Results 2,661-2,680 of 6,937 for speaker:Cian O'Callaghan

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: This clarification is very useful.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: My questions are in a similar vein. Under subhead A3, local authority housing, last year the underspend was €237 million in the Supplementary Estimate.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: That is no problem. Under subhead A3, local authority housing, last year the underspend was €237 million in the Supplementary Estimate. This year, my read of it is that it is €220 million. Is that correct?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: Does it not say €220 million?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: I understand. It is an estimate.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: It is worth saying that the Estimates last year were relatively accurate in this regard, were they not? The €237 million underspend last year, when these Estimates came in, was held to, was it not? It was accurate, so there is no reason-----

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: Exactly, but the Estimates have been relatively accurate so there is no reason to expect otherwise. Between the two years, that is almost €500 million in underspend under subhead A3, local authority housing, at a time of unprecedented numbers of homeless people living in emergency accommodation and record numbers of children growing up without a home. Why is here such a high level of...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: I have a question on CAS, the Housing Agency land acquisition fund and the budgetary process on the housing budget. Last year’s Supplementary Estimate was €125 million for the land acquisition fund. This year, am I correct there was no allocation in the budget for that fund?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: How much was it?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: Yes, in the Supplementary Estimate.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: I heard that in the Minister's opening----

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: In the budget for 2023, apart from the Supplementary Estimate, was there funding for the land acquisition fund?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: Absolutely, but the Minister is effectively repeating this year the Supplementary Estimates of last year. Why is he not doing this in the budgetary process proper?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: I will give two other examples. Under the subhead on accommodation for homelessness, A13, there is an allocation of €102 million. The original budget this year was for €215 million. That will be a total spend this year of €317 million on homelessness, yet the budget for next year does not reflect the €317 million figure; it is just €242 million. We will...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: I will go to three subheads to point this out. Last year's Supplementary Estimate for the land acquisition fund was for €125 million. This year, there is another Supplementary Estimate for €114 million-----

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: I am trying to get a handle on the €220 million that is not going to be spent on local authority housing. We know that €80 million of that is going into CAS so where is the rest of that €220 million, the €140 million, going? That is my first question. Rather than doing a back and forth, I will ask a second question now and give the Minister the space to respond....

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: It is the tenant in situ------

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: Yes, but a lot of it is tenantin situ-----

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: A lot of that is 100%, the €80 million.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: Yes, but the €220 million for local authority-----