Results 7,041-7,060 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Affordable Homes, Public Lands, Strategic Planning and Projects: Land Development Agency (23 Jan 2024)

Steven Matthews: As regards the cost-rental sites, who will manage the rent collection once they are up and running and populated? There would normally be a management company made up of residents that would deal with day-to-day issues, but who will manage the rent and rent collection?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Affordable Homes, Public Lands, Strategic Planning and Projects: Land Development Agency (23 Jan 2024)

Steven Matthews: I thank the witnesses.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Affordable Homes, Public Lands, Strategic Planning and Projects: Land Development Agency (23 Jan 2024)

Steven Matthews: Deputy Ó Broin, I will have to move on.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Affordable Homes, Public Lands, Strategic Planning and Projects: Land Development Agency (23 Jan 2024)

Steven Matthews: Three people want to contribute and we only have ten minutes left.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Affordable Homes, Public Lands, Strategic Planning and Projects: Land Development Agency (23 Jan 2024)

Steven Matthews: I will go to Senator Fitzpatrick, Deputy Gould and Deputy McAuliffe. We only have ten minutes so I ask them all to be direct.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Affordable Homes, Public Lands, Strategic Planning and Projects: Land Development Agency (23 Jan 2024)

Steven Matthews: Okay. I am glad Mr. Coleman mentioned the quality and the location. I remember when we were considering the LDA Bill and looking at some of the principles of the LDA, including the delivery of cost-rental and affordable housing etc., something with that bit of State weight behind it that could achieve those economies of scale. One of the other parts of the principles was the piece about...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Affordable Homes, Public Lands, Strategic Planning and Projects: Land Development Agency (23 Jan 2024)

Steven Matthews: I thank the LDA representatives for their time. It has been helpful to us. So that we are clear on them, I wish to go over a couple of the requests that have been made. There was a request from Deputy Ó Broin for confirmation that there had been no rent increases. I believe the LDA committed to reverting to us on this matter. A commitment was given to revert to Senator Cummins...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Affordable Homes, Public Lands, Strategic Planning and Projects: Land Development Agency (23 Jan 2024)

Steven Matthews: Okay. The witnesses were also asked for an approximate five-year plan for the delivery of social and cost-rental homes and, as best they can, for a breakdown of the figures for direct delivery and Project Tosaigh. We would appreciate that update.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Affordable Homes, Public Lands, Strategic Planning and Projects: Land Development Agency (23 Jan 2024)

Steven Matthews: I mentioned the five-year plan on social and cost-rental homes in Dublin.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Affordable Homes, Public Lands, Strategic Planning and Projects: Land Development Agency (23 Jan 2024)

Steven Matthews: Dublin city.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Affordable Homes, Public Lands, Strategic Planning and Projects: Land Development Agency (23 Jan 2024)

Steven Matthews: By constituency, if possible.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Affordable Homes, Public Lands, Strategic Planning and Projects: Land Development Agency (23 Jan 2024)

Steven Matthews: That is grand. I am sure the witnesses will do their best to furnish us with all of that information. I will adjourn the meeting now. I thank the witnesses for their engagement.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Capital Projects and Operations: Iarnród Éireann (24 Jan 2024)

Steven Matthews: Mr. Meade and his team are welcome. They are always willing to engage and come into the committee, as well as at local authority level. I was at Wicklow County Council when his team came in. It was the first time I floated the idea of the DART extension to Wicklow town. I am glad to see it is making progress. At the start, the Leas-Chathaoirleach provided a litany of what some people...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Capital Projects and Operations: Iarnród Éireann (24 Jan 2024)

Steven Matthews: I was going to qualify that by saying, in a way-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Capital Projects and Operations: Iarnród Éireann (24 Jan 2024)

Steven Matthews: -----it is listing out the expectation, ambition and desire people have across the country for better rail services. What we are hearing today from Irish Rail is a good story for the future of rail transport, including freight, and will assist us in our climate challenge. That is a primary focus, though it has not been mentioned today except in Mr. Meade's opening statement. The Cork...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Capital Projects and Operations: Iarnród Éireann (24 Jan 2024)

Steven Matthews: They can shake hands at the Cork-Limerick border with that rail line. It is fantastic to hear every Deputy come in here and talk about Navan lines, Cork extensions, Galway extensions, late-night services, more trains, better services and cheaper fares. We must remember the context of decades of underinvestment in public transport, which turned in 2020 with the programme for Government...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Capital Projects and Operations: Iarnród Éireann (24 Jan 2024)

Steven Matthews: The western rail corridor connection from Claremorris to Athenry and the reconnection of Waterford to Wexford would appear to make sense from a freight perspective, so it is not all going through Kildare and Dublin.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Capital Projects and Operations: Iarnród Éireann (24 Jan 2024)

Steven Matthews: Perhaps we could talk about the driver training programme. More fleet equipment can be ordered and built. There is a lead-in time, but it can be delivered over time. If the drivers are not in place, though, there is not much point in having extra trains. How is recruitment for drivers, as well as for maintenance staff and apprentices, progressing? We hear this is challenging.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Capital Projects and Operations: Iarnród Éireann (24 Jan 2024)

Steven Matthews: That is very good to hear. It is forward-thinking. These people will be the staff of the future, including, perhaps, the future chief executive who will be sitting here at some point. Turning to the heritage aspect of our railways, we talk about modernising the railway and the national train control centre, NTCC, for example. In this context, we have signal cabins around the country...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Capital Projects and Operations: Iarnród Éireann (24 Jan 2024)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Meade. I failed to mention my own constituency but I trust all is in order with the DART extension to Wicklow town-----