Results 4,581-4,600 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: Is it similar in Kildare?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: We can change the legislation in here. Are there parts of the legislation that the witnesses think are roadblocks and put them off going down this route unless it is absolutely necessary?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: I have heard many people say it would be great if we could exceed the targets and deliver more social, public and private housing. Do such demands have the potential to unbalance the national planning framework, NPF? How do the witnesses assess their delivery as being compliant with the framework?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: Does Ms Kavanagh want to comment on that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: It would be an interesting exercise to look at Dublin and the counties in the greater Dublin area to see where we are at in terms of compliance with the growth set out in the NPF.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: I thank Senator Cummins. I call Deputy Gould.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: The Deputy has had ten minutes. He has had a good shot.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: I thank the Deputy. I have two final questions. On the planning exemptions introduced last year for a change of use that did not require planning permission, have the local authorities noticed that feeding into the system yet in respect of planning applications, particularly around town or urban centres?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: Okay. That is good.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: Okay. I have one last question. It is slightly outside the subject matter and, therefore, I will understand if the representatives do not have the data to hand. The committee recently produced a report on embodied carbon in the construction industry and modern building methods. Is that an issue the local authorities are considering as they design or go out to tender for delivery of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: This is specifically around the carbon intensity of construction, however. I do not know whether the officials saw the figure reported recently by the Irish Green Building Council, which is if everything we build will be concrete, on these figures, we will way overshoot our carbon emissions targets. There will be vacant units, reuse and repurposing, but we also need to look at modern...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: I thank Ms Kavanagh. The cost of carbon is something we will have to factor in in future. Deputy Gould wanted to come back in briefly.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: I thank Ms Kavanagh and Ms Maguire and their respective teams. I ask them to bring back to all of their staff the acknowledgement and thanks of the committee. I know many staff working on housing and it is a very difficult department. It can be very stressful across the board, including in the cases mentioned by Deputy Gould. Estate liaison officers do incredible work as well. I know we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Provision of Bus Services in Dublin: Discussion (8 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: I thank the witnesses for attending. They have heard the importance of this issue. I will first ask them to take back our thanks to their staff who work so hard in difficult circumstances in a difficult job to provide vital critical services for the people of the greater Dublin area. The work they do in public transport, in providing the service, is critical to our climate action and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Provision of Bus Services in Dublin: Discussion (8 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: Okay, but as the situation was arising, Ms Keane could see that drivers were leaving, there were Covid-19 outbreaks, there were delays to services, and the company was saying regularly to the NTA it was not going to meet its monthly requirements nor meet its punctuality per kilometre distance. I put the same question to Go-Ahead Ireland. I want to figure out where the public was let down....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Provision of Bus Services in Dublin: Discussion (8 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: I appreciate that and it is understood. If Mr. Edwards could just answer, please.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Provision of Bus Services in Dublin: Discussion (8 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: Okay. Was the NTA satisfied it was getting regular, timely updates and that this was not a surprise to it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Provision of Bus Services in Dublin: Discussion (8 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: Why was communication to the public so poor? Why was action not taken so that, instead of four services per hour, it was cut to three but those three were provided regularly? I know that is an operational challenge but it is better that, where there is an infrequent bus service such as the Enniskerry route, when a bus is cancelled, a person is not left standing there for two hours.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Provision of Bus Services in Dublin: Discussion (8 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: Is that the fares reduction?