Results 18,541-18,560 of 26,320 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as ucht a cheist. To deal with facts, as opposed to his contribution, he will know that last year we delivered just short of 30,000 new homes, 5,000 more than the target set, in the first year of Housing for All. The Deputy might like to ignore the fact that it was a difficult year, with the difficulties relating to supply chain, inflation - real world...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I asked Deputy Ó Broin why Sinn Féin opposes it. He said, "We just do it better." That is all he said. No policies, no nothing. "We just do it better." As regards the overall investment, a Theachta, we are investing €4.5 billion this year under Housing for All. Does the Deputy know how much is in the Sinn Féin policy? Not its housing policy, which it still has...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: -----6,000 in Dublin alone. That is a fact. That is what is happening. Just up the road from Deputy Ellis, we will be turning the sod on Oscar Traynor Road. Sinn Féin has spent years objecting to that scheme but work is going to start on the site. We have a plan that is working. Challenges remain. We will exceed our housing target this year. The Deputy might tell me what Sinn...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I note in Deputy Doherty's response that he did not answer any questions or put forward any alternatives.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: There is no Sinn Féin housing policy. It does not exist. There is no question that there remain very significant challenges. We have an overall target this year to deliver 29,000 new homes and we intend to do that. We delivered affordable homes in the first year of Housing for All for the first time in a generation. Speaking of photo opportunities, very recently in Deputy Louise...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The delivery figures show that.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Not everybody is feeling it. People watching will see that-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: In fairness, people watching will see that all that Sinn Féin has called for, particularly for first-time buyers, is the removal of all the supports available, including the help to buy scheme, the first home scheme and the vacancy grant. Sinn Féin would get rid of them all.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for her questions and the points she has made. I reject outright that Housing for All is failing. It is not. I have responded to some of the charges from the Deputy opposite, which, to be fair, were put in a less constructive way than those Deputy Bacik put. It is all I would expect from Deputy Doherty on most Thursdays in the House.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Leaving that aside for the moment, there are very serious issues here, particularly around homelessness. The number one priority are the people who do not have a home. We need to make sure there is secure accommodation for them and we can have more people exit homelessness into permanent social homes. That is why the focus has been on delivering more new social homes. Last year, we built...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Labour Party voted against the Bill.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I stand to be corrected.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: If we are to deal with the facts, we built just short of 30,000 new homes last year, the first full year of Housing for All. That was more than the Labour Party did in the five years that it was in government between 2011 and 2016.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Sorry, Brendan, but if we look at the last time we had a Labour Party Minister for housing, investment in housing, for everything, was about €400 million. That was in 2015.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: It is 11 times that now. We are delivering investment of €4.5 billion this year.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Deputy Howlin, who has been here a long time, obviously does not like hearing the facts but that is the reality.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Deputy Bacik said the plan lacks ambition. It does not. I am always open to constructive points and criticism. Indeed, I have found the Labour Party to be constructive in the main but not its idea that we can simply increase capital investment by a further €1 billion without looking at the capacity to deliver the houses. We need to build up capacity in the sector too. That is what...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: We will double-check that. Let me address the cheap remark about the three leaders being away. In fairness, it is a UN General Assembly. There is a WHO summit on pandemic preparation.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Anyone in government who travels and is away is working, and the Deputy knows that. Hers was a pretty cheap shot and one she should not repeat. I do take responsibility for the work this Government does. I agree with the Deputy on that. We have many more challenges. What I am saying to the Deputy concerns housing delivery across all forms of tenure. Even if she looks at what will...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: We will do everything we can to continue with the progress we are making.