Results 8,741-8,760 of 15,555 for speaker:Eoghan Murphy

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 32 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: From the numbers I have seen, I do not think the Deputy's concern is warranted. As the numbers are not confirmed, I do not want to put them into the public domain until we have them. We have done more with HAP than was intended. We have also done more in other areas as well. It is not a question of exceeding 21,000 but being well down, although we are above that in other areas. It is a...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 32 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: When one looks at the total amount that goes into the subhead and when one takes into account the local infrastructure housing activation fund, LIHAF, and local property tax, LPT, as well, this additional amount of €2 million is more like somewhere between 20% and 25% of total spend. Accordingly, it is not as much as a one third increase. One interesting point is that capital...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 32 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: That is one interpretation. The numbers will show that, at the end of year, we are doing more than we forecast at the beginning of the year. We are going to exceed our targets in 2017 when it comes to social housing supports. The Deputy will be able to see exactly where we have exceeded them and how, as well as what value we have got for that spend, when we publish the figures soon.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 32 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: When we had a housing summit in September, local authority chiefs brought it to my attention about bank-led vacancy, where there was vacant stock in the possession of the banks which they felt they could bring into use for social housing. When I spoke at the conclusion of the housing summit about turning our focus away from acquisition to build by local authorities, it was to stop them...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 32 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: I raised this issue with the Housing Agency when I met its representatives. I have not seen the list. I deferred to the agency's judgment because it is the expert in ensuring that it acquires properties at good value. Not all the units that were offered on the list would have been good value for local authorities to purchase. With regard to publishing the list, there might be privacy...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 32 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: Yes. On the length of time involved, acquiring these units is not necessarily a simple thing to do, particularly when one takes account of the properties might be bundled and other factors. I would certainly recommend exploring it further with the Housing Agency because it does this every day of the week.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 32 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: I just wanted to ask a question about next week's engagement. We are trying to do a number of things next week because we are coming up to the end of the session. We want to publish the new guidelines relating to high-rise development and build-to-rent properties. We also want to publish our affordability scheme. I made a commitment to this committee that, even though we are moving away...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Constitutional Amendments (6 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 252 and 260 together. The issue of the right to housing was debated in Dáil Eireann and Seanad Eireann recently.  Arising from this, a motion to refer the Eighth Report of the Convention on the Constitution, which dealt with economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to housing, to the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Guidelines (6 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: Following engagement between the European Commission and my Department regarding the 2013 European Court of Justice ruling in the Flemish Decree case, a working group, comprising senior representatives from my Department and planning authorities, was established in May 2017 to review and, where necessary, recommend changes to the 2005 Planning Guidelines on Sustainable Rural...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Judicial Reviews (6 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: As neither the State, nor I as Minister, is a party to this particular judicial review, I am not in a position to indicate the present status of the case. Furthermore, under Section 30 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended), I am statutorily precluded from exercising any power or control in relation to any case in which a planning authority or An Bord...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Turbary Rights (6 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: It would not be appropriate for me to comment on the legal status of turbary rights, as this would involve interpretation of law, which is ultimately a matter for the Courts. The Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, is concerned with proper planning and sustainable development and does not interfere with other rights relating to land such as turbary rights.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (6 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: My Department, as part of the funding process, conducts spot checks of local authorities’ private rented inspections procedures and records to verify that proper records are being maintained, that money being spent is for the purpose allocated and that value for money is being achieved. Wicklow County Council was among the local authorities selected and a spot check was carried...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme Administration (6 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme 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 having a minimum reckonable income of €15,000 per annum and having been in receipt of social housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: House Prices (6 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: Under the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, the Government is committed to a broad range of measures to tackle, among other things, some of the costs associated with the provision of housing. This includes undertaking a detailed analysis, in conjunction with the construction sector, to benchmark housing delivery input costs in Ireland, in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (6 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: On 10 July 2017, I attended the "hand-over ceremony" for the first five of 49 affordable homes delivered by the Ó Cualann Co-Housing Alliance in Ballymun. I was impressed with what I saw and since then, I have met with O'Cualann’s representatives to discuss how the homes delivered in Ballymun can be delivered at greater scale. My Department has also arranged meetings...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Emergency Accommodation Provision (6 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: Based on reports received from the Dublin Region Homeless Executive, there were a total of 676 families accommodated in hotel and B and B arrangements at the end of October; this is a reduction of 195 families, or more than 22%, on the high of 871 recorded in March of this year.  As part of the response to the commitment contained in Rebuilding Ireland that commercial hotels and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Emergency Accommodation Provision (6 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: In line with commitments in Rebuilding Ireland, my Department issued guidance in January 2017 to all local authorities in relation to assisting victims of domestic violence with emergency and long-term accommodation needs.  This guidance has been developed to support local authorities respond to victims of domestic violence, in the context of their housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Expenditure (6 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The Press and Communications Office of my Department liaise with the media on behalf of my Department as well as all Ministers.  The engagement of external expertise is generally only considered where the issues involved require expert skills or capabilities that are not readily available within my Department.  While my Department does not collate data in a manner that would...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Housing Policy (7 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The Government acknowledges the affordability pressures faced by households with low to moderate incomes in particular parts of the country. It is precisely for that reason that Rebuilding Ireland has prioritised the supply of new homes to meet current and pent-up demand as well as helping to moderate house prices and rents. For households in the lowest income brackets, I am prioritising...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Housing Policy (7 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: I was quite clear about this both in my answer and in committee. We are about to announce an affordability scheme and it is being designed at the moment. I have met with bodies like Ó Cualann which have carried out affordability projects through running co-operative housing with local authorities, so as to see how we can draw up our own affordability scheme criteria. It is important...