Results 4,301-4,320 of 5,950 for speaker:Paul McAuliffe

Ceisteanna Eile – Other Questions: Housing Provision (25 Jan 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: I thank the Minister. I emphasise the importance of ensuring we put pressure on local authorities and approved housing bodies to deliver. They have been out of practice for some time. We are back in the business now of local authorities leading. I get the impression from the Opposition, particularly Sinn Féin as it criticises us, that it no longer criticises us on policy but on the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (25 Jan 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: 144. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of his plans to implement the shared equity home loan scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3354/22]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jan 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: During the general election campaign, the overwhelming majority of members of the committee committed to try to increase the supply of housing. A large majority of the committee believe that we should do that by increasing the supply of public housing using AHBs and local authorities. If we answer that question in 2021 with the publication of Housing for All and the multi-annual budget, the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jan 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: In the case of those 25 sites, therefore, the funding and policy instruments are available. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jan 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: There is an estimate that those 25 greenfield sites could accommodate 2,000 units. That would represent a significant supply with all of them on public land owned by Dublin City Council, with no other ownership and so on. Is the Department ensuring that the council follows through on the obligations to deliver that given that it is probably one of the largest opportunities to allow urban...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jan 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: The question that many local representatives have is whether it is a priority. We know the tools are there but are we waiting on Dublin City Council to have the ambition for this or is the Department monitoring that ambition?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jan 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: I have published an update on each of those 25 sites. I appreciate that Dublin City Council is being monitored. If it fails to live up to the ambition of the Department and the members of this committee, how will the Department react? Are there sanctions it may put in place?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jan 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: I accept that. Many other representatives have spoken about the importance of urban regeneration and its complexity with multiple stakeholders and so on but here we have a town that was long promised regeneration. All the tools are on the table. There is a single local authority and a single housing authority and all of it remains in public housing. If we cannot deliver urban regeneration...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jan 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: There needs to be a recommendation in the report that there should be greater transparency around the targets and places. While overall targets can be met, we are talking about communities and towns. These are places that need that regeneration, rather than targets being met elsewhere. I take Ms Graham's point. Moving on to private sites, I turn to another area in my constituency, which...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jan 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: Will urban towns in Dublin be able to access Croí Cónaithe?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jan 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: I return to my previous question. When will private owners be able to apply for Croí Cónaithe, towns or cities?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jan 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: Lastly, we have a very welcome development where an old, historical building, Ashgrove House in Finglas, is now being used for social housing. There was no policy instrument required there, just the ambition of a great AHB. What are we doing to ensure that AHBs identify these sites, purchase them and turn them into social housing, using all the existing instruments available?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jan 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: Again, I believe we have to monitor the ambition in that area as much as the delivery. Targets are no good if we do not meet them.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jan 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: First, I must apologise to the other witnesses with whom I have not engaged today. I very much appreciate the submissions they have made and have no doubt that this committee will try to include as many as possible in its final report. I am using my time to question the Department but perhaps if we had more modules, we might have been able to call witnesses to separate meetings. I wish...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jan 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: I am sorry to interrupt but is Mr. Hogan saying that this will be available to both new communities and existing communities?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jan 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: That is part of a much bigger debate and is very welcome. There has been some discussion of CPOs and enhanced CPOs. When will that full range of policy tools be available to local authorities? There is a lot of concern about reticence at local authority level, which is based on experience. They have spent millions of euro on CPOs that have not delivered anything. What can we do to...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 33: Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Programme E - Broadcasting (20 Jan 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: Is Deputy Verona Murphy ahead of me?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 33: Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Programme E - Broadcasting (20 Jan 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: Let me move to restate the comments made by Deputy Hourigan. I and my party are significantly supportive of the idea of a publicly funded broadcaster. Throughout the pandemic in particular, we have seen key programmes on RTÉ like “Morning Ireland” and “The Late Late Show” which have been crucial in communicating important public health messages, and...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 33: Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Programme E - Broadcasting (20 Jan 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: Is there a total figure for the DAB trial?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 33: Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Programme E - Broadcasting (20 Jan 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: I accept that if RTÉ was not to be an early adopter of technology, it would also be a bad thing. However, it is important that we know what it costs. What lessons might be learned or savings might be taken for other formats other than IP? Do we know how many listeners to RTÉ radio and television programmes now use smart speakers?