Results 17,081-17,100 of 26,886 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Flood Prevention Measures (1 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My role and responsibilities as Minister do not extend to the maintenance, clearance, or dredging of rivers. I understand that the Office of Public Works is the statutory body responsible for Drainage Maintenance on water bodies where capital works have been carried out under the Arterial Drainage Acts 1945 and 1995; and for flood risk management in the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Functions (1 Oct 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 (the Act) introduced new streamlined arrangements to enable planning applications for strategic housing developments (SHDs) of 100 housing units or more, or student accommodation or shared accommodation developments of 200 bed spaces or more, to be made directly to An Bord Pleanála for determination. In line...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (30 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is currently undertaking a focused review of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines in line with the “preferred draft approach” which was announced in June 2017 by the then Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, in conjunction with the then Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment. The review is addressing a number of key...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Parks and Wildlife Service (30 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Farm Plan Scheme, administered by my Department's National Parks and Wildlife Service, is an important instrument that allows for proactive engagement with farmers in designated sites, to trial and deliver bespoke measures that support biodiversity. Plans delivered through the Scheme have been used to inform the development of national Agri-Environment Schemes under the Rural Development...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Telecommunications Infrastructure (30 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Under Section 30 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the Act) I am specifically precluded from exercising power or control in relation to any particular planning case with which a planning authority or An Bord Pleanála is or may be concerned. Consequently, I may not seek to influence the outcome of, or comment on, any individual planning cases. It should be noted...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (30 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department offers a range of funding programmes to assist the voluntary sector with the delivery of new social housing projects, including the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS) and the Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF).  Management and maintenance of existing social housing developments are a matter for the property owners. Putting in place adequate maintenance budgets and a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Supply (30 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels.  The Eastern and Midlands Water Supply Project has been in development since the mid-1990s, originally under Dublin City Council and under Irish Water since January 2014. It is the first comprehensive upgrade of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Appeals (30 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: In evaluating the making or varying of county and city development plans, the Office of the Planning Regulator (the Office) must have regard to provisions set out in the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the Act), including, but not limited to, the National Planning Framework, regional spatial and economic strategies, the principles of proper planning and sustainable development,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Irish Water (30 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Having regard to the provisions of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Amendment) Act 1993, Irish Water’s governing legislation, including the Water Services Acts and its Constitution, and Irish Water’s current position as a subsidiary within the Ervia Group, there is currently no scope for the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) to have a role with respect to Irish...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Land Development Agency (30 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: There are currently no staff employed by the Land Development Agency (LDA) who were transferred from the National Asset Management Agency.  Based on information provided to the Department by the LDA, on establishment there were three members of staff seconded to the LDA by the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) for a period who were later recruited by the LDA through a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Staff (30 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Following the retirement of the most recent permanent Chief Executive of Mayo County Council, in accordance with section 145(6) of the Local Government Act 2001, as amended, the then Minister with responsibility for local government, appointed a Temporary Chief Executive to the post. This temporary appointment commenced on 14 May 2020. A permanent appointment has not yet been...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Home Loan Scheme (30 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan Scheme enables credit-worthy first-time buyers to access sustainable mortgage lending to purchase new or second-hand properties in a suitable price range, where they cannot obtain sufficient mortgage finance from a commercial lender. As with the previous local authority loan offerings, the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan is available to first-time...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (30 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Capital funding is provided to local authorities under my Department's Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS) to support Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) in the provision of social housing for priority groups such as older people, people with disabilities and people who are homeless. Capital funding of over €2.5 million has been provided to date for the development by the AHB referred...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Contracts (30 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 113 and 115 together. My Department does not engage third party or private companies to provide media monitoring services. It does however, engage a third party to provide a daily press clippings service and the costs are outlined below. Year Cost 2017 €8,280 2018 €7,985 ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Expenditure (30 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department has expended €8,466.25 since May 2020 to date for access to online and hardcopy media publications. A breakdown of the online and hard copy subscriptions and publications that my Department subscribes to are set out in the table below. ">Compiled Table

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Archaeological Sites (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The archaeological monument most directly associated with the development site in this case is included in the Record of Monuments and Places (“RMP”) established under section 12 of the National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994.  While the published RMP for each county provides illustrative guidance of the area and scale of listed monuments, it also clarifies that the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Special Protection Areas (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: In response to a question on this matter from the Deputy last March, the then Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht advised that “At the request of the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, my Department's National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) completed and published detailed site-specific conservation objectives for the Gearagh SAC (000108) in September...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Natural Heritage Areas (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I refer to the reply to Question No. 422 of 30 July 2020.  The role for the National Parks and Wildlife Service in this matter is to continue to provide expert support to the EPA and the Forest Service in delivering their statutory functions in relation to woodlands, and to consider Toon Wood as an NHA to protect the remaining woodland and woodland areas on the site that can be recovered...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Parks (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I refer  to the reply to Question No. 114 of 23 July 2020. The National Parks and Wildlife Service secured €500K under the Outdoor Recreational Infrastructure Scheme towards improving public access, including the provision of new parking facilities at the site in question. Works are currently underway and are expected to be completed before year end...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (29 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I am engaging with my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform as part of the budgetary process, including ensuring that we have sufficient capital, and current, budgets to meet the targets, and most importantly the need arising for households in 2021 and beyond. Of course, the term public capital housing programme is not reflective of the full breadth of social housing...