Results 21-40 of 708 for speaker:Rory Hearne

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Unlocking Barriers to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (4 Nov 2025)

Rory Hearne: Sorry, can I just come back in there? It is said often that lack of access to finance is a major issue but Mr. O'Connell is saying builders can access finance.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Unlocking Barriers to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (4 Nov 2025)

Rory Hearne: The State could provide more lending that would not require equity in the same way as the private sector.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Unlocking Barriers to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (4 Nov 2025)

Rory Hearne: Okay. I thank Mr. O'Connell.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Unlocking Barriers to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (4 Nov 2025)

Rory Hearne: I thank Mr. Kelleher. Do Mr. Culhane, Ms Dunkin or Mr. O'Gorman want to come in?

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (4 Nov 2025)

Rory Hearne: 613. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if his Department will review a case relating to an employment permit for a person (details supplied) in Dublin 11; if the potential error can be rectified; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59072/25]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (4 Nov 2025)

Rory Hearne: 1103. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he is aware of delays to the progression of affordable purchase schemes as local authorities must now redo costing for affordable purchase considering the changes to the VAT on apartment sales; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59326/25]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (4 Nov 2025)

Rory Hearne: 1877. To ask the Minister for Health to respond to matters raised in correspondence regarding cancellations of surgery for a child (details supplied); if she will outline the reasons for these cancellations; if she will provide information on when the surgery will take place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58934/25]

Office of the President: Motion [Private Members] (22 Oct 2025)

Rory Hearne: I thank Aontú and others for bringing forward the motion today. It is an important discussion about how we choose our President, the processes set out for that and who is eligible to vote. The Social Democrats are open to engaging in a cross-party discussion about the processes in place to elect a President. Uachtarán na hÉireann, as has been set out, is the highest office...

Finance Bill 2025: Second Stage (21 Oct 2025)

Rory Hearne: I completely back my colleague, Deputy O' Callaghan. The Minister talked about politics of the lowest kind. Politics of the lowest kind is to allow over 5,000 children to be homeless every single year and to vote, year after year, against implementing an eviction ban. The Minister is a Minister of homelessness. He stands over all the things he been done in this country, all the great...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Vacancy and Dereliction: Discussion (21 Oct 2025)

Rory Hearne: I will start with the situation in relation to vacancy and dereliction. We are all coming at this from the perspective that we have an absolute housing disaster, with record homelessness, as the witnesses are all too well aware. We spoke about long periods of time but culturally, politically and policy-wise there has been a complete failure to prioritise vacant and derelict buildings and to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Vacancy and Dereliction: Discussion (21 Oct 2025)

Rory Hearne: What proportion of the grants relates to rental properties?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Vacancy and Dereliction: Discussion (21 Oct 2025)

Rory Hearne: Approximately one grant in four is going to landlords as an affordability measure. We are helping landlords through affordability measures that come from public funding.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Vacancy and Dereliction: Discussion (21 Oct 2025)

Rory Hearne: Are they making them available at an affordable rent when they receive the vacant property grant?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Vacancy and Dereliction: Discussion (21 Oct 2025)

Rory Hearne: Ms Behan said "one would assume" this is the case. Does she know whether it is the case?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Vacancy and Dereliction: Discussion (21 Oct 2025)

Rory Hearne: Before moving to that, I asked the Department officials whether they consider that the vacant property tax is working to address the high level of vacancy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Vacancy and Dereliction: Discussion (21 Oct 2025)

Rory Hearne: I ask the local authority representatives to respond to my question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Vacancy and Dereliction: Discussion (21 Oct 2025)

Rory Hearne: Is the funding available to the council adequate?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Vacancy and Dereliction: Discussion (21 Oct 2025)

Rory Hearne: I welcome our guests and thank them for coming. Representatives of various Departments and local authorities were before the committee earlier to discuss this issue. On the basis of what we heard from them, you would think this is all going fine, they are on top of the issue of vacancy and dereliction and all the figures are there. What strikes me is that it feels like there is a lot of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Vacancy and Dereliction: Discussion (21 Oct 2025)

Rory Hearne: The figure we heard was a rate of vacancy of approximately 2%.