Results 6,981-7,000 of 10,878 for speaker:Matt Carthy

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Policy and Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jan 2023)

Matt Carthy: Why would having 5% of something be better than having 100% of it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Policy and Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jan 2023)

Matt Carthy: What the Minister is saying is that Coillte has agreed to invest in a programme, that the deal is done and he cannot do anything about it but that it is not actually his preferred option. Why then, if it is not his preferred option, would he even consider putting-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Policy and Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jan 2023)

Matt Carthy: It will also encourage private investors to follow suit.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Policy and Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jan 2023)

Matt Carthy: That would be the real reason.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Policy and Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jan 2023)

Matt Carthy: In respect of the letter of expectation-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Policy and Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jan 2023)

Matt Carthy: I am proposing to scupper the deal. Is the Minister going to issue the letter of expectation?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Policy and Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jan 2023)

Matt Carthy: Will the Minister issue one in respect of what I have just outlined?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Policy and Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jan 2023)

Matt Carthy: Coillte is pursuing options that are not the Minister's preferred option. He needs to set Coillte straight and the way to do that is through a letter of expectation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Policy and Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jan 2023)

Matt Carthy: I have just given the Minister two ideas there-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Policy and Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jan 2023)

Matt Carthy: I asked a specific question and take it that the answer is "No". Coillte has an agreement with Gresham House for a €200 million investment, €25 million of which is coming from our own body. Coillte is apparently putting forward €10 million. What happens if Gresham House does not manage to get €200 million in investment? Can Coillte pull out of the deal?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Policy and Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jan 2023)

Matt Carthy: My objective is to scupper the deal. It should be the Minister's objective as well.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Policy and Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jan 2023)

Matt Carthy: I have given the Minister two but he is waffling and refusing to commit.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2021
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Local Government Fund Account 2021
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 4: Re-allocation of Voted Funds
Chapter 6: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 7: The Housing Agency’s Revolving Acquisition Fund (26 Jan 2023)

Matt Carthy: I read in this morning's edition of The Irish Timesthat the Housing Commission has indicated that Ireland needs somewhere between 42,000 and 62,000 new homes each year, which is wildly out of kilter with the targets set out by the Government and the Department. What are the actual targets?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2021
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Local Government Fund Account 2021
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 4: Re-allocation of Voted Funds
Chapter 6: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 7: The Housing Agency’s Revolving Acquisition Fund (26 Jan 2023)

Matt Carthy: Does Mr. Doyle accept, as many of us would have been saying as far back as when these targets were set, that they will prove to be completely inadequate in terms of the housing need going forward?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2021
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Local Government Fund Account 2021
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 4: Re-allocation of Voted Funds
Chapter 6: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 7: The Housing Agency’s Revolving Acquisition Fund (26 Jan 2023)

Matt Carthy: The point I am making is that, for several years, members of this committee and others have been saying it is their belief that the housing targets have been understated in terms of what is actually required, and the Department has disputed that. Mr. Doyle is now saying that the Department is reviewing that. When will that review be completed?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2021
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Local Government Fund Account 2021
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 4: Re-allocation of Voted Funds
Chapter 6: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 7: The Housing Agency’s Revolving Acquisition Fund (26 Jan 2023)

Matt Carthy: Does Mr. Hogan mean March of last year?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2021
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Local Government Fund Account 2021
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 4: Re-allocation of Voted Funds
Chapter 6: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 7: The Housing Agency’s Revolving Acquisition Fund (26 Jan 2023)

Matt Carthy: Just to clarify, Mr. Hogan is essentially saying that the war in Ukraine required the re-evaluation of our housing targets.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2021
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Local Government Fund Account 2021
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 4: Re-allocation of Voted Funds
Chapter 6: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 7: The Housing Agency’s Revolving Acquisition Fund (26 Jan 2023)

Matt Carthy: That is what happened in March of last year.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2021
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Local Government Fund Account 2021
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 4: Re-allocation of Voted Funds
Chapter 6: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 7: The Housing Agency’s Revolving Acquisition Fund (26 Jan 2023)

Matt Carthy: All I have is the report in The Irish Times, which indicates that with population growth at the upper end of official projections the figure quoted even excludes recent arrivals from Ukraine. Does Mr. Hogan accept that prior to March, in fact for some years, our targets have been below what is actually required?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2021
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Local Government Fund Account 2021
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 4: Re-allocation of Voted Funds
Chapter 6: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 7: The Housing Agency’s Revolving Acquisition Fund (26 Jan 2023)

Matt Carthy: I was asking about the holistic figures. I see that the new Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform received a briefing from his officials which showed the capital underspend in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage at €1 billion. Does Mr. Doyle dispute that figure of €1 billion for 2022?