Results 14,381-14,400 of 15,379 for speaker:Eoin Ó Broin

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Quarterly Progress Report Strategy for Rented Sector: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (9 Mar 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: Absolutely, I fully support you on that ruling, Chairman.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Quarterly Progress Report Strategy for Rented Sector: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (9 Mar 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: I did, yes. Death to acronyms. Thank you for pointing that out, Chair. That comes from my days on the social inclusion community activation programme, the local community development programme and the public participation network among others.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Quarterly Progress Report Strategy for Rented Sector: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (9 Mar 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: I spoke previously about whether we could go below the local electoral area to the electoral divisions and the small areas for the purposes of trying to establish whether smaller areas, in particular for example parts of Waterford city could be included in the rent pressure zones. I wonder if Mr. McCarthy has any update on that. I will add the strapline that while I am not a fan of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Quarterly Progress Report Strategy for Rented Sector: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (9 Mar 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: I do not want to be mean but Mr. McCarthy's reply on the small areas is the same as the one he gave last time. I completely understand in certain small areas or electoral divisions there will be too few rental properties to use as a base. In Waterford city, however, there will be electoral divisions that have a high concentration of rental properties where I guess it should be possible to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Quarterly Progress Report Strategy for Rented Sector: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (9 Mar 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: It is-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Quarterly Progress Report Strategy for Rented Sector: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (9 Mar 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: Before the day is out.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Quarterly Progress Report Strategy for Rented Sector: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (9 Mar 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: Apparently they have a better standard of debate in the Senate so I will never make it in.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Quarterly Progress Report Strategy for Rented Sector: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (9 Mar 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: I presume we will continue until 4.30 p.m. as scheduled.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Quarterly Progress Report Strategy for Rented Sector: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (9 Mar 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: The Chairman should not give me that kind invitation or otherwise we will be here all night.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Quarterly Progress Report Strategy for Rented Sector: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (9 Mar 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: I have some questions on other areas, but I know other members will want to discuss those. May I ask questions on those now?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Quarterly Progress Report Strategy for Rented Sector: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (9 Mar 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: I am not suggesting we go on to other areas.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Quarterly Progress Report Strategy for Rented Sector: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (9 Mar 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: I am going to be cheeky and break my own proposal because I have two questions on financing that are somewhat time bound. Is that okay?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Quarterly Progress Report Strategy for Rented Sector: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (9 Mar 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: I have a question on public private partnerships, PPPs. I would very happily see the 100 units in the Grange in Clondalkin as part of the scheme. Is it a section 85 agreement that is currently going to the four different local authorities? What is it called when one local authority is the lead?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Quarterly Progress Report Strategy for Rented Sector: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (9 Mar 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: Yes. Am I correct that it is section 85?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Quarterly Progress Report Strategy for Rented Sector: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (9 Mar 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: I understand that a value-for-money exercise is required as part of that. That value-for-money exercise must determine that the prices that come in for delivery of those units are better value for money than the traditional means of undertaking the same piece of work. I believe that is how it is worded. Unusually, this PPP is not just for design and build but also for the management and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Quarterly Progress Report Strategy for Rented Sector: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (9 Mar 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: That makes sense to me. Is it wise for the Minister---- sorry. The Secretary General is not going to answer if I phrase it that way. Is it wise as a general operational principle to announce the approved budget for a specific scheme in advance of tendering? Does that not give the applicants commercially sensitive information which it would be better if they did not have, or is that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Quarterly Progress Report Strategy for Rented Sector: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (9 Mar 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: Sure. However, we can do that with design and build only, in the same way we can do it with design, build and operate.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Quarterly Progress Report Strategy for Rented Sector: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (9 Mar 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: Elected members of Dublin City Council were being asked on Monday of this week to approve in principle the section 85, which just starts the process rolling. However, they are completely blind in terms of the financing of this. The bit of the question which the Secretary General did not answer is whether elected members, in local authorities or here, will be able to know what that benchmark...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Quarterly Progress Report Strategy for Rented Sector: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (9 Mar 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: Essentially, elected members in local authorities will be asked to sign up to this process although they will be completely blind to the extent of the potential financial liability, say, per unit delivered. With social housing, we know roughly - the managers will tell us - that, for example, in a big urban area the benchmark is usually around €200,000 per unit. Elected members are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Quarterly Progress Report Strategy for Rented Sector: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (9 Mar 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: While I understand that, part of the role of elected members, whether in a local authority or here, is to say, "If I am being asked to sign up to something, if I am going to approve a Part 8 planning process and sign up to this section 85 and allow this project to go ahead, am I satisfied that it is a good use of taxpayers' money?" That is in no way to suggest that the people involved in the...