Results 3,761-3,780 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Dereliction and Vacancy: Discussion (15 Jun 2023)

Steven Matthews: That is great. I am out of questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Dereliction and Vacancy: Discussion (15 Jun 2023)

Steven Matthews: Unless there is anything the witnesses would like to add, I will thank them for their attendance and for their incredible work. As I said at the start, there has been a concerted effort such as we have never seen before across local government and in the Department. We have seen that over recent years. With regard to the comment on the voids, to me, it does not matter whether a local...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Infrastructure Provision and Residential Developments: Discussion (13 Jun 2023)

Steven Matthews: I welcome the representatives of the Construction Industry Federation, the Irish Home Builders Association, ESB Networks and Uisce Éireann. The committee wishes to discuss the relationship between the provision of utilities and development. We are doing a lot of work around land activation measures and, obviously, we want to see more housing being built, so I thank the witnesses for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Infrastructure Provision and Residential Developments: Discussion (13 Jun 2023)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Gleeson. There are two phrases in those opening statements that I have not heard before and I might not be the only one. What does Uisce Éireann mean by "self-lay in public roads"?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Infrastructure Provision and Residential Developments: Discussion (13 Jun 2023)

Steven Matthews: CIF's opening statement referred to first mover disadvantage.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Infrastructure Provision and Residential Developments: Discussion (13 Jun 2023)

Steven Matthews: No, I get it. I thank Mr. O'Connell for the clarification. We will move to members now and Deputy Ó Broin is first.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Infrastructure Provision and Residential Developments: Discussion (13 Jun 2023)

Steven Matthews: Was the first question directed to CIF?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Infrastructure Provision and Residential Developments: Discussion (13 Jun 2023)

Steven Matthews: That is probably of interest to all of us so I will allow that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Infrastructure Provision and Residential Developments: Discussion (13 Jun 2023)

Steven Matthews: I am aware CIF probably should respond to that but I am going to move on. I have to. The representatives can come back and respond later. We move to Deputy Duffy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Infrastructure Provision and Residential Developments: Discussion (13 Jun 2023)

Steven Matthews: Yes. Thank you, Senator Cummins. The next slot is Deputy Ó Broin's.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Infrastructure Provision and Residential Developments: Discussion (13 Jun 2023)

Steven Matthews: I thank Deputy Ó Broin. I will take the next slot. I suppose it is important to note that no house gets built or lived in without these three guys coming together and that is why we want the three of them in the room here. The planning system is the magnet that draws them all together. We zone a lot of land and say that it is suitable for development. The difficulty seems to be in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Infrastructure Provision and Residential Developments: Discussion (13 Jun 2023)

Steven Matthews: On the forward planning section, before these maps are even presented to councillors there is good engagement with-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Infrastructure Provision and Residential Developments: Discussion (13 Jun 2023)

Steven Matthews: -----Uisce Éireann to say it has capacity for water in here and it is constrained on wastewater orvice versa. Would that happen with ESB Networks as well?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Infrastructure Provision and Residential Developments: Discussion (13 Jun 2023)

Steven Matthews: That is well after the zoning. We are in preplanning or planning stage.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Infrastructure Provision and Residential Developments: Discussion (13 Jun 2023)

Steven Matthews: I suppose capacity is one aspect. It is a matter of getting the network from where the wastewater treatment plant or water supply is to a particular site. I refer to the laying of pipes and cables, etc. In terms of the construction industry, is there difficulty existing at that point then?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Infrastructure Provision and Residential Developments: Discussion (13 Jun 2023)

Steven Matthews: I am sorry to interrupt. CRU has recently ruled that the first mover has to pay for the upfront cost.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Infrastructure Provision and Residential Developments: Discussion (13 Jun 2023)

Steven Matthews: Is there a solution, because it involves a high capital outlay to get the pipe to that site to allow the subsidiary connections to be made? Is there a solution to that first mover difficulty?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Infrastructure Provision and Residential Developments: Discussion (13 Jun 2023)

Steven Matthews: I am sorry; what is that called?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Infrastructure Provision and Residential Developments: Discussion (13 Jun 2023)

Steven Matthews: That would make sense.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Infrastructure Provision and Residential Developments: Discussion (13 Jun 2023)

Steven Matthews: There were probably legacy ways of doing things in a number of local authorities previously. Now we have brought it all under one standardised arrangement, which is probably the best way. I am conscious that Irish Water inherited a legacy network as well with a lot of non-standard infrastructure. What is the Construction Industry Federation, CIF's response on the CRU decision? I am sure...