Results 301-320 of 9,519 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: I want to talk about affordability and costs. Most of us are in agreement that the number of houses built over the next couple of years must be higher than the number arising out of the progress made under Housing for All. A figure of 50,000 was mentioned. Very few people are talking about affordability and how we can make a product that is quite expensive to build affordable for the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: I agree that we need private investment in housing. There is no doubt about it. People criticise it and use certain terminology in respect of it. However, as long as there is a transfer of affordability to the person who wishes to purchase or rent, it will be critically important. Representatives of the LDA were before the committee recently. They talked about 14,000 homes being built...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: We also passed the Affordable Housing Act. When I think of the legislation that has gone through this committee over the past four years, I sometimes wonder how I ever got to canvass at any doors. We spent most of our time here in the basement. The LDA is transformative and will deliver on the legislation we introduced. Some members supported that legislation and others did not. ...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: Does the Minister wish to respond to that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: I think Deputy Flaherty is stuck in the Dáil Chamber for the moment. Deputy Gould's story about the butchers which is now three homes is one of the successful ones. Did the owner avail of any grants or a vacant homes officer or that kind of stuff or the change of use-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: The stick was enough. Did he avail of the repair and leasing scheme or the assistance of a vacant homes officer? He also had the option not to apply for planning permission. Was that-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: Yes. It is good to see that happening.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: They are worth a lot more now and they are generating an income. I will come back to Deputy Flaherty when he is finished his Dáil duties. The next slot is mine. Last night, when we were debating the planning Bill, it was all going really well until we got into major discussions about one-off rural housing and it descended into some strange, bizarre, entertaining, if you want to call...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: They will then be issued as a section 28 ministerial guideline. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: To listen to the discussion last night, you would think it was absolutely impossible to build a one-off rural house. To clarify, the figures in the OPR are about one-off houses. They do not differentiate between one-off housing in rural and urban settings. I suspect most of them are in rural areas. That is good. We will expect to have them issued. What is the approximate time for the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: I encourage the focus on that aspect. Planning is not an exact science. We all know that. It is our best guess of what we can try to put in place to deliver what is needed. It is very helpful when there is an organisation like the OPR which provides such good research on planning. It is a real shame to see the Office of the Planning Regulator being held up as the bogeyman of all things...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: As for the right to purchase, I cannot remember the name of that Bill on which we did pre-legislative scrutiny. What was it called?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: We concluded pre-legislative scrutiny and the Department submitted a report. I just-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: Okay. We will make the space and time for Committee Stage because it is important legislation. I thank him for bringing it forward. In my last minute, I have one final question. I have a Private Member's Bill on dereliction and the regeneration of buildings. An aspect of that Bill is around a one-stop shop. The Minister's colleague, Deputy Barry Cowen, was the one who drafted the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: The vacant homes officer would be the relevant people in place to provide that guidance. I foresee the difficulties as being that sideward way of people saying this is the way we have always done it. People are afraid to deviate from a standard and a way which is working. However, we should look at something that could be introduced on a pilot basis with an appropriate level of oversight...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: It also fits into our national planning objectives of compact growth, as well as transport and climate action.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: I call Deputy Cummins.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: Sorry?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: The next two contributors are Deputy Gould and Deputy O'Callaghan. If they could be as direct and brief as possible, we will have a break and then move to discussing the Estimates, if that is okay with everybody.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: Leave it to Deputy Gould. Please finish your point, Deputy.