Results 17,201-17,220 of 26,886 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Housing Provision (22 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 364 and 365 together. The current position in relation to the refusal by households of offers of social housing dwellings is set down in Regulation 12 of the Social Housing Allocation Regulations 2011, made under section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009. Under Regulation 12, a household that refuses two reasonable offers of such...

Ban on Rent Increases Bill 2020: Second Stage [Private Members] (17 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I am indeed. I will have nine minutes and they will each have three. I will look into the matter Deputy Ó Broin mentioned. Where I was today in Adamstown, I saw fantastic work that has taken place and continues to take place. This is also the case in other parts of south Dublin like Killinarden where the Deputy's own party opposed 100 social homes and 300 affordable homes as part of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Air Quality (17 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I understand that the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 sets out the main provisions in relation to the safety health and welfare of people at work. This legislation is under the remit of my colleague the Minister of Business, Enterprise and Innovation and is overseen by the Health and Safety Authority. In addition, the Department of Health has a role in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Monuments (17 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I assume the Deputy is referring to an archaeological survey undertaken in 2017 on behalf of Wexford County Council to further assess the findings of a previous survey and to determine the presence or otherwise of additional archaeological features associated with the Vinegar Hill battlefield site. The survey was licenced by my Department under the National Monuments Acts. The survey...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Offshore Exploration (17 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: In respect to issuing of and consultation on exploratory offshore licenses the local authorities have no functions in this regard.  Functional responsibility of the local authorities ends at the high water mark and the seaward side out to 12 nautical miles is a shared responsibility, depending on the activity being licensed, between myself and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (17 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities have a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes.  An initial three-month waiver of rates for businesses forced to close business due to COVID-19, was announced in May.  In order to enhance the supports available for enterprise, and in recognition of the fact that not only were many ratepayers forced to close business due to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Home Loan Scheme (17 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan is designed to enable credit-worthy first-time buyers to access sustainable mortgage lending to purchase new or second-hand properties in a suitable price range. The scheme is targeted at first-time buyers who have access to an adequate deposit and have the capacity to repay a mortgage, but who are unable to access a mortgage sufficient for them to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Sites (17 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Under the vacant site levy provisions in the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015, planning authorities were empowered to apply a vacant site levy of 3% of the market valuation of relevant properties which were listed on local authority vacant site registers in 2018, which relevant owners were liable to pay in January 2019. The rate of the levy increased to 7% for sites listed on local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme (17 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing (Sale of Local Authority Houses) Regulations 2015, provide the basis for the current Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme, which came into operation on 1 January 2016, which allows local authorities to sell local authority owned dwellings to existing social housing tenants. The Scheme does not extend to houses owned by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs). Under the terms of the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Animal Culls (16 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 47 to 49, inclusive, together. I am aware of some delays in my Department this year in processing deer hunting licence applications and I am aware that many deer hunters have not received their licences yet this year.    The delays arise as a result of the ongoing Covid-19 public health emergency and the effects this has had on...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Constitutional Amendments (16 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government provides that the Government will refer the issue of the environment, including water, and its place in the Constitution, to a relevant Joint Oireachtas Committee for consideration.  I and my Department look forward to engaging with the relevant Committee when work proceeds on this issue. 

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Monuments (16 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 51 and 54 together. Part IV of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, gives primary responsibility to local authorities to identify and protect the architectural heritage by including particular structures on the Record of Protected Structures (RPS). Inclusion on the RPS places a duty of care on the owners and occupiers of protected structures...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Disability Support Services (16 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 52 and 56 together. My Department provides funding every year for the Disabled Persons Grant (DPG) scheme and the Housing Adaptations Grant for Older People and People with a Disability scheme. While both schemes are administered directly by the local authorities they operate independently with separate funding streams,  the main...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Safety (16 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of fire authorities under the Fire Services Act, 1981.  My Department supports fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central training programme,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Weather Events (16 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Met Éireann is the National Meteorological Service of Ireland and one of its most important roles is to issue weather forecasts and warnings for Ireland. The Public Weather Service provided by Met Éireann prioritises the protection of life and ensuring citizen safety. The service also supports the activities of the citizen and other agencies to mitigate damage to property and reduce...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Disability Support Services (16 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department provides funding under the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability, to assist people in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs.  The grants include the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability, the Mobility Aids Grant and the Housing Aid for Older People, which are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (16 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of fire authorities under the Fire Services Act, 1981.  My Department supports fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central training programme,...

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

Darragh O'Brien: The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive (2011/92/EU), as amended by Directive 2014/52/EU, and the UN Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (the Espoo Convention) both set out the obligations of Member States/Parties to assess the environmental impact of certain activities or proposed development at an early stage of planning. They also lay down...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Licence Applications (15 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 323, 326 and 347 together. I am aware of some delays in my Department this year in processing deer hunting licence applications and I am aware that many deer hunters have not received their licenses yet this year. The delays arise as a result of the ongoing Covid-19 public health emergency and the effects this has had on travel and working...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Flood Prevention Measures (15 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The Office of Public Works (OPW) is the lead State body for the coordination and implementation of Government policy on the management of flood risk in Ireland. I understand from the OPW that to address the issue of flooding in Bandon, the Flood Relief Scheme that commenced in 2016 is now nearing completion. The flood relief scheme is mainly a dredged solution and while construction...