Results 21-40 of 324 for speaker:Joe Cooney

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs: Planning Challenges in Offshore Renewable Energy: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: Could this position Ireland as a global centre of excellence for such developments, creating an innovative and entrepreneurial ecosystem for the development of technologies to support floating offshore energy generation and, importantly, allow for research into its impact on the wider marine and coastal environment – for example, fisheries, tourism and protected areas? What are the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs: Planning Challenges in Offshore Renewable Energy: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: How seriously should the Government consider this idea?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs: Planning Challenges in Offshore Renewable Energy: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: Sorry.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs: Planning Challenges in Offshore Renewable Energy: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: My final question was on how seriously the Government should take the idea that I put to the floor.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs: Planning Challenges in Offshore Renewable Energy: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: Would there be any consequences for the country if we did not?

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: I thank the Minister and his team for the update. As we are well aware, housing is the big issue, Regarding our targets for 2025 and with how costs have increased, will we be in a position to meet our targets?

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: Without a doubt it is challenging. The Minister has a big concern about the cost of delivering units. Is there anything that can be reviewed and looked at regarding the costs? The costs have gone crazy.

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: On investment in infrastructure, do we need to look at investing more in that to try to get development going in areas where there is no development? We are well aware there are parts of the country where there is little or no development going on. Where can we look at getting funding and investment to see if we can get that infrastructure in place?

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: That is a serious concern. On where there is and is not infrastructure, I believe the Minister is talking about reviewing county development plans going forward. Is that something that will happen sooner rather than later, or what is the update? I am aware of areas in my county where there is good infrastructure in place, but now they are beginning to get limited with land for development....

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: Based on the Estimates in front of us, we probably have funding to deliver the units, but the stumbling blocks in our way are what will prevent us from delivering what we are hoping to achieve for 2025. I thank the Minister very much for his time.

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: Returning to the vacant and derelict house grants, they are a fantastic idea and we have got a lot of houses back into use and we have got people back in to towns and village centres which had been dead. We are well aware of the costs. Can we look at increasing those grants in future budgets? They have been a fantastic idea but they seem to have died off a bit. Can more be invested in...

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: The most important thing is to get these houses back into use. Great work has been done with that grant. It was much appreciated. Has affordable housing in rent pressure zone areas opened up to the whole country now, so you can build affordable houses?

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: Very good. Thank you.

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: The Minister mentioned how local authorities were bringing houses up to a very high standard. I believe they have no choice in doing so. From the Minister's remarks, I think this situation could be different. I agree with him. I have seen some local authority houses where good doors and other stuff were stripped out completely and just dumped and the properties were totally revamped. Is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: For the Residential Tenancy Board, RTB, I have query on how the system runs. I am aware of a landlord who made a payment on 20 May. In early June, that person got a letter back stating that no payment had been made. On 14 June, she got a final reminder. At that stage, she sent a second cheque because of serious concern that she had maybe mislaid the first one. Low and behold, however, a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: The RTB.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: I apologise.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: It is alarming when we see the number of people coming to us. I again compliment Threshold on the great work it is doing trying to keep a roof over people's heads. Going forward, what do we need to do to encourage landlords to stay in the rental market? It is not easy at the moment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: We need to simplify the criteria and deal with the red tape. If we do not, we will have fewer landlords in the market. Going back to Mr. Davitt, what does he think would encourage people to buy property and rent it to tenants? It is going the opposite way. Given his background, does he think anything more can be done?