Results 201-220 of 498 for speaker:Joe Cooney

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: Without a doubt it is challenging. The Minister has a big concern about the cost of delivering units. Is there anything that can be reviewed and looked at regarding the costs? The costs have gone crazy.

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: On investment in infrastructure, do we need to look at investing more in that to try to get development going in areas where there is no development? We are well aware there are parts of the country where there is little or no development going on. Where can we look at getting funding and investment to see if we can get that infrastructure in place?

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: That is a serious concern. On where there is and is not infrastructure, I believe the Minister is talking about reviewing county development plans going forward. Is that something that will happen sooner rather than later, or what is the update? I am aware of areas in my county where there is good infrastructure in place, but now they are beginning to get limited with land for development....

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: Based on the Estimates in front of us, we probably have funding to deliver the units, but the stumbling blocks in our way are what will prevent us from delivering what we are hoping to achieve for 2025. I thank the Minister very much for his time.

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: Returning to the vacant and derelict house grants, they are a fantastic idea and we have got a lot of houses back into use and we have got people back in to towns and village centres which had been dead. We are well aware of the costs. Can we look at increasing those grants in future budgets? They have been a fantastic idea but they seem to have died off a bit. Can more be invested in...

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: The most important thing is to get these houses back into use. Great work has been done with that grant. It was much appreciated. Has affordable housing in rent pressure zone areas opened up to the whole country now, so you can build affordable houses?

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: Very good. Thank you.

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: The Minister mentioned how local authorities were bringing houses up to a very high standard. I believe they have no choice in doing so. From the Minister's remarks, I think this situation could be different. I agree with him. I have seen some local authority houses where good doors and other stuff were stripped out completely and just dumped and the properties were totally revamped. Is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: For the Residential Tenancy Board, RTB, I have query on how the system runs. I am aware of a landlord who made a payment on 20 May. In early June, that person got a letter back stating that no payment had been made. On 14 June, she got a final reminder. At that stage, she sent a second cheque because of serious concern that she had maybe mislaid the first one. Low and behold, however, a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: The RTB.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: I apologise.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: It is alarming when we see the number of people coming to us. I again compliment Threshold on the great work it is doing trying to keep a roof over people's heads. Going forward, what do we need to do to encourage landlords to stay in the rental market? It is not easy at the moment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: We need to simplify the criteria and deal with the red tape. If we do not, we will have fewer landlords in the market. Going back to Mr. Davitt, what does he think would encourage people to buy property and rent it to tenants? It is going the opposite way. Given his background, does he think anything more can be done?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: If we do not change the law sooner rather than later, we will have a lot more people homeless.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: The question I have again is how the three groups can work together to make more properties available for leasing. It seems to be going in the opposite way at the moment. Is there a way we can bridge gaps? Is there a way we can get landlords back in to rent properties to tenants? That seems to be the big issue. In fairness to Mr. Davitt, he said landlords were nearly pulling out rather...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: Trust is very important.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: I know we have a serious issue on our hands. What will happen after 1 March is going to be very interesting but we need trust and we need to get landlords back into the system. If we do not, it is downhill we will be going.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: Regarding payments and how they are worked out, a landlord made that payment to the RTB in mid-May, which they were meant to do, and in early June, the landlord received a reminder that the person was not registered, so they made a phone call and could not get the details. On 14 June, they got a final reminder to say the payments still had not been made. At that stage, they decided to write...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: I thank Ms Loughlin for the reply but, again, it is the inconvenience put on both the RTB and the landlord, which is not good enough, in fairness.