Results 3,801-3,820 of 5,817 for speaker:Thomas Gould

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban and Rural Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Mar 2022)

Thomas Gould: I have a number of questions. Why have the recommendations of Alison Harvey of the Heritage Council, in its collaboration on vacancy data with the Housing Agency, Vacanthomes.ie and Space Engagers, not been taken on board given that it was a key objective in the last housing policy?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban and Rural Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Mar 2022)

Thomas Gould: How long will that take? How long until we have proper and accurate data about vacancies and dereliction and about how long a property has been derelict? Will we have the data this time next year?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban and Rural Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Mar 2022)

Thomas Gould: I apologise for cutting Mr. Logan short but the issue is that the Derelict Sites Act came into force in 1990. It is now 2022. After 32 years, we have no accurate data on dereliction. Is that what we are being told today?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban and Rural Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Mar 2022)

Thomas Gould: I was in Cork City Council, and for years I was looking for accurate data in relation to Cork City Council. Yesterday, Deputy Ó Broin was in Cork with me and Deputy Ó Laoghaire. We walked around with the Anois group, representatives of which, Dr. Frank O'Connor and Ms Jude Sherry, gave a presentation to this committee on dereliction. I walked around Cork city centre and the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban and Rural Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Mar 2022)

Thomas Gould: On that point, €405 million in funding was allocated for regeneration for Cork city, of which €350 million was for the docklands area. We have been waiting 30 years for the docklands regeneration. It is welcome money and it is very much needed. Not a single penny in funding was granted for the northside of Cork city, which has the worst dereliction. In the Department's...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban and Rural Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Mar 2022)

Thomas Gould: The last time we were, here I was assured that that section was being set up. I know that people have to be hired and there is a process to go through. When will that section be set up, and how many staff will be in it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban and Rural Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Mar 2022)

Thomas Gould: That is fine, but the issue is so big. It is going to take us years to build houses. We can turn derelict or vacant houses around in months. This is not going to solve the housing crisis or make a huge difference. My last question is-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban and Rural Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Mar 2022)

Thomas Gould: Perhaps Ms Graham can respond to me later.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban and Rural Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Mar 2022)

Thomas Gould: There were three full-time vacant home officers in 31 local authorities. She might speak to that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban and Rural Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Mar 2022)

Thomas Gould: With regard to the town and village renewal scheme, I asked a question of the Minister and the Department in regard to Blackpool village, which is in Cork city. Blackpool is probably one of the most historic areas in Cork, with the history of the area going back hundreds of years. We have villages within cities which have their own identification and the people associate with them. Should...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban and Rural Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Mar 2022)

Thomas Gould: Thank you. With regard to sanctions for local authorities which do not collect the derelict sites levy or which do not list sites as derelict sites, is there anything we can do to ensure local authorities deliver? The figures I have are astounding, given the number of local authorities not even putting sites on the list or not collecting the levy. If we are going to tackle dereliction,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban and Rural Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Mar 2022)

Thomas Gould: There is one question I asked earlier and I am not sure if it has been answered as I had to go to the justice committee. Last year, I was informed there were only three full-time vacant homes officers in the 31 local authorities. The Minister then announced in November that there was an initial €10,000 on top of the existing €50,000 to ensure that every local authority will...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Gambling Regulation Bill: Discussion (8 Mar 2022)

Thomas Gould: I thank everyone for being here today and for being so honest. Ms Byrne spoke about self-regulation on credit cards. I have brought forward the Betting (Prohibition on Use of Credit Cards) Bill 2021, which is on Second Stage in the Dáil at the moment, for a complete ban on the use of credit cards for gambling in shops and online. I do not believe that people should be able to gamble...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Gambling Regulation Bill: Discussion (8 Mar 2022)

Thomas Gould: There are 150 independent stores, and of that number one group has 50 stores and another two groups have 30 stores. This is 80. That 150 is now down to fewer than 70. The days are gone when a betting shop may have been a family run small business, because of the 800 shops, fewer than 70 are family businesses. Betting shops are big business and the vast majority are run by big companies....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Gambling Regulation Bill: Discussion (8 Mar 2022)

Thomas Gould: How does this system operate for online betting if a person wants to be excluded and does not want to be able to gamble?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Gambling Regulation Bill: Discussion (8 Mar 2022)

Thomas Gould: I thank Ms Byrne. I appreciate that. We do not have that system in Ireland at the moment for those who are at risk of problem gambling. That safeguard is not there for those who are at risk of problem gambling or might be on the verge of being in the throes of addiction. That is one of the reasons we need strong regulation and a strong regulator. With regard to Entain, Lottoland and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Gambling Regulation Bill: Discussion (8 Mar 2022)

Thomas Gould: I thank Mr. Finlay. I appreciate it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Gambling Regulation Bill: Discussion (8 Mar 2022)

Thomas Gould: I revert to a question I asked earlier about under 18s being able to see advertisements on social media and online. Have the witnesses spoken to Twitter, Facebook and other social media outlets about ensuring that under 18s do not see those ads?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Gambling Regulation Bill: Discussion (8 Mar 2022)

Thomas Gould: Does that mean it will happen?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Gambling Regulation Bill: Discussion (8 Mar 2022)

Thomas Gould: I have two daughters. Last year, when they were 14 and 11, they were able to see these ads online. During the Covid restrictions, many people spent more time on social media and online. If my children and other children can see them, I find it hard to believe it has been in place for two and a half years. If it has been in place for two and a half years, why is it not working?