Results 23,421-23,440 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: If the committee is interested, we did not get a chance to talk about the legislation last week and I would like to read out a short briefing on the legislation to give the committee an idea of what I am likely to bring to Cabinet next week. I said I would do that and I wish to follow through on it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: Of course. I look forward to that. I circulated extensive speaking notes last week. If it would be helpful, people-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: Members might find it more helpful if we went straight to questions. I can talk the committee through how we are going to deliver 47,000 social housing units and what we are doing around planning reform but I suspect the committee has probably heard all of that. I am in the hands of the committee.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: If the committee wants to go straight to questions, perhaps we can try to deal with some of the concerns or queries members may have.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: There are many questions to which other members would like answers.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: It is great that Senator Victor Boyhan has read the plan. From my perspective, that is very good. I will go through some of the schemes mentioned. On student accommodation, it is my understanding anything happening on public land which is controlled and managed by a local council is subject to a Part VIII process. It is up to the council to make sure it does this in a way that is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: Yes, and what a project that is. I encourage anyone seeking an exemplar for a social housing project to view that really impressive project. We want to have a lot more of that type of stuff and have the budgets to be able to do it. If there are any religious congregations listening that have properties which no longer are in use or which they seek to vacate in the coming months or years,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: They are all local authority.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: I will respond to Deputy Coppinger's questions first because she might need to leave. She said the focus on private houses is not a solution. This is a housing strategy as well as a homelessness strategy. We are trying to deal with multiple pressures and challenges across the housing sector, whether it involves a first-time buyer trying to buy a house, a chief executive from a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: I am not equating anything. This is a broad housing strategy as well as a response to homelessness and social housing need.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: Is the Deputy suggesting that private houses should not be built?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: That is what we will spend almost €5.5 billion of taxpayer's money doing over the next five years: to build almost 50,000 additional social housing units.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: It is important that I nail this issue down because we have proposed to spend €5.35 billion of taxpayer's money on dramatically increasing the social housing stock by between 30% and 40% in five years. I am not sure if such an increase was achieved in the past.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: I am talking about adding to the social housing stock. Unfortunately, the State sold much of its stock, which, with the benefit of hindsight, was probably a mistake in certain instances. We are committing a huge sum. Of the available additional capital that can be allocated in the upcoming budget, 60% will go on social housing. We will allocate more to social housing than to education,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: I agree with Deputy Coppinger on that point.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: The reason we are putting in place initiatives, incentives and legal changes is to change that. I accept that the vast majority of houses currently being built and sold in Dublin, where there is a margin for developers, are high-value properties. We need to change that. That is the reason we are driving strategic development zones, SDZs, and the reason we need pathfinder projects. We need...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: We are responding to the increases in rent with an increase in HAP and rent supplement payments. The increase varies throughout the country depending on the extent of the rent increase. Obviously, it was much higher in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway than it would have been in other rural areas. Deputy Ellis asked about accommodation for older people. At the ploughing championships...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: I never got to mention the legislation per sebut the members have my speaking notes on it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: I welcome the opportunity to discuss with the committee progress to date in 2016 on expenditure and outputs relating to my Department's programmes. The plan was that I was to be accompanied by the Ministers of State, Deputies English and Catherine Byrne, but I am sure they are on call if we need them. The Revised Estimate for 2016 for my Department was initially published in December....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: The figures we have circulated are current. They cover a period up to the last couple of weeks.