Results 14,821-14,840 of 15,555 for speaker:Eoghan Murphy

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (12 Dec 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: My Department is currently drafting Regulations to further amend the exempted development provisions of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, which are required to be made prior to the commencement of section 8 of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2018 in order to facilitate the operation of this amendment. Due to the complexity of some of the issues arising, my Department...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Valuation Office (12 Dec 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: The Valuation Tribunal is an independent body under the Valuation Acts of 1988 and 2001. It deals with appeals against decisions of the Commissioner of Valuation on the valuation of commercial properties for rating purposes and appeals against determinations of market value on derelict sites or vacant sites made by local authorities under the Derelict Sites Act 1990 and the Urban Regeneration...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Expenditure (12 Dec 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: My Department does not have any credit cards issued to Ministers or officials. My Department operates a Purchase Card system, which was implemented in July 2019 and was drawn down from the Office of Government Procurement framework agreement for the provision of purchasing card programmes to the Irish Public Sector. The Purchase Cards replaced credit card use in my Department. The information...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Sites Data (12 Dec 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: While application of the vacant site levy is a matter for individual local authorities, my Department monitors the implementation of the levy with a view to ensuring that it is being effectively applied, in line with its intended purpose of incentivising the development of vacant or under-utilised sites in urban areas. To support this work, my Department issued Circular PL 09/2019 on 13...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (12 Dec 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the Act), all development, unless specifically exempted under the Act or associated Regulations, requires planning permission. Section 4 of the Act and Schedule 2 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, as amended, set out various exemptions from the requirement to obtain planning permission. Any such exemptions are subject...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Finance Agency Funding (12 Dec 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: The Housing Finance Agency (HFA) raises long-term fixed rate finance, as needed, for on-lending by local authorities for Rebuilding Ireland Home Loans (RIHL). The HFA advanced €62m and €178m in RIHL to local authorities in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Borrowing costs relating to the financing of the RIHL scheme by the HFA are included in the lending rate to local authorities...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Repair and Leasing Scheme (12 Dec 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 368 and 369 together. The Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS) was developed to assist private property owners and local authorities or approved housing bodies (AHBs) to harness the accommodation potential that exists in certain vacant dwellings across Ireland. RLS has both capital and current funding streams. The capital element funds the repairs to the property;...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (12 Dec 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Section 247 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, provides that any person intending to apply for planning permission for development on land in which he or she has an interest may request a pre-application consultation with the relevant planning authority about the proposed development. This consultation is held subject to the agreement of the planning authority, with the...

Seanad: Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) Bill 2019: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Senator for proposing this amendment. It is good practice to consult on such statements of strategy and that is commonly done. The new Office of the Planning Regulator, which I established earlier this year, had a six-week public consultation process. The Senator mentioned the balance between the independence of a regulatory body and the need for engagement and consultation...

Seanad: Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) Bill 2019: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: The intent of the report is the opposite of what the Deputy has suggested. Where allegations are made against a housing body and an investigation is commenced, which may take some time, an interim report would allow some of the clouds hanging over that body to be lifted, at least in terms of public opinion. It might clarify that there are no concerns around financial governance, for...

Seanad: Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) Bill 2019: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: My admiration for housing bodies and the work they do is clear. I try to support them at every stage possible. Regulation is a part of that support and is an important part of what we are trying to do when it comes to housing. I thank my officials for their work in progressing this Bill. I thank Senators for their co-operation, particularly Senator Kelleher for her co-operation with her...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Rebuilding Ireland: Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (12 Dec 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Chairman and members for the opportunity to appear before them again to give an update on the progress made in the implementation of Rebuilding Ireland. I am joined today by Mr. John McCarthy, Secretary General, and assistant secretaries, Ms Maria Graham, Ms Mary Hurley and Mr. Paul Lemass. At the core of Rebuilding Ireland is the supply of new homes for individuals and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Rebuilding Ireland: Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (12 Dec 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: In terms of social housing delivery, we are continuing to build on the significant progress made between 2016 and 2018 in terms of supporting new households into homes. As of the third quarter of 2019, more than 90,000 additional households across Ireland have received social housing support under Rebuilding Ireland. Looking at this in another way, when we set out with the plan, there were...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Rebuilding Ireland: Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (12 Dec 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Senator for her questions. Of course, we are letting children down. If any child is in emergency accommodation, the State is letting that child down. In my opening statement I mentioned families, but we report on children in emergency accommodation every month. Thankfully, the number was down in October, but not by nearly enough. We also have the new quarterly reporting. I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Rebuilding Ireland: Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (12 Dec 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I dispute that completely because, compared with a hotel, a family hub is far superior in terms of the additional space and the wrap-around supports, the Tusla workers, the supports-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Rebuilding Ireland: Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (12 Dec 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Of course, they are not homes. No one is saying they are. They are the first response. They should be the only first response. We should not be using hotels but, unfortunately, we still are. In a hub, however, there are the wrap-around supports, the supports for the parents, which are important, play spaces and homework clubs. Most important, children in hubs spend far less time in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Rebuilding Ireland: Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (12 Dec 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Yes but-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Rebuilding Ireland: Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (12 Dec 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Unless the Senator can tell me where these families would be, other than on the streets, I do not know what to say to her. We must have some sort of accommodation until we get homes. This is why people criticise HAP; I criticise it myself. We should not have to depend on it to the extent we do, but practically no homes were being built. Until we get enough homes built, we must care for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Rebuilding Ireland: Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (12 Dec 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Yes, and it is a failure of the past, not the present.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Rebuilding Ireland: Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (12 Dec 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Some 23,000 new homes became available in the 12-month period up to quarter 3 of this year. The figure was under 10,000 before Rebuilding Ireland, so the programme is increasing supply. We must continue to increase supply. As I said, it is not yet enough. As for children or families who might be experiencing fuel poverty, half the social housing stock has been retrofitted since 2014....