Results 3,641-3,660 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: Yes. Some 25 local authorities already have vacancy officers in place. We urge all of them to emulate this and to bring their vacancy plans to us. Most have done so, but some have not. Again, we want those plans to be submitted. We should have them all by the end of the month.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: Yesterday, some local authorities provided reasons for not being able to submit their plans.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: I am sure local authorities will publish their plans.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: We can do that if the Deputy wants. Every time I visit a council I ask the members to take a lead in this area and drive this agenda. I have to say that this has not happened in respect of some of the schemes we have presented. Where the repair-and-lease scheme is concerned, the ideal is for councillors, who know the people who own these properties, to go out and explain what is involved....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: That approach has been examined by the Department of Finance, which will make a view on it known. I did express my concern. I am not convinced of the speed with which such a tax would bring us a solution, but if it helps, I have no problem with it whatsoever. I am trying to offer carrots to make it attractive to bring these properties back into use. By all means, however, we need to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: I believe I have dealt with most of Deputy O'Dowd's questions. He mentioned an old hotel in Drogheda, which could very easily be brought back into use by the local authority. I will ask it to look at it. It would probably be ideal for a family hub, or for a traditional property or for accommodation units, but it should be considered. Different funds have been put in place to enable that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: I think the Senator is following me.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: I will work through the members' questions backwards. The Vice Chairman's concerns are dealt with by planning control. Professionals must be involved, including a signed certifier. Building control applies to the process and applicants must obtain a fire certificate and so forth afterwards. The process is exactly the same as the process that applies when a new house is being built....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: When we launched Rebuilding Ireland we made clear we were not reneging on quality and safety. I probably did not stress sufficiently that there are no exemptions to building standards and control.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: As with any building, notification will be given and the developer will have to use professionals, including a signed certifier who will do his or her job throughout the system. A project will not be signed off by a certifier unless he or she has been involved in the project from the start. That is the idea behind building controls and the reason the system is working very well.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: The existing requirements will apply. The working group will produce guidance if there are any changes. The fire safety officer will be involved in the process. There will be no change until that working group brings forward recommendations for change. Members are concerned that there is a demolition of standards here but there is not. It all stays the same. If that working group puts...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: "Yes" and "no". The exemptions here will make it more viable for some of these properties to be brought back into use because owners do not have to go through the whole planning process for change of use and incur the costs involved in doing that. They do not have to pay contribution levies, planning fees and so on which makes it more viable to bring the properties back into use. It should...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: We are making changes -----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: Can I answer the questions that were asked?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: We are bringing forward some solutions to make it more viable. I have also asked the local authorities to put people in charge of making this happen. We need people to drive this because if it is not driven by the local authorities and by councillors of all parties and none, it will not happen. I must disagree with Senator Murnane O'Connor on the question of funding. A cash payment of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: Yes. We are all for transparency in the planning system. Certainly, I am and the Department is too. If we can aid that, we will do so and we will look at that. Senator Boyhan is right on that point. The Senator also referred to a register for telecommunications infrastructure. Again, that is in place. Senator Boyhan has said he would like that to be central to local authority...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: There is a map and a register, but I know what Senator Boyhan is saying. Perhaps we could add that work to the role of the broadband officer without taking away from the main work, which is to drive that agenda. Senator Boyhan is making a positive request. It is not something we will knock and it is certainly something we will look at. It should be possible to do it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: The idea is to make changes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: I wish to be clear about Senator Murnane O'Connor's fear that there is an absence of common sense. It was one of the first schemes I asked about when I came to the Department. To me, it is totally a matter of common sense. People in some cases own these properties and do not have the cash to spend. In consequence, they do not come back into the system. Others own properties and have the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: The owners are going to get an income from it as well. It is an attractive scheme. I disagree with the contention from Senator Murnane O'Connor that it is not attractive. We have made it more attractive with changes to try to ensure better take-up. What is wrong is that it is simply not being pushed out there. I hope this scheme will work. We are trying to spend the money wisely across...