Results 13,701-13,720 of 15,170 for speaker:Eoin Ó Broin

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: No, I am looking for where approvals have not been drawn down yet.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Mr. Rafferty made the point that this was a demand-led scheme. Here we have at least €200 million in approvals in the system, and the Mayo figure will bring it to over €200 million. That is €200 million that people are waiting for and we have €50 million or so in the pot, with €24 million spent last year. Could the committee get regular information in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: I have a small number of questions and then there will be a final slot for Deputy Mac Lochlainn, after which we will conclude. Ms Stapleton said section 45, which indemnifies any public professional working on the scheme, could not be commenced. Are there other sections of the 2022 Act that have not been commenced for similar reasons or is this the only one?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Has any other section of the Act not yet been commenced?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: The entirety of the Act has been commenced bar section 45. In plain English will the departmental officials explain for the benefit of the committee what the interpretation problem is?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Perfect.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: This is with regard to who could be indemnified under what circumstances and something could be open to-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: When Ms Stapleton says "scope", is this the scope of the persons covered by the indemnification or the works they have carried out?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Is there any plan to bring forward amending legislation on this before the summer recess? I presume not.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: With a note to the Minister and senior officials not to rush legislation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: I thank Mr. Garrett. I want to pick up a point made by Mr. Espey earlier. Am I correct that he said four out of five of the decisions made by the Housing Agency are either in line with or an improved option, if I can use that phrase, on the initial reports?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: This means one in five is not. In plain English, or in non-engineer speak, will Mr. Espey explain to us what is the problem with the one in five? Is there is a discrepancy between what the industry standard allows for and what the engineer recommended? In plain English will Mr. Espey explain what this conflict is about?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Is it Mr. Espey's view that when the interim guidelines or the revised standard is produced, we should see a significant reduction in these conflicts? Should this be addressed in the main?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: With regard to the NSAI and interim guidelines versus the final revised standard, is there hope that some interim guidelines could be made available earlier which might reduce the number of the decisions we have just been speaking about? What is the timeline for this? It is just so that we are clear.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: I thank Ms Larkin. To go back to Mr. Espey, what happens to the one in five applications? Does the Housing Agency recommend a different remediation option but it is left to the homeowners to decide whether they want to proceed with it, given they have two separate sets of engineers' recommendations?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Do we know how many of these have gone to appeal, have been lost on appeal, or where the homeowner is not proceeding or has indicated they are not proceeding? Is there a growing number with regard to the previous scheme?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: So no appeals have been heard to date.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: So we have no sense of whether there is a potentially growing number of applicants who are unsatisfied with what has been recommended for them and are not willing to proceed on that basis. We do not know that number at this point.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Does anybody think we should know that number or if it would be worthwhile trying to quantify that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Am I right that there was to be a review of the scheme in the Department a year on from it being opened? I remember when we had the hearings last year, in and around the time of the scheme being opened, there was talk of a one-year review.