Results 14,141-14,160 of 26,025 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I fully get the intent of this friendly amendment, as Deputy Ó Broin has called it. I give consideration to all amendments that members have worked on and put forward. I do not have an objection to this per sebut, to look at another element, if we were to adopt the amendment we would start to become prescriptive with regard to the travel element while not being prescriptive about the...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I appreciate that. I assure Deputy Gould that we will look at the matter. I will ask my officials to engage with him and Deputy Ó Broin to see if this section can be strengthened. I appreciate the amendment tabled. I believe we can work together to improve the section.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I will address amendments Nos. 14, 32, 50, 76 and 78 which have been jointly tabled by Deputy Boyd Barrett and his colleagues. Amendment No. 14 seeks to amend section 2(e) of the Bill, which provides for the development and regeneration of all relevant public land for housing, to include a reference to "relevant private" land. Amendment No. 32 seeks to amend section 2(k) of the Bill, which...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: To clarify, is the Deputy allowed to move an amendment on behalf of another member who is not present? That is for clarification for the future. Will the Vice Chairman clarify that?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Okay, Richard.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: That is helpful because if it is up for discussion, I can refer to it in my response. That is the only reason I wanted to-----

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett and the other Deputies for tabling these amendments. To put all this in context, the Government is the biggest builder and the biggest investor in housing in the State. We passed the largest housing budget in the history of the State in budget 2021, bringing forward affordability measures that I hope Deputies opposite will support when the relevant Bill comes...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The lady Deputy Gould mentioned and many others whom I meet on a regular basis are stuck in a rental trap. That is why Government is introducing measures such as the Affordable Housing Bill, which I hope Deputies will support. We will bring forward a national cost rental scheme under primary legislation for the first time that will bring for the first time in over a decade direct build,...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I apologise to the Chair and members for the delay in getting back in. There were some technical issues on this side which have now been resolved. I hope it did not inconvenience people too much. I have listened intently to members' contributions on this grouping. One area covered by it, as will be seen when it is discussed, and I know Sinn Féin will do so later on, is conditional...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I am raising this just on the basis that Deputy Cian O'Callaghan has sought to move the amendment. I am not trying to be difficult, I am just seeking clarification. That is all.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I was waiting with bated breath to be able to come back in to answer. Deputy Boyd Barrett made another startling admission that he would open up social housing to everyone regardless of income. We have to live in the real world about delivering homes for people who badly need them. There are many people on the social housing list we need to address. The LDA in this legislation will help...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputies for their amendments and for contributing. To row it back a little bit, people will recall this Bill was published before the Affordable Housing Bill. That is why I intend to bring forward amendments on Report Stage, especially to Part 9, including section 76, which will align the Land Development Agency, the affordability piece and the definitions with the Affordable...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputies for their comments and amendments. Let us remember that this legislation is about setting up a land development agency and it is not the Affordable Housing Bill. We are going to align the parts that relate to definitions so cost rental and affordable purchase will be aligned exactly with the Affordable Housing Bill that is in the Seanad at the moment. Let us...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: No, the Deputy did not.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank Deputies Duncan Smith and Eoin Ó Broin for their comments. I think everyone knows there is no intention that any lands such as the Phoenix Park would be used by the LDA, nor will that ever happen. The Bill deals with relevant public lands, which are lands in the ownership of public bodies in population areas of more than 10,000. Section 3 of the Phoenix Park Act 1925 confirms...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Yes.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Does the Chairman want to explain this?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I will deal with these three amendments together. In the previous Oireachtas, we went through very detailed pre-legislative scrutiny on the general scheme of the previous LDA Bill. We have made sure in this Bill that there is full oversight on the part of the Comptroller and Auditor General as well as oversight from and a report to the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I have nothing further to say. I have been very clear. Why would this agency be treated differently from any other? We have taken on board many of the concerns raised during pre-legislative scrutiny in the previous Oireachtas. It should not be forgotten that annual reports and regulations will be laid before the Oireachtas. The Minister has recourse to the Oireachtas committees. There...