Results 3,761-3,780 of 26,565 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (13 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: That is not on the underspend; it is for this year. We have temporarily moved €200 million out of subhead A3 to support two other programmes. It is coming back in later this year with the approval we got for additional capital through the NDP ceilings. We negotiated additional capital for this year with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, which we will get...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (13 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: It is not really unusual. There is a reason for it. In answering Deputy Ó Broin as regards what we would spend this year, I mentioned that our pipeline is very strong and we expect to spend out. Obviously, all Departments negotiated with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform on their revised capital ceilings. We received an additional allocation, which we will...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (13 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: We have a procedure in that we go to Cabinet with expenditure reports. People can track the expenditure through the Department. We have been able to get flexibility within our Vote. As I have just explained, we have agreed extra capital this year with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, as has the Department of Education. We got a significant amount extra...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (13 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: No, I am not saying that.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (13 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I said I would be helpful but, to be fair, there is a process and there are procedures in place when Government Departments report on their capital and current expenditure, as our colleagues in the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform also do. That is brought to Cabinet, the Government. Where we can be helpful to the committee, we will be.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (13 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: We will also be helpful to committee members.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (13 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: It is.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (13 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I would take the Chairman’s point about the position if we were to take it that 50,000 was the target, although I am not saying that is the case. It came up at the last meeting and we will be having discussions based on our new targets and what that will look like with regard to capital investment, both public and private. Right now, to deliver an average of 33,000, it is about...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (13 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I understand the question. We want to be more precise than that. When we set the targets this year, we will have to see what would be the commitment of any future Government or the Exchequer to deliver those homes. When we deliver affordable, social and cost rental, it unlocks other private developments. A lot of the developments that we are seeing now, including some superb ones in the...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (13 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Yes, we have where it goes to.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Cathaoirleach. Gabhaim buíochas leis an gcoiste as an gcuireadh labhairt leis tráthnóna faoinár bplean tithíochta Tithíocht do Chách agus an dul chun cinn atá déanta ar chúrsaí tithíochta ar fud na tíre. I thank the Chair for the invitation to be here this afternoon along with my colleagues the Minister of State,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I am. The ECB rate increase has had an impact on the cost of development finance, not only the increased cost of construction materials and labour. Looking back to 2022, what concerned us at the time was that we needed to get more commencements going to feed into the pipeline for this year and indeed next. The mechanism that we used provides between €13,000 and €20,000 of a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: We were able to flag it with the sector in good time. Obviously, I had to get Government approval because there is a significant cost involved. We cover the costs of the development levy waivers directly, so no local authority is out of pocket at all. These are real commencements although some have been saying they are just commencement notices. There are much stricter criteria in this...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I am listening to the Deputy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I wholly reject the Deputy's analysis. I will answer his question first and then look to what the alternatives are. This year, we will deliver more than 6,000 affordable homes through our delivery schemes. Last year, more than 4,000 were delivered. Looking at the pipeline of affordable housing through local authorities alone, we have approved more than 5,000 for affordable purchase. That...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I am absolutely addressing the question because the Deputy's analysis of Government-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I have two minutes and 40 seconds left. We have already amended the cost-rental equity loan, as the Deputy knows. We are taking equity in that as well. While he may like to talk down cost rental, it has been an extremely popular tenure-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Chair, I am trying to answer the questions but-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: They are not being blocked. I will look at the delivery measures we now have, including the first home scheme. I will give the Deputy a real-life example. The week before last-----