Results 17,321-17,340 of 26,886 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Undefined (8 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: There are a range of funding and delivery mechanisms available to local authorities to deliver social housing supports in partnership with Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs). The funding is provided directly to local authorities, who in turn, advance the funding to AHBs, as appropriate. Sue Ryder Homes are provided by the Sue Ryder Foundation, which receives funding from local authorities, as...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fuel Poverty (8 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 437 and 438 together. My Department has operated an Energy Efficiency Retrofitting Programme for local authority social housing since 2013, under which over 72,000 social homes have been insulated to date with funding support of some €151 million. The programme improves the insulation standards and overall energy performance of local authority...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (8 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: Departmental Offices (8 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The civil service accommodation facilities allocated to my Department outside of Dublin City are situated at office locations in Wexford, Ballina and Cork. In addition, Met Éireann has weather stations located throughout the country. The number of vacant desk spaces available in accommodation allocated to my Department in civil service accommodation outside of Dublin City is set out...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (8 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Louth County Council submitted applications for funding support for two projects under Call 2 of the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund. The final date for the submission of applications under Call 2 was 29 May. A large number of proposals were received, with every local authority submitting at least one application for URDF support. Because of the nature of the URDF programme the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Ministerial Advisers (8 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 443 and 447 together. 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, either directly or by...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (8 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Delivery of social housing is achieved using a range of different delivery programmes and financing arrangements. This includes supporting both local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to engage with contractors for the construction of new social housing homes. In recent years, the main source of funding to AHBs for social housing delivery, including turnkey projects, is through...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Rates (8 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The levying and collection of rates are legally matters for each individual local authority. Local authorities are under 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 early May. In order to enhance the supports available for enterprise, and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (8 Sep 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: The 2020 target for additional Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) set-ups is 15,750 and at the end of Q2 2020, 7,825 HAP tenancies had been set up (49%). My Department is not aware that the increase in people working from home is impacting on the HAP scheme. Under the HAP scheme, in order to secure appropriate accommodation for a household that requires it, each local authority has...

Gnó na Dála - Business of Dáil (30 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: This is not a point of order.

Residential Tenancies and Valuation Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: No. What I am saying is that such tenants are not covered under these protections.

Residential Tenancies and Valuation Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: They can-----

Residential Tenancies and Valuation Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: That is not appropriate. If Deputy Ó Broin does not wish to hear the proper legal advice or a response to the amendments that have been tabled, that is fine. A tenant who wreaks havoc and engages in serious anti-social behaviour will not be protected under this legislation. It is as simple as that. Deputy Ó Broin can carry on in the disrespectful manner in which he has been...

Residential Tenancies and Valuation Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I have listened to Tadhg an dá thaobh for most of the day, so let us just focus on what we need to do to bring in real protections for people. The key focus of section 4 is to assist tenants faced with adverse economic impacts on foot of the Covid-19 pandemic and who find themselves unable to pay rent and at a significant risk of having their tenancy terminated. It is not the case that...

Residential Tenancies and Valuation Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Members for their contributions and the amendments that have been put forward. I will deal individually with the items that have been raised. Perhaps I will deal with the section first and then try to respond to the queries. We have to look at the provisions that are in place now and the basis of those provisions, which is emergency legislation. What I and the Government will...

Residential Tenancies and Valuation Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Let us be clear about it. If we are being adult and honest about it, that is what it is seeking in its amendment. The declaration does not mean that a tenant or relevant person engaging in anti-social behaviour will be allowed to wreak havoc until January 2021. I heard Deputy Ó Broin comment on this both publicly and privately. That person's tenancy can be terminated in accordance...

Residential Tenancies and Valuation Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I move amendment No. 6: In page 5, to delete lines 16 to 18 and substitute the following: "(3) Section 6 of the Act of 2004 is amended, in subsection (1), by the insertion immediately after "this Act" of "orsection 4of the Residential Tenancies and Valuation Act 2020.". These are very technical amendments that are just for drafting purposes to tidy up the language. I have nothing...

Residential Tenancies and Valuation Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I move amendment No. 7: In page 5, to delete line 19 and substitute the following: "(4)Section 9 of the Act of 2004 is amended by—".

Residential Tenancies and Valuation Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputies for raising their various points. I will shortly deal with the specific queries Deputy Boyd Barrett had. Swearing a declaration is not a new provision. It is illegal to make a false declaration. That is not new and refers to a previous Act. In instances where somebody unintentionally does so, the RTB will obviously have discretion and will be asked to exercise its...

Residential Tenancies and Valuation Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I am not shaking my head.