Results 3,201-3,220 of 10,577 for speaker:Barry Cowen

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointments Status (28 Feb 2018)

Barry Cowen: 157. To ask the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) can expect an appointment. [10279/18]

Other Questions: Housing Provision (27 Feb 2018)

Barry Cowen: 40. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of the proposed housing targets under the affordable purchase scheme in each of the years from 2018 to 2023, inclusive,; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9486/18]

Other Questions: Housing Provision (27 Feb 2018)

Barry Cowen: Thankfully, the Minister introduced an affordable house scheme in January this year. Since 2011 Fine Gael has not delivered one such house. It scrapped the only scheme in place in 2012. Will the Minister outline to the House the targets he has set for the new scheme this year and in the forthcoming years, given that there are the same expectations of local authorities in the provision of...

Other Questions: Housing Provision (27 Feb 2018)

Barry Cowen: The Minister's answer is somewhat twofold. In the first instance, he has confirmed that no targets have been set. We would have expected a great deal of research to go into the preparation of the scheme and a great deal of groundwork to be done to allow action to be taken immediately to match the rhetoric. However, that is not the case. It is disappointing that the Minister is awaiting...

Other Questions: Housing Provision (27 Feb 2018)

Barry Cowen: The 2008 scheme might have yielded just 3,000 units, but I repeat that, irrespective of the Minister's contention about the Government's reasons for abandoning the scheme in 2012, since 2011 Fine Gael in government has not provided one affordable unit for any citizen. That is a fact. Will the Minister elaborate on and clarify his initial comments in response to this question? I have no...

Other Questions: Housing Provision (27 Feb 2018)

Barry Cowen: What about what happened in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018?

Other Questions: Housing Provision (27 Feb 2018)

Barry Cowen: We were building four times more than the Government.

Priority Questions: Construction Costs (27 Feb 2018)

Barry Cowen: 35. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of the independent audit of residential construction costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9731/18]

Priority Questions: Construction Costs (27 Feb 2018)

Barry Cowen: We have consistently said that the key to solving the housing crisis lies in supply. They key to supply is affordability and the key to affordability is cost. We have been conscious of the excessive costs associated with development levies, certification, credit or finance, and VAT. In April 2016, the Minister's predecessor and now Tánaiste, Deputy Coveney, said that he would need an...

Priority Questions: Construction Costs (27 Feb 2018)

Barry Cowen: I have a simple question. The then Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Coveney, announced a plan for an independent audit of construction costs in October 2016. Is the Minister surprised we have not had that yet? He mentioned other recommendations that emanated from special design groupings within his Department and in conjunction with other bodies and so forth....

Priority Questions: Construction Costs (27 Feb 2018)

Barry Cowen: To bring it to a conclusion, will the Minister give a commitment to the House that this independent assessment and audit of construction costs will be published in the coming month to allow all parties and none on this side of the House to analyse and scrutinise that so that we can be in a position to make recommendations, perhaps including some that have already been made, but with the...

Priority Questions: Rental Sector (27 Feb 2018)

Barry Cowen: The short answer is the Minister is not yet ready to make recommendations apart from those that went to local authorities as to how they might be classified. Will the Minister tell me when he expects this task force to make proposals? When can this Dáil expect a debate on recommendations the Minister makes? When can this Dáil scrutinise and subsequently approve those...

Priority Questions: Rental Sector (27 Feb 2018)

Barry Cowen: Under no circumstances do we have a problem with home sharing and the options people have in that realm. This is about the other 30%, those who, on a full-time basis, offer their property for short-term lettings. Up to 2,000 of these properties will be available in Dublin tonight. I take on board the Minister's response, belated as it is, that recommendations will emanate from this task...

Priority Questions: Rental Sector (27 Feb 2018)

Barry Cowen: 33. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the steps he will to take to regulate short-term lettings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9730/18]

Priority Questions: Rental Sector (27 Feb 2018)

Barry Cowen: Last year my colleague, Deputy Pat Casey, initiated a proposal for the housing committee to undertake a study and make recommendations on the regulation of short-term lettings. Airbnb has encouraged this type of letting which can impact further on the availability of conventional units in the rental market and contribute to the unfortunate and ridiculous rent increases we have seen, with the...

Priority Questions: Housing Issues (27 Feb 2018)

Barry Cowen: 31. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the proposed powers and resources of the new national regeneration and development agency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9729/18]

Priority Questions: Housing Issues (27 Feb 2018)

Barry Cowen: This time last week, the Government was talking about its commitments in Project Ireland 2040 to build 500,000 homes. Unfortunately, it rings hollow when we study the figures released today which again surpass previous records on homelessness. There are 9,104 people in homelessness, of which 3,267 are children. There are 1,517 families in emergency accommodation. Announcements, rhetoric...

Priority Questions: Housing Issues (27 Feb 2018)

Barry Cowen: I thank the Minister for his response.

Priority Questions: Housing Issues (27 Feb 2018)

Barry Cowen: The clock is frozen. We might get the leader of the agency responding to the weather situation here to fix the clock.

Priority Questions: Housing Issues (27 Feb 2018)

Barry Cowen: They are like Batman and Robin going around the past few days. Will the Minister elaborate further? I am sure a lot of preparation went into the decision to put this agency on such a footing. Various powers associated with it would have been agreed by Government for implementation as soon as is practically possible. The Minister said it may have powers in addition to those local...