Results 2,841-2,860 of 5,626 for speaker:Thomas Gould

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (11 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: 316. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if there is a restriction on recording full council meetings in either a statutory instrument or legislation. [49657/22]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (11 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: I thank the witnesses for being here today. I have just a few quick-fire questions because there are a few issues I want to address. The first question is whether both local authorities believe they will meet their social, affordable and affordable cost rental targets for this year?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (11 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: Is it 5%, 10% or 20%? What is it roughly speaking?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (11 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: We are looking at probably a 60% delivery, roughly speaking, of what was estimated. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (11 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: That ties into my next question. With a lot of the projects in both witnesses' local authorities there are now much more, larger, more complicated projects where there is a mixture of tenure types. It just seems, however, that delivery is very slow. Earlier in the year a report was carried out about having maybe one single point of contact in the Department when trying to get these...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (11 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: Is there a way to streamline things? Are there actions the Department could take to help? I understand that these are really complex, major developments, but we need housing delivered. My disagreement with the Minister all the time is that, while we can talk about planned housing and commencements, delivery is the key. What can the Minister or the Department do to get these developments...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (11 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: Is Mr. Keegan saying there is nothing that can be done by the Department or the Minister to help speed things up?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (11 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: I am asking a straight question. I do not mean to badger. This is the housing committee. We have input into the Minister and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. What can be done to help speed things up? Does Mr. Curran wish to respond?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (11 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: I have a couple of brief questions remaining. Vacant homes officers are like sites officers. Was it Mr. Keegan who made the point earlier about having additional staff? As for vacancy and dereliction, in my constituency of Cork North-Central and Cork city and county we have 7,000 vacant properties. In the areas I represent there are 20, 30 or 40 buildings, former homes, lying idle. Even...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (11 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: Does Mr. Curran wish to comment?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (11 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: If the local authorities had additional staff, would they help to deliver more units? As Mr. Curran said, this is quite complicated, with the titles, people being sick and not knowing who owns the property. If the local authorities had a team working on that, would it speed it up? My last question - I thank the Chair for his leniency - is about when people go into rehab and are taken off...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (11 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: I thank the witnesses.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (11 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: Have the councils sold affordable housing this year and, if so, at what price?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (11 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: Has affordable housing been sold in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (11 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: Will it have affordable homes for next year?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (11 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: The reason I raise that is, as a Deputy for Cork North-Central, I cannot understand how Dublin local authorities can sell affordable houses €50,000 cheaper than we can in Cork, especially when the average cost of a three-bedroom house in Dublin is almost €100,000 greater. Obviously Cork City Council will have to answer that when it is here next week, but it relates to the point...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (11 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: I will touch on a point with regard to one-bed accommodation. A number of the witnesses made a point about older people who are living in two-, three- or four-bedroom houses. Every one of us knows people like that. We need more of a roll-out of that type of one-bed accommodation. We have some very successful ones in Cork and probably in other areas, but we need more of them. Are councils...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (11 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: We recognise there is an opportunity with regard to the accommodation that older people need. It would also release three- and four-bedroom properties. With regard to manning levels, we know that staff was culled in local authorities after the financial crash. Where are councils now, staff-wise, compared to where they were at the high of their staffing in 2010, 2011 or 2012? Are they...

Communications Regulation Bill 2022: Second Stage (Resumed) (6 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. It has some very good measures, specifically those that will increase the powers of ComReg. That organisation does good work. It supports vulnerable people and can be an easier organisation to gain access to and get support from. This removes the need to go to the High Court, freeing up valuable and vital court resources. It is...