Results 301-320 of 1,061 for speaker:Séamus McGrath

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Peter McVerry Trust: Discussion (30 Sep 2025)

Séamus McGrath: Resolved and not settled, okay. I thank the witnesses again.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Peter McVerry Trust: Discussion (30 Sep 2025)

Séamus McGrath: Okay.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Peter McVerry Trust: Discussion (30 Sep 2025)

Séamus McGrath: I thank everybody for being here today. If I may, I will start with the Department. In its opening statement there is a reference to February 2025 when it was agreed to appoint independent experts to oversee corrective actions taken by the trust. Why was it necessary to do that in February of this year?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Peter McVerry Trust: Discussion (30 Sep 2025)

Séamus McGrath: Just to clarify, in Ms Tobin's opinion, were there still governance concerns earlier this year?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Peter McVerry Trust: Discussion (30 Sep 2025)

Séamus McGrath: So it was still a work in progress.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Peter McVerry Trust: Discussion (30 Sep 2025)

Séamus McGrath: If I may, I will turn to Mr. O'Leary. My time is very limited so I will try to be as punchy as I can. In July of this year AHBRA issued a non-compliance determination. That is only a couple of months ago. Could he just explain that to us?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Peter McVerry Trust: Discussion (30 Sep 2025)

Séamus McGrath: I thank Mr. O'Leary. For me, the crux of this issue is ultimately the oversight that is there and who is responsible. We have three different bodies before us today and there is also the Charities Regulator. In AHBRA's statement there is a reference to the joined-up approach being a good one. I am not sure I fully agree with that. Where does the responsibility lie in terms of regulation,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Peter McVerry Trust: Discussion (30 Sep 2025)

Séamus McGrath: I am sorry for interrupting Mr. O'Leary, but I am caught for time. He says it is the trust's responsibility to be compliant - of course it is - but as the regulatory authority, is it not AHBRA's responsibility to spot non-compliance and to uncover it? In this case, that did not happen until it got very late in the day. What assurances can he give us that we will not get to the same point...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Peter McVerry Trust: Discussion (30 Sep 2025)

Séamus McGrath: This is my final point. I do not underestimate the challenge for AHBRA given the 436 AHBs. Does Mr. O'Leary feel he has enough resources to be an effective regulatory authority?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Peter McVerry Trust: Discussion (30 Sep 2025)

Séamus McGrath: I thank Mr. O'Leary very much.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Peter McVerry Trust: Discussion (30 Sep 2025)

Séamus McGrath: I have a question on the number of AHBs nationwide. We have discussed at length the governance issues with the Peter McVerry Trust and the difficulties in overseeing and regulating 436 bodies. In the opinion of the Department and the regulatory authority, do we have too many approved housing bodies nationwide?

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Sep 2025)

Séamus McGrath: I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I raise the rent a room relief scheme. It is a good scheme, but I wish to discuss its income threshold of €14,000 in particular. We are in an acute accommodation crisis and this scheme could play a greater role in better utilising existing properties and empty rooms. Single person accommodation is extremely difficult to secure and student...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (25 Sep 2025)

Séamus McGrath: Regarding those 206 loans, do we have visibility in terms of loans that may be in distress that were issued under inaccurate criteria?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (25 Sep 2025)

Séamus McGrath: Any loss that is incurred through a loan that did not follow the proper criteria is a serious matter. Is it possible for us to delve into that a little bit and seek clarification on the number of loans issued through inappropriate criteria that ultimately ended up in distress? Can we clarify that point and get a value on it?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (25 Sep 2025)

Séamus McGrath: Can we query that, Chair?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (25 Sep 2025)

Séamus McGrath: On the RTB, we are writing to it generally about ICT. Can we specifically ask about the issue at hand here in that correspondence? Can we specifically raise this point instead of just a more generic letter?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (25 Sep 2025)

Séamus McGrath: I thank the Cathaoirleach.