Results 9,081-9,100 of 15,555 for speaker:Eoghan Murphy

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (25 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 224, 234 and 242 together. 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 the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness has prioritised the supply of new homes to meet current and pent-up demand, as well as...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grant Applications (25 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I refer to the reply to Question No. 663 of 23 January 2018.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Provision (25 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I understand that negotiations between Meath County Council and the Department of Education and Skills regarding the transfer of the site to facilitate housing development in the Ashbourne area, are at an advanced stage. My Department recently wrote to the Department of Education and Skills, to highlight the potential value of this site to support housing delivery under...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Data (25 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: My Department makes funding available to all local authorities to deliver additional social housing stock through new construction projects, the acquisition of new and previously owned houses/apartments and through working with approved housing bodies under a range of delivery options. A breakdown of the units delivered in 2016 and up to the end of quarter 3 of 2017 is published and available...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme (25 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 228 and 246 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: European Investment Bank (25 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 229 and 237 together. The Government is committed to working with the European Investment Bank (EIB) to secure long-term, low-interest funds for major infrastructure works, including housing development. Potential mechanisms for investment in social and affordable housing were the focus of a high-level event, jointly organised by my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Planning Framework (25 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 230 and 231 together. The National Planning Framework (NPF), which is currently in the process of being finalised, will set out an ambitious vision for what our country should and can look like in 2040.  The Framework advances national policy around both brownfield policy and infill areas by providing targets as part of a wider strategy for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (25 Jan 2018)

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 the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness has prioritised the supply of new homes to meet current and pent-up demand, as well as helping to moderate house prices and rents, on...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector Strategy (25 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 236 and 244 together. The Government recognises the housing affordability pressures in certain areas and is determined to see increases in the supply of high quality social and affordable homes, to buy or rent, as quickly as possible, particularly in the major urban areas such as Dublin, Cork and Galway. The Government has already introduced a number of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (25 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: The zoning of lands for particular uses is a reserved function of the elected members of a planning authority, in accordance with the statutory development plan procedures under the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended). Chapter 4 of the 2007 Development Plans Guidelines issued under section 28 of the Act provides a framework to be used, when considering decisions on zoning as...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Mortgages (25 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Following a review of the two existing local authority home loan schemes, the House Purchase Loan and the Home Choice Loan, I am introducing a new loan offering, known as the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan, with effect from 1 February 2018.  The new loan will enable credit worthy first time buyers to access sustainable mortgage lending to purchase new or second-hand...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (25 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: The information requested is set out in the table. For 2017, in addition to the funding provided to local authorities under the build and acquisition programme, further funding of €70 million was provided in respect of the Housing Agency Acquisitions programme to facilitate the acquisition of suitable portfolios of properties for social housing from financial institutions and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Mortgages (25 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 241, 243 and 247 together. Following a review of the two existing local authority home loan schemes, the House Purchase Loan and the Home Choice Loan, I am introducing from 1 February 2018 a new loan offering, known as the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan.  The new loan will enable credit worthy first time buyers to access sustainable...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Data (25 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: At the second Housing Summit, held on January 22nd, I asked each Local Authority Chief Executive to furnish a report by mid-February, confirming and setting out how their Local Authority will deliver on its social housing targets over the coming years. It is my intention that the targets will be published as soon as possible thereafter, and progress made by each Local...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (25 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I do not have an opening statement as I was informed it would be of no value. It is good to get straight into questions and Deputy Casey asked a number. I am glad he raised the CSO figures because work has been ongoing in the Department for the past six or seven months on these. This is not to say the CSO vacancy figures of between 178,000 and 180,000 are wrong, rather that its definition...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (25 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: In our voids programme we began with homes that had been empty for a number of years and were boarded up or semi-derelict. Once we had brought those all back into use, the next group required significant capital investment as otherwise, they would be vacant for six, 12 or 18 months. If we are to tell a local authority it cannot have the funding unless a house has been vacant for more than...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (25 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: We will not be talking about them at all very soon, because that is where the numbers are going. A lot of progress has been made and we exceeded our targets for last year as well. I wanted to separate voids from our builds target, which I did though there was some confusion on the part of Deputy Barry Cowen as to what had happened there. It was a move for increased transparency and clarity...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (25 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Senator for his comments on the work of the Department on focusing the reporting to drive greater accountability and delivery. That is the intention of what we have been trying to do over the past six months as we reviewed Rebuilding Ireland and went to refine and introduce new things, to ensure Oireachtas Members were aware of exactly what was happening. In giving that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (25 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Does the Senator believe people cannot validate that at the moment by getting in touch with the local authorities?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (25 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: That has not been my experience, but I will certainly look into it.