Results 1,141-1,160 of 2,189 for speaker:Richard O'Donoghue

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022: Discussion (23 Jun 2022)

Richard O'Donoghue: Mr. Doherty is 100% right. That has been taken off the table but it now needs to be looked at by the Government to say that it must come back in. That is a sizeable amount of money that would go a long way to helping with redress.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022: Discussion (23 Jun 2022)

Richard O'Donoghue: That to me is absolutely disgraceful. It is one thing they could actually go along with. It is also very easy to police because an invoice could still be issued including the VAT and then it would go back to Revenue with a zero VAT rating on it for people who have pyrite or mica in their houses. It could very easily be looked at and very easily managed. It would be transparent across the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022: Discussion (23 Jun 2022)

Richard O'Donoghue: Based upon the problem which we seem to have in areas of this country at the moment with pyrite and mica, would it not be the right thing to core test every house that will be retrofitted in this country before one retrofits it? The information coming back is showing that houses in certain areas would have a minimum amount of insulation in their cavities and when their cavities are pumped...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022: Discussion (23 Jun 2022)

Richard O'Donoghue: I am asking our witnesses for their opinion on this matter.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022: Discussion (23 Jun 2022)

Richard O'Donoghue: Well, it is-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022: Discussion (23 Jun 2022)

Richard O'Donoghue: We will move then to the engineers, who may want to answer this question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022: Discussion (23 Jun 2022)

Richard O'Donoghue: Perhaps Mr. Forde has experience of this matter.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022: Discussion (23 Jun 2022)

Richard O'Donoghue: With Mr. Forde's vast amount of experience would he not agree that prevention would be better than cure and that a core test is done to ensure we are not accelerating the issue of pyrite in houses?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022: Discussion (23 Jun 2022)

Richard O'Donoghue: I will move on from that. On 8 February a retrofit grant system was launched for this country and the SCSI was present at the launch. The figures given on the day were from October. I deal with quantity surveyors on a daily and weekly basis. I understand that regions can vary and that the price per square foot can change but quantity surveyors are usually given between two and three weeks...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022: Discussion (23 Jun 2022)

Richard O'Donoghue: I have a quick question before we run out of time. If your house burns down tomorrow morning you have to bring it back to today's regulatory standards. You do not have to go back in time to the regulations from 20 years ago or from ten years ago. You bring it up to today's standards so that is the square foot price that you would be quoted for today.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022: Discussion (23 Jun 2022)

Richard O'Donoghue: I thank the witnesses for coming in. Mr. Benson said the engineer is not responsible for the foundations he does not put in. He is wrong. The engineer is responsible for the foundations on top of which he puts a structure. He is completely wrong in the information he just gave. Any engineer who has put a structure on top of an existing foundation is required to do all the tests to the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022: Discussion (23 Jun 2022)

Richard O'Donoghue: Does Mr. Benson know the cost for a person building a house on top of an existing foundation?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022: Discussion (23 Jun 2022)

Richard O'Donoghue: Is that based on a house of 2,000 sq. ft.?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022: Discussion (23 Jun 2022)

Richard O'Donoghue: In today's rates, it would be 1,944 sq. ft.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022: Discussion (23 Jun 2022)

Richard O'Donoghue: I will clarify the figures I gave. They did not include demolition of the property. The figure does not add up to 1,900-odd square feet. Demolition costs bring us back to approximately 1,730 sq. ft. There is also the builder's finish, which does not include all of the furnishings the homeowner takes out of the house and has to put back in. In an average house, that cost is €10,000...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022: Discussion (23 Jun 2022)

Richard O'Donoghue: -----unless they had done massive research.

Insurance Reform: Statements (22 Jun 2022)

Richard O'Donoghue: Since the action plan for insurance reform was published in December 2020, I would like to think it has brought transparency to the insurance industry. I understand that price walking or loyalty penalties will be illegal by July of this year. The Central Bank has banned this practice from 1 July. Did the Minister of State know that if one half of a married couple gets penalty points, and...

Respite Care Services: Motion [Private Members] (22 Jun 2022)

Richard O'Donoghue: I thank the Independent Group for bringing this motion forward. Respite care centres are a gift in any community and can give those in need of care a break and give the family carer a respite from caring. In our community we are fortunate to have the Dromcollogher Respite Care Centre, which is a wonderful strength and resource. It is open to all areas in our rural community. Respite...

Our Lady's Hospital Navan Emergency Services: Motion [Private Members] (21 Jun 2022)

Richard O'Donoghue: I welcome this motion on Navan hospital, but I am devastated and heartbroken for the people of Limerick, Clare, Tipperary and north Kerry. The manner in which they and staff have been treated by the management of UHL is shocking. Last Friday's HIQA report on UHL confirmed everything that we in the Rural Independent Group had highlighted in the Dáil about overcrowding on trolleys in...

Pre-European Council Meeting: Statements (21 Jun 2022)

Richard O'Donoghue: I commend the European Union on its overall social and financial support for Ukraine. The protection it offered to millions of refugees fleeing the war has made headlines all over the world. Ireland has been very supportive of the refugees. We have opened our doors to them and, if anything can be done in this country, we always wear our heart on our sleeve and we help everyone we can help....