Local authority approval means that an official letter of offer has been sent to a borrower (and therefore relates to a specific property and loan amount). My Department has issued data...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Public Consultation Process (21 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: In order to comply with Ireland’s obligations under the Water Framework Directive, and as signalled in the River Basin Management Plan published in April 2018, the Government recently approved a General Scheme of a Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill, which will introduce risk-based controls over the abstraction of water.  A six-week public consultation on a draft General Scheme...