Results 3,541-3,560 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Carbon and Energy within the Construction Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (3 May 2022)

Steven Matthews: Is anybody of the view that there is massive potential for off-site construction and for building these panels in factories in this country? Is this what people refer to as modular building?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Carbon and Energy within the Construction Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (3 May 2022)

Steven Matthews: That leads me to the area of skills. With regard to apprenticeships, I do not know if we are but, if we are moving more towards modular or prefabricated construction - and I am not referring to the volumetric method here - different skill sets are required. Different carpentry skills are required. Are the apprenticeships moving at the required rate? Are they set in that direction at the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Carbon and Energy within the Construction Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (3 May 2022)

Steven Matthews: I know we have a shortage of apprentices but-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Carbon and Energy within the Construction Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (3 May 2022)

Steven Matthews: Does Enterprise Ireland see a sort of amalgamation of skills there and workers who are technically proficient in putting together prefabricated housing on-site being developed? I refer to workers who may not necessarily be carpenters, plasterer or blocklayers but to a role that could be developed to ensure the panels are put together properly, that there are not big gaps and that the homes...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Carbon and Energy within the Construction Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (3 May 2022)

Steven Matthews: With regard to marketing, if I drive by a newly developed housing estate in Wicklow or elsewhere, I will see them described as A2 or A-rated housing. If that marketing sign also had to state the construction method was E-rated, would it be helpful in driving the market? Are people aware of the embodied carbon or the materials going into the house, even when the house is A-rated with low...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Carbon and Energy within the Construction Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (3 May 2022)

Steven Matthews: I asked a question on this earlier on and I believe the planning system is the place to address these issues, that is, in the earlier part of the development process. That is my view on the matter anyway.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Carbon and Energy within the Construction Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (3 May 2022)

Steven Matthews: Mr. Kerrigan has indicated, as has Deputy Flaherty who I will call after Mr. Kerrigan.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Carbon and Energy within the Construction Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (3 May 2022)

Steven Matthews: The big question is, how do we encourage it? What do we do?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Carbon and Energy within the Construction Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (3 May 2022)

Steven Matthews: I do not want to open up an entirely new conversation because we only have five minutes left but what is the life expectancy of the building Mr. O'Connor has just described versus the conventional block build? Are we talking about exactly like for like there?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Carbon and Energy within the Construction Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (3 May 2022)

Steven Matthews: I have one last question for Mr. O'Connor. He provided a slide on carbon capture in practice, which lists different trees. Is the spruce that is referred to in the list of moderate-growing trees the Sitka spruce with which we are familiar?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Carbon and Energy within the Construction Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (3 May 2022)

Steven Matthews: Deputy Duffy referred earlier to exported timber. Has Sitka spruce got a role in construction? Can it be used in timber frame construction?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Carbon and Energy within the Construction Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (3 May 2022)

Steven Matthews: Is that what we use?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Carbon and Energy within the Construction Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (3 May 2022)

Steven Matthews: Thank you Mr. O'Connor. I thank all of our witnesses. Today's meeting was very informative. Some members, particularly Deputies Duffy and Ó Broin, have a level of expertise in this area but I found our discussion very informative and helpful. This is the second in a series of meetings and we will be putting together a report in due course which will include some of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Region: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Steven Matthews: I welcome Ms Graham and Mr. Creegan back to the committee again. They are always very willing to come in and we appreciate it. I thank them for that. I will go straight to some questions on my area, which I know best. I was very pleased to see that electrification to Wicklow was included as part of the rail strategy under the great Dublin area, GDA, strategy. I know the planning...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Region: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Steven Matthews: Sure. If this strategy is approved by the Minister, and I would expect electrification to Wicklow will be included in an approved strategy, it would make sense at design stage to include whatever might be necessary, because there may be some requirement for some planning process to put in a charging system at Wicklow. I appreciate, and agree with Mr. Creegan, that it is a small enough task....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Region: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Steven Matthews: Are the current phases on schedule at the moment?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Region: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Steven Matthews: That is good. The last word I got was that it would be launched in 2023, so we will hold you to that. I will move on now to the N11 and the express bus routes. Can the NTA representatives give us an update of where that is at the moment? Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, was in last week and I understand this project is in co-operation with TII, NTA and Wicklow County Council. My...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Region: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Steven Matthews: The infrastructure needs to go further south than Glen of the Downs. It is achievable and doable. The NTA has responsibility for services and for making them attractive to encourage people onto them. If we do not have the infrastructure in place to make them run in a timely manner, however, it will not work. Is TII solely responsible for ensuring that infrastructure is in place while the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Region: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Steven Matthews: There is a vote in the Dáil.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Region: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Steven Matthews: I welcome Mr. Coyne, Mr. Jose and Ms Morrissey. I thank them for their attendance and their opening statements. I have two questions for Mr. Coyne and two questions for the Dublin Commuter Coalition, DCC. It was interesting to hear Mr. Coyne talking about the first bus lane coming into operation 30 years ago. I was working in Donnybrook bus garage 30 years ago. I was putting in the first...