Results 9,541-9,560 of 25,880 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (24 Nov 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The distinction that is-----

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (24 Nov 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: To conclude on this question, the distinction that continues to be made by some people is between homes built by local authorities and those built by AHBs. From meeting with residents who get new homes, I know they are delighted to have well-built and secure new homes. Much AHB delivery is on local authority land, as the Deputy knows.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (24 Nov 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I understand the Deputy's question. To be clear, the targets for local authorities represent one target for delivery of local authority homes. There is one target for new builds. This is what the local authorities are given. If they partner with AHBs, and other Deputies have said that the CAS model of funding works well, then this should be done. We must look at all methods for...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (24 Nov 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputy is asking this question in isolation. He is not looking at the increase in funding we are allocating to CAS.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (24 Nov 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputy might let me answer this question first. I am not going to speculate as to what the final figure will be in this regard because delivery in quarter 4 will be very strong. I have been clear about this aspect. We are ensuring that any of the moneys not spent on specific housing projects this year will be put towards the activation of housing projects next year. I refer, for...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (24 Nov 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Yes, of course. I am just trying to answer-----

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (24 Nov 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I would like to answer the question.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (24 Nov 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputy is trying to make a distinction between one type of social home and another.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (24 Nov 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputy will also be aware that for some local authorities, particularly those in urban areas, it makes absolute sense to provide social homes and public housing on private land. It also makes sense to partner with AHBs to deliver homes faster in certain areas. The Deputy keeps coming back to this idea - and it might attract good headlines - that there is a local authority that has not...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (24 Nov 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I am trying to answer these questions.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (24 Nov 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I do not want to be accused of being evasive, so, as best as is possible, we will get the breakdown for the Deputy. Earlier, I outlined the make-up of these 600 units across different types of delivery, such as housing for seniors and those with disabilities. We will, therefore, as best as possible, get the information on this split for the Deputy.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (24 Nov 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: As already stated, the funding in question is very much focused on what we have been requested to provide, through the sector, in the context of additional homes this year. Some of these requests do relate to advanced purchase or nearer-term delivery on some sites where we are getting some units in sooner and we wish to pay for this year. As a result, some of these homes will be purchased...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (24 Nov 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The baseline review was delayed because the data from the Central Statistics Office, CSO, was delayed, as was that from the Revenue Commissioners. The LPT baseline review has been commenced. What we have done for 2023 is ensure that no local authority loses out in any way, shape or form. I have given detail, particularly around the form LPT2. The baseline review has commenced and will be...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (24 Nov 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I am. The local property tax is an important stream of income for the local authorities. It amounts to €475 million. There are those who would dispense with that and seek to have central grants from Government instead. I am confident. The baseline review needs to be done and it is being done. It has been commenced.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (24 Nov 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I am always happy to engage, if the committee sets its schedule for quarter 1 next year. In fairness, it would be useful when we have concluded this year and collated the 2022 delivery figures. I would be quite happy to come into committee, if I am still in Cabinet. I may not be. Who knows? Maybe Deputy Gould knows.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (24 Nov 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The committee schedules its business.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (24 Nov 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I am open to that. It would be useful that we could go through the final delivery of social housing, in particular, the different types of streams within it and the different types of programmes we have delivered.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (24 Nov 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I would not necessarily agree with the Deputy's last comment. What we are looking for on this is that we write down the debts on specific sites for the delivery of affordable and social housing. These are on sites that are delivered already. The Deputy is correct that it will help in the viability of those. Obviously, the first piece we want to look at is the social housing piece to...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (24 Nov 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I mentioned it earlier on. By way of approximation, it is on or about €300 million. That is what we are looking at in that space. The Deputy should not hold me exactly to that. That is an approximation.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (24 Nov 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: We already last year moved on the debt around unsold affordables quite significantly. We funded local government to levels that it has not been funded previously. The Deputy's question is a good one. If one looks at the €300 million that is there, to give the Deputy a sense of it, perhaps one third of that relates to land that would be difficult to develop. I discussed this with...