Results 4,081-4,100 of 26,565 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: That flows as well, because I wrote to Deputy Ó Broin recently asking him to publish his analysis of the impact of the abolition of the help-to-buy grant and first home scheme on house building and new housing supply.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Strangely, Deputies Ó Broin and Doherty decided not to respond in any way to those letters. That is the contrast between what we do and what others say they will do. In the background, other party colleagues-----

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Sorry Eoin, I am not talking to you.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: That would be a first.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The uplift in commencement activity is being mirrored at local level across the country. For example, there were 1,019 new homes commenced in Cork county in quarter 1 2024, the highest for this period since records began more than a decade ago. The national surge in April was also seen in Cork county, with a record figure of 806 commencements in April. While it will take time to see recent...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: We know there is a lot more to do. There are people who want to buy their own home and are being helped by the Government schemes but we need to further ramp up supply. I thank Deputies O'Sullivan and O'Connor and other Government colleagues for their support for the delivery of housing. That is in stark contrast to the main Opposition party, whose members are serial objectors to new...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I am not getting into specific issues relating to that particular-----

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Raise it under Questions on Promised Legislation, Cian. I will answer you then.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Lean ar aghaidh.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Homeless Persons Supports (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I have not seen the figures yet. We will publish them, as we do, for everyone to see. We have seen an increase in the number of exits from homelessness, which is welcome. People who find themselves in emergency accommodation are spending less time there and more are exiting into permanent secure homes. I assure the Deputy that supporting individuals and families facing homelessness...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Homeless Persons Supports (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: We are delivering more new social homes than the State has in over 50 years and we will do more than that again. Our plan is published and being implemented. It is happening. That is in stark contrast to the lack of any alternative. The Deputy has put nothing forward. In Cork county, there has been a 32% year-on-year reduction. In Longford, the reduction was 32% and, in Kildare, it was...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Homeless Persons Supports (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Hold on; does the Deputy want to keep interrupting as he has done right the way through? I remind the Chair that he is independent today, regardless of his party affiliation.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Homeless Persons Supports (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Chair has not asked Deputy Ó Broin to be quiet once.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Homeless Persons Supports (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: All I will say is that I am acutely aware of our responsibilities and the job we have to do to drive down the numbers in homeless emergency accommodation. I chair the national homeless action committee myself and I work with stakeholders. It is a complex issue. The Deputy knows that. People enter emergency accommodation for various different reasons. We are increasing the supply and we...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Homeless Persons Supports (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The key is increasing supply and social housing output in particular and providing additional supports for people, such as the purchase of homes with tenants in situ, which has been very successful and a really important preventative measure. We are delivering those additional homes. I meet people all across the country who are exiting emergency accommodation and who have secured permanent...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Reports (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: No, absolutely not. I thank the commission for its work. I have thanked it publicly for that. In fairness, the report I received on 8 May took years to prepare. Lots of work the commissioners did in the subgroups requires more than two weeks' consideration. I published the report because part of it was leaked and I thought it much better that people could see the full report. That is...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Reports (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: When this Government came in, I was very clear with people, and we published Housing for All as well, that we were dealing with a legacy issue of ten years of very significant undersupply of housing. There is absolutely pent-up demand. What have we done since then? Up to quarter 1 this year, we delivered 110,000 new homes. That does not include the thousands of vacant homes we brought...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Certainly not.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I have never been accused of being biased towards Sinn Féin.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Reports (30 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Report of The Housing Commission was submitted to me on 8 May, as the Deputy will be aware. I thank the commission for its work and the commissioners for three years of detailed work to look at a longer term strategy on housing. I established the commission. This is the first Government to do that and take a longer-term view. I have no difficulty with contrarian views within it...