Results 1,921-1,940 of 25,713 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Derelict Sites (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Addressing vacancy and dereliction and making efficient use of existing housing stock is a key priority for Government. The Vacant Homes Action Plan, which I published in January 2023, built on Pathway 4 of Housing for All and set out the various actions that were being pursued to return vacant properties back into use as homes. In April this year, I published an update on the Action Plan...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 592 and 593 together. While my Department has an oversight role in strategic workforce planning within the local government sector, section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001 provides that each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he or she is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Road Projects (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Overall responsibility for roads policy and funding for the implementation of transport strategies is a matter for the Minister for Transport. Kildare County Council as the Roads Authority, is responsible for the management of the road network in its administrative area. Notwithstanding the above, the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) is providing part-funding for some...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Stations (5 Nov 2024)

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 Services Act 1981 & 2003. My Department supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: An Bord Pleanála (the Board) is the national independent statutory body with responsibility for the determination of planning appeals and direct applications for strategic infrastructure and other developments under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, and certain other Acts. The information requested regarding timelines is not held by my Department as the determination of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: As the Deputy is aware, I commenced the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) on 22 June 2023, which provides for the current grant scheme, and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023. Prior to the commencement of the current scheme, I signed amendments that allowed relevant homeowners in counties Mayo and Donegal who lodged...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All includes a commitment to review income eligibility for social housing. From this review, completed in November 2021, it was recommended moving five local authorities from Band 3 to Band 2, ensuring the income eligibility thresholds better reflect housing costs in those counties. Government also agreed to increase the baseline income thresholds by €5,000 for all local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Waterways Ireland (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I last met the CEO of Waterways Ireland at the twenty-ninth North South Ministerial Council Inland Waterways Sectoral meeting which was held at the Canal Stores, Clones, County Monaghan on 19 June 2024. The meeting was attended by myself, my colleague Malcolm Noonan TD, Minister of State with responsibility for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform, John O’Dowd MLA, Minister for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Equipment (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Mobile phones are issued to staff for work related purposes according to the OGCIO Mobile Phone Policy. The number of handsets issued and the overall expenditure on handsets and phone bills is set out in the table below. The total bills include the costs of new handsets issued, and those already in existence. 2022 2023 2024 Handsets...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001 provides that each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which they are responsible. Therefore, I have no role in relation to individual employment contracts. In all instances, personnel with queries in relation to their employment terms...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I commenced the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) on 22 June 2023 which contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023. The scheme is open to applications in five counties: Clare, Donegal, Limerick, Mayo and Sligo with comprehensive information of all aspects of the Scheme available on my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (5 Nov 2024)

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 Services Act 1981 & 2003. My Department supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 (“the CPR”) sets out rules for the marketing of construction products in the EU, regardless of where the construction products are manufactured e.g. in Ireland, in other EU Member States, Northern Ireland, Great Britain or other third countries. Where a construction product covered by a harmonised European standard such as a concrete block is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: With the agreement of Government, the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, prepared legislation to give effect to changes in the retirement age for members of the uniformed services. The provisions, which amend the relevant legislation to give effect to this Government decision, were included in Part 11 of the Courts, Civil Law, Criminal Law and Superannuation...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Planning and Development Act 2024 (“Act of 2024”) was signed into law by the President of Ireland on 17 October 2024. My Department is currently putting arrangements in place to implement a phased commencement of the Act of 2024 to facilitate the transition to the new legislation across the planning system, taking into account the need to liaise with local authorities,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: An Bord Pleanála (the Board) is the national independent statutory body with responsibility for the determination of planning appeals and direct applications for strategic infrastructure and other developments under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, and certain other Acts. Under Article 215 of the Planning and Development Regulations, the Health and Safety Authority...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The question raised is a matter for the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Apartments and duplexes built between 1991 and 2013 with defects caused by defective design, workmanship or materials that breached the Building Regulations that applied when the property was built will qualify for remediation under the Apartment and Duplex Defects Remediation Scheme. The Interim Remediation Scheme for the funding of eligible emergency fire safety defect works in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I commenced the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) on 22 June 2023 which contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023. The Grant Scheme applies to the owners of dwellings located in designated local authorities, which are damaged due to the use of defective concrete blocks and provided the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (5 Nov 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Housing for All commits to developing proposals to review the existing differential rent system and to provide for a standardised, national local authority social housing rent model. The objective is to develop and implement a model that provides the best blend between fairness, progressivity and sustainability. My Department has completed an initial scoping exercise to determine the...