Results 601-620 of 2,180 for speaker:John Cummins

Seanad: Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Building Control (Amendment) Bill 2022: Second Stage (30 Mar 2022)

John Cummins: Next Tuesday.

Seanad: Support to Ukraine: Motion (30 Mar 2022)

John Cummins: I thank my Fine Gael colleagues for their work on this Seanad Private Members’ motion, which we hope is as broad and encompassing as possible in condemning the unacceptable aggression by Russia on Ukraine’s sovereign territory. There is no question that this invasion is an unprovoked attack on Ukraine's people and an outrageous and immoral breach of the most fundamental and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Mar 2022)

John Cummins: I welcome the witnesses. I wish to put on record my thanks for all the work that is done right across the country by all their employees, both in the local authority sector and within the AHB sector, on delivering much-needed homes for individuals and families. I have a few questions. I will start with the LGMA. The eligibility threshold for the single-stage approval process was...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Mar 2022)

John Cummins: There are many examples of schemes in that territory that absolutely could go through the single-stage approval process. I hear many people criticise the four-stage process, saying it adds significant delays. Deputy Ó Broin referred to it just a short time ago. There is, however, a mechanism for those smaller schemes and it is not being used by the local authorities. They must start...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Mar 2022)

John Cummins: After six months. A unit is completed and sits there for six months, so I-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Mar 2022)

John Cummins: If there is some confidence in that respect, there should be something to give comfort on the back end. That is the appropriate way to go about this. I turn to the AHBs and the Housing Alliance. I think some people would be surprised by the number of AHBs there are. I believe the last count, or the returns for the end of quarter 3 of last year, showed there were 450 AHBs in the country....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Mar 2022)

John Cummins: It is an interesting area in which to get answers.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Mar 2022)

John Cummins: Maybe six. Is that what the alliance is suggesting?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Mar 2022)

John Cummins: Mr. Taaffe might regret telling us that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Mar 2022)

John Cummins: I will take up where Deputy McAuliffe left off in regard to AHBs. Other European countries were cited in the context of cost-rental accommodation. Is it true to say that in those European countries, cost rental would not be solely in the remit of AHBs and that low-cost ethical funds are providing cost-rental accommodation as well?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Mar 2022)

John Cummins: It would not be the sole provider.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Mar 2022)

John Cummins: Of course. Last week, at our meeting with the Housing Agency and Housing Finance Agency, we had a discussion on cost-rental accommodation. Ms Loftus may disagree with them but I shared their opinion that the AHB sector does not have the capacity to be the sole provider of cost rental on the scale required. If we are to get to the ambitious numbers to which Ms Loftus referred, beyond the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Mar 2022)

John Cummins: Of course. The more players involved in this space, the better. It is only with scale that we will see the real benefit in competing with the private market, in terms of reducing rents over the time. The advantage that other European countries have over Ireland is that they developed their stock 40 and 50 years ago, post the Second World War and we are only starting at this point. We will...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Mar 2022)

John Cummins: That is a very important point to have on the record. To go back to the approved housing bodies, the Housing Alliance, in its submission and in a number of answers to questions, referred to access to low-cost land. This will probably be perceived as a criticism but I have to cite an example. I will not reference the location in the country nor the people involved but it is a general...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Mar 2022)

John Cummins: Sorry, but that seems to be a "pass the book over there" response. Could such a thing have happened? Does Mr. O’Connor appreciate that it sets a new floor for land prices in the area in question?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Mar 2022)

John Cummins: Yes, exactly. There was a direct correlation and comparison in terms of land prices.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Mar 2022)

John Cummins: Just on the-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Mar 2022)

John Cummins: I could not agree more.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Mar 2022)

John Cummins: Not to labour the point on turnkey properties, but Deputy Ó Broin last week referred to Waterford as a town.