Results 17,121-17,140 of 26,886 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is focused on ensuring that additional social, affordable and private housing is delivered and that existing housing stock is utilised to its fullest extent including a targeted, effective and co-ordinated approach to identifying and tackling vacancy across Ireland.  In terms of affordable housing for purchase, the statutory basis for the delivery of affordable housing...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The recently published guidance issued by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on Ministerial Appointments allow for 2 Special Advisers to be appointed to each Minister by Government, in accordance with overall staffing limits.  At this stage, no Special Advisers have been formally appointed to my Department by the Government. I have, however, assigned Ciara Shaughnessy to...

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

Darragh O'Brien: Under the Serviced Sites Fund (SSF), €310 million funding has been made available to local authorities to provide infrastructure to support the delivery of more affordable new homes on local authority lands.  With a maximum of €50,000 infrastructure funding available per home, at least 6,200 more affordable homes, to buy or rent, can be facilitated.  The funding...

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

Darragh O'Brien: In light of the impacts of the Covid-19 emergency, the Government, on 29 March 2020, made an Order under section 251A of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, which resulted in the extension of time for a range of specified or appropriate periods and timelines in the Planning Acts and associated planning regulations. Further orders were signed on 16 April 2020 and 9 May 2020, the...

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

Darragh O'Brien: With effect from 1 August 2020, the Residential Tenancies and Valuation Act 2020 protects tenants facing rent arrears from any rent increase or tenancy termination prior to 11 January 2021, subject to the tenant making an appropriate declaration. Currently I have no plans to prohibit tenancy termination, in any other circumstance, in Dublin on foot of its rating at level 3 under the...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The specific information requested by the Deputy is not available in my Department. The staffing arrangements, including recruitment and the detailed role and functions of the posts within a local authority, are a matter for the individual local authorities. In accordance with section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, the Chief Executive of the local authority makes such staffing...

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides funding on an annual basis under the Disabled Persons Grants (DPGs) scheme to local authorities for adaptations and extensions to the existing social housing stock to meet the needs of local authority tenants.  The scheme applies to works that are necessary to address the needs of older people or people with a disability.  This may involve...

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

Darragh O'Brien: In December 2018 my Department published the National Taking in Charge Initiative Report, which considered the issues associated with residential estates that are not taken-in-charge, including a subset of estates that depend on stand-alone developer provided water infrastructure for the provision of their water services. This report included a recommendation to introduce a...

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

Darragh O'Brien: As Minister with policy and legislative responsibility for fire safety and the provision of fire services by local authorities, my primary concern, as set out in the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003, is that local authority provided fire services are meeting their statutory obligations in respect of provision of fire services and fire safety. Fire services are provided in Ireland by local...

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department uses workforce planning processes to identify the critical resource needs required to deliver its business goals.  Workforce planning is a key tool in enabling my Department to forecast its current and future staffing needs (subject to the limits of the annual estimates process, the usual budgetary constraints and approvals by the Department of Public Expenditure and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Regeneration Projects (24 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Cork Event Centre is included as a commitment under Project Ireland 2040 and it underlines the Government’s objectives around urban regeneration, enhanced amenity and heritage, associated quality of life standards, balanced regional development, and the regeneration and development of Cork City Centre. It was agreed in the context of Budget 2020 that responsibility at central...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Invasive Plant Species (24 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Invasive alien species legislation is contained within the Wildlife Acts and the European Communities (Birds & Natural Habitats) Regulations, SI 477 of 2011. Legal responsibility for the eradication, containment or management of invasive alien species resides with the landowner.

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

Darragh O'Brien: The regular management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, is a matter for each relevant local authority, and it is open to each authority to address maintenance or improvements to their housing stock from within their own resources. However, my Department also supports local authorities to improve their social housing stock through a range of programmes energy retrofitting,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Home Loan Scheme (24 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing Agency provides a central support service which assesses applications for the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan on behalf of local authorities and makes recommendations to the authorities to approve or refuse applications. Each local authority must have in place a credit committee and it is a matter for the committee to make the decision on applications for loans, in accordance with...

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

Darragh O'Brien: An Bord Pleanála was established in 1977 under the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1976 and is an independent statutory body responsible for the determination of appeals and certain other matters under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, and the determination of applications for strategic infrastructure development including major road and railway cases....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Accommodation Scheme (24 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: As of 30 June 2020, there were 17,887 active tenancies supported under the Rental Accommodation Scheme.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Hare Coursing (24 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 121 and 124 together. On 16 September last my Department issued licenses under the Wildlife Acts to the Irish Coursing Club on behalf of its affiliated clubs to net and tag hares for the forthcoming 2020/2021 coursing season.The licenses are published on the website of the National Parks and Wildlife Service at the following link: .

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

Darragh O'Brien: The most recent amendments to the taking in charge provisions of the planning code were made in the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2018 with a view to further strengthening and streamlining the taking-in-charge process. I have no current plans to conduct a review of the taking-in-charge provisions of the Act. Management companies are not covered under the taking in charge process,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Charges (24 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning and delivery. Irish Water charging policy is also subject to approval by the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU). In this regard, my Department is maintaining close contact with Irish Water in relation to its response to the COVID-19 Emergency, while also liaising with...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (24 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I am aware that that there have been a number of deaths of individuals accessing homeless services this year and I would take the opportunity to offer my condolences to the family and friends of those individuals. However, my Department does not hold specific details in this regard. Supporting households experiencing homelessness is a priority for this Government and the Programme for...