Results 8,061-8,080 of 15,555 for speaker:Eoghan Murphy

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Nitrates Usage (28 Sep 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 278 and 280 together. The Nitrates Directive and Ireland's National Nitrates Action Programme are given legal effect by the consolidated European Union (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations 2014, as amended. The objective of the Regulations is to protect ground and surface waters, including drinking water sources,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Waterways Issues (28 Sep 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The Environmental Protection Agency, in its recently published report Water Quality in Ireland 2010 - 2015 (available at:  ),states that Ireland has more than 70,000 kilometres of river channel.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme Review (28 Sep 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 281 and 286 together. The new Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme for existing local authority houses came into operation on 1 January 2016.  The Scheme is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the Scheme.  To be eligible, tenants must meet certain criteria, including...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Legislative Measures (28 Sep 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: Section 74 of the Local Government Act 2001 provides that a local authority may confer a civic honour on a distinguished person in such a manner as it may determine and may establish and maintain a roll or record in which to enter the names of persons so honoured. The decision to convey a civic honour is a reserved function, the implementation of which is a matter for individual local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Data (28 Sep 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 283 to 285, inclusive, together. There are currently more than 27,000 households supported by the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme across the State and it is anticipated that the Exchequer funding for 2017 of €152.7 million will be fully expended on the operation of the scheme at year's end. At the end of 2016 local authorities reported that...

Seanad: Housing: Statements (28 Sep 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: Perhaps I could have a little more time so that I can address all the different issues that were raised. I apologise for being late. Although I was paired, I wanted to be present for the votes in respect of my Department. Senator Devine said that we should not be just making statements and that the Government should be doing more. The solution she pointed to was a meeting that is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (Resumed) (28 Sep 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Chairman and members for the opportunity to appear again before the committee, this time to give you an update on the review of Rebuilding Ireland under way and on the outcomes from the housing summit held earlier this month at the Custom House. Ms Mary Hurley from my Department, who is sitting to my right, met members last week and I asked her to brief the committee on a range...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (Resumed) (28 Sep 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: I will answer the last question first. When Deputy Ó Broin asks about the building reports is he talking about the cost of construction report or the quarterly construction report?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (Resumed) (28 Sep 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: On the cost of construction report which is being drafted by my Department, part of that report managed to make its way out, incorrectly, into the public domain. I do not know whether that is one of the leaks that the Deputy referred to in his contribution yesterday evening. Work on that report is continuing. I had the chance to preview an early draft to see how it is progressing, but...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (Resumed) (28 Sep 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Deputy. Later this afternoon I hope to publish the latest homelessness numbers. I have not had a chance to look properly at them and I want to do that before I publish them so I can have confidence in them, but what they will show is an increase in homeless families nationally but a decrease in homeless families in Dublin. I was in Limerick yesterday and met with the chief...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (Resumed) (28 Sep 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: May I come back to the issue of vacancy?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (Resumed) (28 Sep 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: Perfect.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (Resumed) (28 Sep 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: Regarding the inter-agency group, and not to personalise it, but the chair, John Murphy, is the former Secretary General of the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and led the Action Plan for Jobs. He also has previous experience in the housing side of the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government so he is more than qualified to help get a better co-ordination of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (Resumed) (28 Sep 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Senator. On the data sets, this drives me bananas as well, because I hear people quoting different numbers and I wonder where they are getting them from because they do not seem to add up in terms of the information available to me. A team is doing a piece of work on that and its main objective is to establish how we count completions because we are no longer counting...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (Resumed) (28 Sep 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The strategic management plan. What is published on the website is 1,700 ha that will provide for potentially 42,500 homes but if we are to drive delivery and be confident in our numbers, we need to know what each local authority is doing with its land and how it will meet its targets and numbers. That is the piece of work we have been developing since the housing summit in order that the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (Resumed) (28 Sep 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: However, we will make sure that it is a rolling programme so there will never be a need for continuous calls. I think I have covered everything.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (Resumed) (28 Sep 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: On a point of clarification, what was the point the Senator was making when she mentioned Respond! and Clúid?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (Resumed) (28 Sep 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: In regard to timescales, when people come with a tender or a tender is awarded there is a timeline in the contract as to when they must be completed and be handed over to the local authority or whoever is taking the homes. I heard Deputy Jan O'Sullivan state that I was on a couple of sites recently which she had announced three or four years ago. I cannot speak to any problems that might be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (Resumed) (28 Sep 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The Deputy indicated I had proposed to engage in further consultation. I am not sure what he is referring to but perhaps we will discuss that later. On the taxation of landlords, as we put in greater protections for tenants, we must also ensure we provide protections for landlords, as well as incentives. While we cannot force people to be landlords, we need people to let out property for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (Resumed) (28 Sep 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: A total of €226 million was ring-fenced in anticipation that all of it would be drawn down.