Results 17,341-17,360 of 26,886 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

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

Darragh O'Brien: I will reply to Deputy Ó Broin and give him the respect of using the title he earned by being elected to the House. If he wants me to refer to him as Eoin, I will do so also.

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

Darragh O'Brien: That is okay. All of us earnestly hope that a second wave does not present itself. If that does happen, we will consider the public health measures that would be required. The ESRI research is independent, rather than a survey on a party's website that asks people to click on a link. It has signalled the issue of potential and actual rent arrears. That is why the Bill focuses directly...

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

Darragh O'Brien: For the genuine information of Deputy McGrath, no one is looking for an extension in this grouping of amendments. I will put section 4 in context first, and then I will deal with some of the queries and points raised by other Members. It might be helpful if I set out the purpose of section 4 of the Bill. I wish to make it clear to those who tabled amendments on behalf of the Opposition,...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputies for their amendment and I understand the reason for which it was tabled. However, I cannot accept the Labour Party amendment to provide the Government with power to extend the new emergency period. I am of the view, as I stated on Second Stage, that all parties should have an input into any further legislation required in this area. I commit to facilitating that. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Commercial Rates (30 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 429, 444, 451, 460, 467, 490, 507, 525, 536, 543 and 559 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Proposed Legislation (30 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 430 and 527 together. In January 2020 my Department published the finalised General Scheme of the Marine Planning and Development Management Bill, which will provide the legislative basis for Ireland's new marine planning regime. The commitment in the Programme for Government to enact this legislation in nine months reflects the priority it has been accorded....

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 431, 440, 447, 456, 464, 486, 493, 503, 521, 532, 539, 546 and 555 together. Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority area is provided in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA). The purpose of the SSHA is to capture the total number of households qualified...

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

Darragh O'Brien: My Department operates the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan, which is targeted at first time buyers who wish to own their own home, 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 purchase their first home. As part of the eligibility criteria applicant(s) of the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan must have...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Ministerial Communications (30 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I can confirm that neither Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, my Special Adviser, nor I have used private email for any form of official Government use.  Minister of State, Deputy Malcolm Noonan has used his private email on a number of occasions for work purposes.  The majority of these concerned emails confirming arrangements for meetings; confirming details for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Ministerial Meetings (30 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Ministerial diaries are published on a regular basis by my Department.  My diary contains details of my meetings and has been published on the Department’s website at the link provided below. Preparations are currently being made for the publication of the diaries of Minister of State Burke and Minister of State Noonan.  In the meantime, details of meetings attended by the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Ministerial Advisers (30 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 435, 437 and 513 together. On the commencement of every Dáil, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform issues guidelines setting out the arrangements for the staffing of Ministerial Offices. The Guidelines for the 33rd Dáil are currently awaiting Government approval.  It should be noted that the appointment of individual Special...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (30 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: This Government is absolutely 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 housing. In terms of affordable housing, I...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (30 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 438, 442, 445, 449, 454, 458, 462, 484, 488, 491, 495, 501, 505, 519, 523, 531, 534, 537, 541, 544, 548, 553 and 557 together. In terms of measures taken by my Department to assist local authorities with the financial challenges they are experiencing since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, as a short term measure €136 million was made available...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (30 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 439, 446, 455, 463, 485, 492, 502, 520, 538, 545 and 554 together. Under the Serviced Sites Fund (SSF), €310 million has been provided to fund infrastructure to support the delivery of more affordable homes on local authority lands. With a maximum of €50,000 funding available per home, at least 6,200 more affordable homes, to buy or rent, can be...

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

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 441, 448, 457, 465, 487, 494, 504, 522, 533, 540, 547 and 556 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (30 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 443, 450, 459, 466, 489, 496, 506, 524, 535, 542, 549 and 558 together. An initial call for proposals for COVID-19 related voids funding issued to local authorities earlier this year. It was targeted at supporting authorities bring social housing homes back into use quickly to help them deal with Covid-19 restrictions and requirements. I understand that the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (30 Jul 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Commercial Rates (30 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by the independent Commissioner of Valuation pursuant to the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2015. The levying and collection of rates are matters for each individual local authority.  My Department does not hold any...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (30 Jul 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 individual fire authorities under the Fire Service Acts 1981 and 2003.  My Department supports fire authorities through general policy setting and preparing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (30 Jul 2020)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department publishes comprehensive statistics on a quarterly basis on all social housing delivery activity under Rebuilding Ireland. This is published on the statistics page of my Department's website, at the following link: . This will provide the Deputy with detailed breakdown of activity across multiple years up to end Q4 2019. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Q1 2020 returns have...