Results 161-180 of 11,074 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien in 'Written Answers'

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: House Prices (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 861 and 893 together. The Government has targeted delivery of 54,000 affordable homes between now and 2030, to be facilitated by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies, the Land Development Agency and via the First Home scheme, a strategic partnership between the State and retail banks. My Department is supporting this affordable housing delivery by local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 862 and 892 together. Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. This includes an average of 10,000 new build social homes each year in the period to 2030. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4bn per annum, through an overall...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department publishes comprehensive programme-level statistics on social housing delivery activity in all local authority areas on the statistics page of its website. The data requested in relation to HAP tenancies for the period 2019 to end of Q1 2024 can be found on my Department’s website at this link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provis...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: All local authorities are fully supported by my Department to purchase and renovate former shops, other commercial premises or any suitable premises in town centres, in order to make them available as social housing. In such situations, our local authorities can utilise the capital funding programmes available from my Department for social housing and there is no cap or restriction on the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 866, 890 and 898 together. Pathway 4 of Housing for All sets out a blueprint to address vacancy and make efficient use of our existing housing stock. The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, introduced in July 2022 under the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund, supports bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use as homes. A grant of up to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Work Permits (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 868 and 869 together. My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of local authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of emergency accommodation and related services for homeless...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as a quasi-judicial independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2024 (the RTA) to operate a national tenancy registration system and to facilitate the resolution of disputes between landlords and tenants. Section 134 of the RTA requires a landlord to apply to the RTB to register a tenancy of a dwelling within one...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Section 94 of the Regulation of Building Providers of Building Works and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022, amended the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 (the RTA), to require all Notices of Termination (NoTs) to be copied to the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB). Upon receipt, the RTB is required, inter alia, to provide to the tenant and landlord a statement summarising their rights and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Legislative Measures (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Planning and Development Bill 2023 (the Bill) has a number of provisions relating to public rights of way. Section 51(2) of the administrative reprint version of the Bill as amended at Seanad Committee Stage provides that a development management statement may include objectives for a range of matters including “preserving a specific public right of way, including a public right of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Solar Energy Guidelines (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: It remains the case that, as with the large majority of development types, there are currently no specific planning guidelines in place in respect of solar energy developments. Proposals for individual solar energy developments are subject to the statutory requirements of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, in the same manner as other proposed developments, with planning...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Renewable Energy Generation (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The planning systems plays an important role in the delivery of renewable energy development and related development, from both a legislative and a policy perspective. The Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) provides the basis for plan-making and decision-making within the planning system in respect of solar energy development and battery storage. This legislative framework will be...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 878 to 882, inclusive, together. In 2021 a new holistic approach was applied to the Local Authority Energy Efficient Retrofit Programme (EERP), designed around the Programme for Government's commitment led by the Department for the Environment, Climate and Communications that calls for the 'retrofit' of 500,000 homes to a B2/Cost Optimal Equivalent (BER)...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) has been identified as a key measure to address the different housing needs in Ireland and methods to support the development of MMC in Ireland are set out in Housing for All. In December 2022, funding of €94m was provided to local authorities to address legacy land debts. The provision of this funding was linked to the immediate development of a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a form of social housing support available for people who have a long-term housing need. Any household assessed as eligible for social housing is immediately eligible for HAP. Under the HAP scheme, tenants source their own accommodation in the private rented market. The accommodation sourced by tenants should be within the prescribed maximum HAP rent...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Applications for social housing support are assessed by the relevant local authority, in accordance with the eligibility and need criteria set down in section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended. A revised Social Housing Support Application Form was introduced with effect from 19 April 2021. The new...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department's role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at a local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless services rests with individual housing authorities. My Department does not fund any homeless service directly...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Water Services Acts 2007-2022 set out the arrangements in place for the delivery of water and wastewater services by Uisce Éireann and further set out the scrutiny and oversight provisions that apply in respect of these arrangements. Uisce Éireann has statutory responsibility for all aspects of the planning, delivery and operation of water and wastewater services at national,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 894 and 895 together. Local Authority Home Loan The Local Authority Home Loan is a Government-backed mortgage for creditworthy applicants who cannot get sufficient funding from commercial banks to purchase or build a home. It has been available nationwide from local authorities since 4 January 2022 for first-time buyers and fresh start applicants. The loan can...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 896 and 897 together. The Local Authority Home Loan is a Government backed mortgage scheme for creditworthy applicants who cannot get sufficient funding from commercial banks to purchase or build a home. It has been available nationwide from local authorities since 4 January 2022 for first-time buyers and fresh start applicants. The loan can be used both for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the scheme. The scheme is underpinned by the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 and the Housing (Sale of Local Authority Houses) Regulations 2015, as amended by the Housing (Sale of Local Authority Houses) (Amendment) Regulations...