Results 14,241-14,260 of 15,555 for speaker:Eoghan Murphy

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Local Authority Housing Provision (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Deputy for the follow-on question. It is not a question of funding. Rebuilding Ireland was a ring-fenced budget, the first time that has happened over a number of years, because of the commitment we were making to getting social housing built again. I refer to more than €6 billion to be able to do that. The situation we have in homelessness is complex. It is not just...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Local Authority Housing Provision (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I can communicate directly with the Deputy if there are particular issues that people in his constituency are facing in this regard. We want people to engage with local authorities early where they are at risk of homelessness. We also want to make sure there is no unnecessary delay in processing their applications, be it for the housing assistance payment, HAP, homeless HAP, the use of a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Water Supply Contamination (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Deputy for the question. I have a written answer but it is the same as the previous answer so, if it is okay, I am not going to read it out. I hope that will allow us to move through the questions more quickly. The important change with regard to accountability is that the EPA now reports directly to me. The agency is not under my Department's remit. In the course of an...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Water Supply Contamination (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Deputy for the follow-up question. We still have to get to the root cause of the November event but we can all agree that the level of risk currently inherent in the Leixlip plant is unacceptable. It is not acceptable and it is not fair to all of the houses served by this water treatment plan for this uncertainty to continue into the future. I do not want to get ahead of the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Home Loan Scheme (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 30 and 1160 together. When the Rebuilding Ireland home loan scheme was initially being developed, it was estimated that the drawdown of loans would be approximately €200 million over three years. This loan product, however, has proved to be more successful than initially anticipated. In the context of the scheme’s success, my Department...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Home Loan Scheme (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: The six-month drawdown period for those who have received approval for the Rebuilding Ireland home loan is standard within the industry. I am aware there have been some delays at the processing stage and people wanting the credit committee of the local authority to meet again more quickly to get approvals turned around. The Housing Agency, which is the overseer in the first line for an...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Home Loan Scheme (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Deputies for those follow-on questions. On the last point raised by Deputy Ó Broin, it would be an awful thing if couples were looking at homes on the basis of an expectation of a mortgage they were not going to get. That would kill their hopes and dreams right out of the gate. As a result, I will look at the issue as to whether the calculator and the credit committee are...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social and Affordable Housing (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 32, 38, 48 and 53 together. Arrangements for homes to be made available for purchase at a discount on open market rates are now provided for under the affordable dwelling arrangements and Part 5 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, which I commenced in June 2018.  As Deputies will be aware, provisions in Housing Acts and the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social and Affordable Housing (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: It has.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social and Affordable Housing (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: To respond to Deputy Boyd Barrett, the Enniskerry Road development has commenced. It is a pilot project that will operate on a cost rental model. It involves two housing bodies, the Housing Finance Agency, the Housing Agency, my Department, and the local authority. If we get it right, a two-bedroom apartment in a great location that is very well serviced will be available for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Land Development Agency (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: The need for more active land management by the State has been articulated in many policy documents, including report No.145 of the National Economic and Social Council which stated that Project Ireland 2040: the National Planning Framework (NPF) and the National Development Plan (NDP) provided the perfect moment to transition to a new system of urban development and land management. This is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Data (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Over the course of the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan, the Government is committed to meeting the housing needs of over 138,000 households. This will be achieved through blended delivery, involving increasing the social housing stock by 50,000 homes, through build, acquisition and leasing programmes, and supporting some 88,000 further households through the Housing Assistance Payment and the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Building Regulations Amendments (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: The Grenfell Tower tragedy took place on 14 June 2017 and I established a Fire Safety Task Force to examine fire safety in Ireland, and in particular the risk of a similar tragedy happening here, on 27 June. The Report of the Task Force which is available on my Department's website, was brought to Government in May 2018. Overall, the Report, which included a review of fire safety in 839...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Data (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: My Department publishes a monthly report on homelessness. The monthly report is based on data provided by housing authorities on a regional basis and produced through the Pathway Accommodation & Support System. The report captures details of individuals utilising State-funded emergency accommodation arrangements that are overseen by housing authorities. The most recent report is for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payment (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: HAP plays a vital role in housing eligible families and individuals. At the end of Q2 2019, there were more than 48,000 households in receipt of HAP support and over 28,000 separate landlords and agents providing accommodation to households supported by the scheme. Rebuilding Ireland sets annual national targets for additional HAP-supported tenancies. In 2018, this target was for an...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Land Development Agency (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: On enactment of the primary legislation, a permanent board and Chairperson for the Land Development Agency (LDA) will be appointed in accordance with the Guidelines on the Appointment to State Boards. The exact make up of the Board will be determined after an open recruitment process, having regard to the mix of skills required for the appropriate governance of the LDA. For the intervening...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 42 and 44 together. As part of the actions under the Government's Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness – Rebuilding Ireland, the Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 (the Act) introduced new streamlined arrangements to enable planning applications for strategic housing developments (SHDs) of 100 housing units or...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Eligibility (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 43, 45 and 50 together. Applications for social housing support are assessed by the relevant local authority, in accordance with the eligibility and need criteria set down in section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended. The 2011 Regulations prescribe maximum...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homelessness Strategy (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Housing First enables homeless individuals with high levels of complex needs to obtain permanent secure accommodation with the provision of intensive housing and health supports to help them maintain their tenancies. The National Implementation Plan for Housing First, published in September 2018, extends the delivery of Housing First nationally, with the introduction of targets for each...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Data (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Increasing the supply of new homes is a central goal of the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan, not least because such increases will help to moderate price movements. Lead indicators for housing supply, such as planning permission and construction commencement activity, provide a strong basis for confidence that the number of new home completions will continue to increase. Aside from...