Results 7,221-7,240 of 25,844 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Cost Rental Tenant In Situ Scheme: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: We intend to expand the rent-a-room scheme to people in social housing who are social housing tenants. There are some criteria and we are working through them. It is a decision the Government made. We want to ensure that the income will be disregarded from any social welfare entitlement that people may have. Not every tenant will have a social welfare entitlement. This is the intention...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Cost Rental Tenant In Situ Scheme: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: There are some complexities in it. The Government made a decision that we want to expand the rent-a-room scheme to social housing. It cannot be clearer.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Cost Rental Tenant In Situ Scheme: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: We have discussed this in the Dáil but I want to give the Deputy figures for Limerick. Limerick City and County Council is a merged local authority. The base target was set at 75 for purchase for tenants in situand the pipeline is 179. It is performing very well.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Cost Rental Tenant In Situ Scheme: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: STAR is the secure tenancy affordable rental investment scheme. It is to activate further properties for cost rental. We are looking at a State subvention per unit, or investment by way of equity, of up to €150,000 per unit. We got approval to do this in the middle of the year from the Government. We have some large cost-rental schemes that we can get going and get off the ground....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Cost Rental Tenant In Situ Scheme: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: It will be an opportunity to unlock further potential on cost rental. With regard to the changes we have made that I referred to, in March the net income limit was set at €53,000. We did research on the level of income to which we could increase this to make sure that the people we wanted the schemes to reach could get into them. From 1 August, the net income limit for Dublin is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Cost Rental Tenant In Situ Scheme: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing Agency manages it and it assesses each proposal on an open book basis. Then it comes to us to sign off and approve.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Cost Rental Tenant In Situ Scheme: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: STAR is for cost rental.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Cost Rental Tenant In Situ Scheme: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: We will consider Focus Ireland's proposal. Its representatives sit on the national homeless action committee. We do a lot of work with Mr. Pat Dennigan, Mr. Mike Allen and others. Many of the changes to cost-rental tenancies in situand the purchase with tenants in situhave emanated from the NGOs with which we are working. We will consider that proposal and are doing so.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Cost Rental Tenant In Situ Scheme: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The scheme is working very well. We will consider the proposal. We want to make sure we are not incentivising sales and we must be careful about that. We have had issues in a small number of instances where people know the State is purchasing the properties and the price has gone way above what the market price would be. The Deputy will appreciate that we have to be careful about how we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Cost Rental Tenant In Situ Scheme: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I will go through each of the Dublin allocations. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown had an allocation of 50. In the pipeline now are 54. For Fingal, the baseline target was 125. It now has 329 in the pipeline. The baseline target for South Dublin County Council was 150. It now has 285 in the pipeline. We are not telling anyone-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Cost Rental Tenant In Situ Scheme: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: We are encouraging all local authorities where we can. It sometimes depends on what properties come to sale. That is also an issue that impacts what local authorities can do. As I said earlier, I expect we will spend in the region of €300 million on this scheme this year. This is the most significant purchase scheme with tenants in situever. I understood there was comment and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Cost Rental Tenant In Situ Scheme: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I am glad the Senator has raised that point. Guidance has been given. Working that through on housing need was an issue at the start. In some instances, people may be underaccommodated. A family of four might be in a two-bedroom apartment, but to secure the tenancy, the property may be purchased with the understanding that the family may transfer somewhere else. The same applies for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Cost Rental Tenant In Situ Scheme: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: We are encouraging local authorities. It is not about beating up those that are below their baseline targets. Only four of the 31 local authorities are behind their annual baseline targets. Twenty-seven are either on schedule or ahead of schedule. That is a quick tally but I think I am correct.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Cost Rental Tenant In Situ Scheme: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Those four local authorities are behind their targets.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Cost Rental Tenant In Situ Scheme: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: There is. Some of these sales will be closed but we will not get the claims for them until later in the year or early next year. They are not all going to come in this calendar year. As I said earlier, I expect them to spend approximately €300 million, based on what we are projecting. Will all of that be in this year's expenditure? I cannot guarantee that. It depends when the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Cost Rental Tenant In Situ Scheme: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: We have had 43 applications so far and 29 eligibility certificates issued. It is relatively small, but these are households or families who like where they are living and want to buy it, were not able to up to now and can buy them now. That is increasing as well. We get that regularly. I have to say the team in South Dublin are doing an excellent job.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Cost Rental Tenant In Situ Scheme: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: We provided an additional 360 staff alone across local authorities. I met with both chief executives in the Deputy's area - Cork city and county - earlier today. The market out there is pretty hot for people. Vacancies are not filled as quickly as they would have been because we have nearly full employment in the country, but many of the roles have been filled. Sanction is given. I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Cost Rental Tenant In Situ Scheme: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: A property does not have to put on the open market. The notice to quit has to be issued. That has to be served. The property does not have to go out on the open market. You can decide to deal directly with the local authority.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Cost Rental Tenant In Situ Scheme: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: There is a need to allow discretion to local authorities in the purchase of vacant properties. They are embarked on a significant purchase of a tenant in situproperty. In some instances, it will be that a local authority - I get these queries too - will say it has its quota or quotient of social housing in this area and that it needs a mix, such as some affordable, cost-rental or whatever....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Cost Rental Tenant In Situ Scheme: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank Deputy Flaherty. I would make two points. As we are building up our housing stock - there is a desire for people to purchase social homes as well - we need to catch up and get our stock levels back up. There was a sale of properties in this jurisdiction and other jurisdictions, diminishing the housing stock. Any Part V social homes cannot be purchases. Other homes can be. I have...