Results 8,341-8,360 of 15,555 for speaker:Eoghan Murphy

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Water Services Bill 2017: Committee Stage (25 Oct 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: I do not disagree with the sentiment behind the amendment. I sat on the Committee of Public Accounts and have worked with the Comptroller and Auditor General on a range of issues. Given the fact that Irish Water will be funded by my Department, there is a role potentially for the Comptroller and Auditor General in respect of the utility's operations. However, the advice I have is that this...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Water Services Bill 2017: Committee Stage (25 Oct 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The advice I have is that it is the 1993 Act that would require to be amended, not this Bill. I do not expect that advice to change.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Water Services Bill 2017: Committee Stage (25 Oct 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: I will correspond with the committee as the Deputy has suggested.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Water Services Bill 2017: Committee Stage (25 Oct 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: I cannot accept the amendments.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Water Services Bill 2017: Committee Stage (25 Oct 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: I cannot accept the amendment.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Water Services Bill 2017: Committee Stage (25 Oct 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: Irish Water is a subsidiary of Ervia and there are certain group functions in the board. This is a part of the confidence and supply agreement.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Water Services Bill 2017: Committee Stage (25 Oct 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The intention of the section is that, if the advisory body requests information from Ervia, Ervia must supply it so that the advisory body can have whatever information it requires to perform its functions and role.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Water Services Bill 2017: Committee Stage (25 Oct 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: Irish Water is a subsidiary of Ervia.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Water Services Bill 2017: Committee Stage (25 Oct 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: No, it is not.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Water Services Bill 2017: Committee Stage (25 Oct 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: There are certain group functions and certain members of Irish Water's board are members of Ervia's board.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Water Services Bill 2017: Committee Stage (25 Oct 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The intention of this provision is to ensure that the advisory body can obtain any information that it needs to do its work.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Water Services Bill 2017: Committee Stage (25 Oct 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: Essentially, this is about ensuring a more transparent line of sight over the funding into Irish Water from my Department. Sections 54 to 59 give effect to a change in funding sources to and from the local government fund and the central fund arising from the report of the working group on the future funding model for Irish Water. All of these changes are on an Exchequer neutral basis and...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Water Services Bill 2017: Committee Stage (25 Oct 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: Yes. It is all Exchequer neutral. The process up to now was quite confusing. Under the new provisions, there will a direct line of funding into Irish Water from my Department, which makes clear how the Exchequer is directly funding Irish Water.

National Planning Framework: Statements (26 Oct 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The publication of the final national planning framework, NPF, consultation represents a unique opportunity to set out an ambitious vision and 20 year strategy for what our country should and could look like in 2040. Much work has been undertaken to get the Ireland 2040 document to the stage of being on display for its final round of public consultation. The national planning framework is...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (26 Oct 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The overall aim of LIHAF is to increase housing supply by removing infrastructural obstacles that were preventing the development of key sites. A total of 34 projects received preliminary approval in March 2017 and 22 of those have now received final approval. I will be publishing details of these projects shortly. I expect the remaining projects to be considered and approved, if...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (26 Oct 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: A number of measures have been put in place to try to help affordability in terms of the cost of building or in the context of the ability to rent or buy on the tenant's side. I refer, for example, to the An Bord Pleanála fast-track process, the help-to-buy scheme - which was put in place for that reason, the rent pressure zones and recent changes to the apartment guidelines that are...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (26 Oct 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: There is no confusion at all. Under LIHAF 1 and LIHAF 2, depending on the scheme, there will be a cost reduction per unit across the site. Under other schemes there will be affordability, there will be ring-fencing of a certain number of units and affordability criteria will be put in place. If it is the affordable-to-buy scenario, there will be a greater reduction in the market price; if...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social and Affordable Housing (26 Oct 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The decision on the complaint to the European Committee of Social Rights by the International Federation for Human Rights regarding social housing issues has just very recently been notified to the Government. It is appropriate that we now study the report and identify the responses required. For quite a number of the points of the complaint, as lodged, the committee found there were no...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social and Affordable Housing (26 Oct 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: It is important to note that in approximately four cases no violations were found. That is in the correspondence. I will not repeat what those were but in terms of the timelines and in so far as our response is concerned, my Department is in the process of drafting it in conjunction with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. A written response will be made available by 21 November....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social and Affordable Housing (26 Oct 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: It is important to note that these are legacy issues. The case was taken in 2014 and in the period since then, a huge amount of money has been invested and will continue to be invested by local authorities to make sure they are retrofitting stock and bringing stock up to the proper standards. All Deputies get representations from our constituents who live in social housing as to the...