Results 7,961-7,980 of 25,858 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: That is not correct. It is a demand-led scheme. The Deputy knows that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank Deputy Higgins. I will answer her question on the tenant in situscheme first. The cost-rental backstop is in place. We have already had inquiries on that. It is being managed through the Housing Agency. I encourage people whose incomes are above the social housing limits and who cannot afford to buy the home even though the landlord is willing to sell to go to the local...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: That is the work to which I referred in response to Deputy Higgins. The €53,000 net cap is in place at present. We are working on a tiered arrangement within that and potentially looking at regional prices within it, because there are different rents in different parts of the country and different levels of income too, but that is being worked on. It will be advanced before the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I believe we will surpass what we did with regard to affordable housing last year. We have a higher target of more than 5,000 affordable homes. We will surpass what was delivered in 2022. We intend to surpass delivery on social housing output as well. The cost-rental element of purchasing with tenant in situis in place now. It is important that people know that. It is being managed...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The commission is due to report to us on that. This committee will play an important role in it. There is a commitment in the programme for Government that we will have a referendum on housing, as we will on water. There are approximately eight referendums planned by this Government, the timing of which will be a matter for the Government to decide, but I expect the Joint Oireachtas...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The waiving of these levies will only be for one year.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: This is fundamentally an activation measure. We have estimated the costs to be approximately €308 million, as I said earlier on. We want any savings that can be passed on to be passed on. One of the most significant issues is that we need to ramp up supply, where we are talking about it being across all tenures. This is a targeted measure and will last from today, 25 April, to not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I am glad the Deputy is giving me the opportunity to answer this question because there are large elements of the scheme which are actually worked through. There is one issue with regard to what level of subvention versus equity, or is one or the other, will apply? The vast bulk of these houses will be delivered through the Land Development Agency, LDA, so these will be Land Development...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Yes, and I expect the vast bulk of them - this comes from our own analysis - will be done through the LDA. They will effectively be State cost-rental homes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Yes, we are talking about the Land Development Agency, whether it is managed through an approved housing body, AHB, or not. We know what is in Project Tosaigh phase 2 and what elements of it relate to cost rental and a sizeable portion of them do as well. Cost rental is capital heavy. It is not like affordable purchase, where one gets capital back. Funding needs to be done upfront and the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Last week, Mr. Feargal Ó Coigligh may have covered with members the full rental market review we are doing. We are looking at this issue as part of the review. As the Deputy knows, and this was supported across the Houses, we have reduced the level of deposit that landlords can charge. Students are covered within the measure also. We expect to publish documentation for public...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I fully appreciate that fact. I have called for it when on the other side of the House. I also called for the abolition of strategic housing developments, SHDs, and did so once I got into government.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My point is we are going to publish that as part of the rental market review.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: As the Deputy knows, we have discussed this here before. It will be a sizeable piece of work to be undertaken on the financial side of things to have a separate entity that would protect deposits that are paid for all of our renters. We have already made some changes and I expect to do more.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I have written to the Deputy on this as well. We have engaged directly with the Department of Justice, which will be the lead on this. I will seek an update for the Deputy and I will respond. I do not have an exact date at the moment. As it is a criminal act, I would expect the Department of Justice to be the lead on it. I will get details for the Deputy and submit them to the committee.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: We are working on revisions to the cost-rental equity loan, CREL, model, which is what funds AHBs to deliver them. If we take Kildare for example, in Barnhall in Leixlip, the average monthly rental cost per unit there is about €1,250. In Newbridge in Kildare it is €1,197. As costs of development and financing have gone up, this has led to pressure on the upper limit of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I can and it gives me an opportunity to mention what Senator Boyhan mentioned as well. We are not in any way reaching into councils setting the schedules or the rates. This is a one-year measure. On a month-in-arrears basis, the councils will submit the waivers received and we will pay the full amount on a monthly basis. A slightly different process, but the same will happen with Uisce...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: It is a very fair point. That is why we introduced a fund managed by the Housing Agency to enable local authorities to buy land for social and affordable housing. That is open right now and we have received submissions from local authorities. It will help the process of the land purchasing arrangements. Kildare County Council might be used to it while others might not be. There is a...