Results 2,181-2,200 of 6,728 for speaker:John Curran

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (28 Apr 2016)

John Curran: There are three further members offering. I ask members to keep an eye on the time. We will resume our deliberations at 2 p.m. and should try to conclude this session by 1 p.m.

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (28 Apr 2016)

John Curran: Before the Minister makes his final response, I wish to make one or two brief points. He might address Deputy Brendan Ryan's question inquiring if there are specific actions or steps we could take to front-load any of the supply? I take account of the Minister's point about the process, but there is an emergency and that was the context of the Deputy's question. Deputy Brophy made a...

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (28 Apr 2016)

John Curran: I am only making the point that there is a balance to be met here if, ultimately, local authorities have deeper pockets than first-time buyers. I am not ruling it out but the Minister needs to be conscious of the point Deputy Brophy made. We are meeting people affected by this. On the rapid build housing, which we have all learned not to call modular, we have been educated on that.

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (28 Apr 2016)

John Curran: The Minister might comment on its value for money and the cost-effectiveness of it in comparison to other types of housing. The Minister has the floor.

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (28 Apr 2016)

John Curran: Yes.

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (28 Apr 2016)

John Curran: To be helpful to this process, the Minister has set out one side while Deputy Wallace has a different opinion. That needs to be followed up and is part of the process in which we are engaging.

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (28 Apr 2016)

John Curran: From the outset of the meeting, the Minister indicated he had some specific recommendations he wanted to make. We would like to hear those.

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (28 Apr 2016)

John Curran: I thank the Minister and my colleagues. I thank the Minister and his staff for attending today and for his direct and forthright replies. From the committee's point of view - I want to be helpful - the Minister made some specific suggestions. Towards the end he talked about a possible future role for NAMA and the credit unions. It is the intention of this committee to meet with both of...

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (28 Apr 2016)

John Curran: It was a meaningful contribution. We appreciate it and I thank the Minister for his attendance today.

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Housing Agency (28 Apr 2016)

John Curran: We will resume in public session. Apologies have been received from Deputy Seán Canney who will not be attending this session. I remind all present to switch off their mobile phones or to put them in flight mode as they interfere with the recording and broadcasting of proceedings. I wish to draw attention to the fact that by virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009,...

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Housing Agency (28 Apr 2016)

John Curran: I thank Mr. Skehan. Perhaps he could expand on one figure. Reference was made to 200,000 homes lying vacant, a figure which is obviously divided between holiday homes and homes that may be in parts of the country for which there is little demand. Does Mr. Skehan have any idea of how many of those 200,000 houses would be in high demand areas and what it would take to bring them back into...

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Housing Agency (28 Apr 2016)

John Curran: The chairman of the Housing Agency might submit those figures to the committee, as he has suggested. Do members have questions for the witness?

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Housing Agency (28 Apr 2016)

John Curran: Mr. Skehan mentioned supplying figures when the committee finishes its work but if he could supply them sooner, they would be of much more assistance as we deliberate.

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Housing Agency (28 Apr 2016)

John Curran: On Deputy Daly's point about the age profile and so forth, we had the Minister, Deputy Kelly, in this morning and he referred to housing construction as a pipeline that was being ramped up over a number of years. I want to park the question of whether one agrees with the programme; it is to grow. In terms of the mix of housing, has the Housing Agency fed into that? In other words, are the...

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Housing Agency (28 Apr 2016)

John Curran: Is that feeding specifically into the Department and the Minister's housing construction programme?

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Housing Agency (28 Apr 2016)

John Curran: Deputy Durkan.

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Housing Agency (28 Apr 2016)

John Curran: The purpose of having the witnesses here is not to make statements. We will have our own debate afterwards on the evidence that has been produced. We have witnesses here and the purpose of the session is to question them, interrogate them and extract the information we want. At subsequent meetings we will try to decide on policy responses, recommendations and so forth, but the purpose of...

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Housing Agency (28 Apr 2016)

John Curran: Could it be built into what we call strategic development zones? Is that an ideal opportunity for it?

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Housing Agency (28 Apr 2016)

John Curran: Those are two specifics: vacancies and the mortgage-to-rent scheme.

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Housing Agency (28 Apr 2016)

John Curran: Please.