Results 4,761-4,780 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Dec 2022)

Steven Matthews: This is my slot. I will let the Deputy back in if he wants to defend that but I was not picking out any political party. I was just looking for clarity on the matter. I have another question in which I will be slightly parochial. I will not name the agency but in my constituency of Wicklow, a site was passed for inclusion in the Part 8 process in 2018. It is the Central Garage site in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Dec 2022)

Steven Matthews: This leads on to my earlier question with regard to planning being a barrier to delivery. The witnesses may be aware of the amendment being proposed by the Minister to section 179 in Part 8. Do they foresee this is something that will speed up delivery of social, affordable and cost rental housing? Do they see it as something that would be beneficial to AHBs? Do any of them want to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Dec 2022)

Steven Matthews: An amendment has been tabled to the Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill by the Minister that seeks to speed up the delivery of social, affordable and cost-rental housing by exempting the delivery of this type of housing from the Part 8 process as long as it is commenced before the end of December 2024. The witnesses may not be aware of the amendment because it was only...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Dec 2022)

Steven Matthews: I agree to a certain extent that what is probably required is legal certainty for everybody involved in a development in the area, and not only the investor, agency or developer but the people who live in the area and those who wish to live in the houses that would be developed. The legal certainty needs to be there. However, that also needs to be hugely supported by very well-resourced...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Dec 2022)

Steven Matthews: On behalf of the committee members, I thank the witnesses for the work they are doing. They might bring that thanks and acknowledgment back to their staff who are out in the fields the whole time designing, building and maintaining that really good resident liaison and relationship they have. It is incredibly important. I finally got to tot up those figures we received earlier. Correct...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Performance Indicators and Public Spending Code: National Oversight and Audit Commission (17 Jan 2023)

Steven Matthews: I hope members had a nice Christmas break. This is our first public meeting of 2023. We are joined today by representatives of the National Oversight and Audit Commission, NOAC. I welcome the chairperson, Mr. Michael McCarthy, board members, Ms Margaret Lane and Ms Fiona Quinn, and head of the NOAC secretariat, Ms Claire Gavin. They have supplied us with the most recent reports of NOAC's...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Performance Indicators and Public Spending Code: National Oversight and Audit Commission (17 Jan 2023)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. McCarthy very much. I will move to the members now. I forgot to bring my meeting schedule with me. I will go from memory and if I get it wrong, members can pull me up on it. I will start with the Fianna Fáil slot, which will be taken by Deputy McAuliffe.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Performance Indicators and Public Spending Code: National Oversight and Audit Commission (17 Jan 2023)

Steven Matthews: I will take the next slot as it is a Green Party one and I will continue on what Senator Boyhan was saying. The work NOAC does is incredibly important. I remember as a councillor that when I got the NOAC reports I would go to see how my local authority was comparing with the others. When you are a county councillor you know the way your council operates. I did not know how Dún...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Performance Indicators and Public Spending Code: National Oversight and Audit Commission (17 Jan 2023)

Steven Matthews: Mr. McCarthy's comments about the career progression from county councillor to Deputy or Senator are interesting. To me, they are very different jobs although people often cannot take themselves out of local issues. We still have national politicians getting very much involved in local government issues and we have local government politicians getting involved in national politics. We need...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Performance Indicators and Public Spending Code: National Oversight and Audit Commission (17 Jan 2023)

Steven Matthews: By the time the next local elections come around in May 2024 the Local Government Reform Act 2014 will be ten years old. Will the trends in the turnover or the workload of county councillors be looked at? I remember before the Moorhead report a questionnaire about workload was sent around to councillors. Is there analysis on that trend? If the workload is so overwhelming and people have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Performance Indicators and Public Spending Code: National Oversight and Audit Commission (17 Jan 2023)

Steven Matthews: I have a similar question for the council executive as well. When many of the town councils were done away with, places that had autonomy, their own budgets and oversight on how they were going to develop within their towns had those things stripped away. That was certainly the sense I got regarding staff morale as well. Is there ongoing work into looking at the workload of the executive?...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Performance Indicators and Public Spending Code: National Oversight and Audit Commission (17 Jan 2023)

Steven Matthews: Regarding the functions that could be carried out by a municipal district and those that could be carried out by the full plenary council I remember there was a schedule of three, one that could only be done by the plenary, one by the municipal and one in the middle that they could decide either way. I remember at the time that it was not really briefed out to members and it was probably...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Performance Indicators and Public Spending Code: National Oversight and Audit Commission (17 Jan 2023)

Steven Matthews: Deputy Boyd Barrett is next.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Performance Indicators and Public Spending Code: National Oversight and Audit Commission (17 Jan 2023)

Steven Matthews: Deputy Boyd Barrett is very welcome.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Performance Indicators and Public Spending Code: National Oversight and Audit Commission (17 Jan 2023)

Steven Matthews: I have three quick questions before we round up. First, I was glad to hear Mr. McCarthy mention the climate aspect coming into it now as well because as we know, each local authority has to have a climate action plan and I would expect this is something we will see further reporting on and indications of who has got good plans and who has not. Similarly for energy efficiency, I remember...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Performance Indicators and Public Spending Code: National Oversight and Audit Commission (17 Jan 2023)

Steven Matthews: Along the lines of that as well, we have this very high target of retrofitting of housing stock, both private and social, throughout the country. Is there a comparator there which we can look at to see how each local authority is doing in terms of either bringing stock up to the B2 standard or doing the warmer homes schemes? As we know, a great deal of that is being paid out of carbon taxes...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Performance Indicators and Public Spending Code: National Oversight and Audit Commission (17 Jan 2023)

Steven Matthews: That is grand. I thank Mr. McCarthy. I do not have anyone online and I do not have anyone indicating. I thank the witnesses for the work they do. A lot of what we try to do in here is enacted and the interaction with the public takes place at local authority level; that is where the rubber hits the road. The staff across our local authorities do a tremendous amount of work. They are...

Climate Action Plan 2023: Statements (18 Jan 2023)

Steven Matthews: For reasons of planning on transport, energy and climate and protecting nature, I got involved in politics. For 20 years I have knocked on doors talking about the climate challenge. The climate plan we have introduced is the reason I am here. I am proud that the Green Party in Government has delivered that. I have no doubt in my mind that without the Green Party in Government the climate...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services (19 Jan 2023)

Steven Matthews: 97. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding the introduction of a looped bus service for Bray and Greystones, County Wicklow, as proposed under BusConnects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2132/23]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Network (19 Jan 2023)

Steven Matthews: 104. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on the value of extending an electrified train service to Wicklow town, as included in the NTA's transport strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2222/23]