Results 4,381-4,400 of 15,555 for speaker:Eoghan Murphy

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Sep 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I think so. To go back to Senator Boyhan's points, we need to move away from confusion about numbers to look at who we are trying to help and how we help them. The recategorisation was certainly a very important part of that work. I did not get to clarify earlier the work the CSO will do. It is not that we are taking responsibility away from ourselves for the CSO to do the work. This was...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Sep 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Okay. I will come back on the vacant home tax.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Sep 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Deputy for his questions. I will run through them as quickly as I can in the time available. I have spoken on the point that was made about passing the buck. I recently communicated with local authorities about emergency accommodation. That intervention was about looking at the number of families in hotels without seeing a corresponding programme to get them out of hotels and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Sep 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Exactly. If anyone knows of a legitimate shortcut that might work without creating other problems-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Sep 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: That is one I am looking. The point I would make about slowness is that if we are building 20 homes, we need to ensure they are still standing as safe and secure structures 70 years from now. This is not something that can be rushed. Approximately half of valid applications for home loans have been approved by the Housing Agency.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Sep 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: More than 1,000 loans have been approved. If they were all approved by the credit committee, we would have almost exhausted the first tranche of €200 million. A significant number of loans have been approved by the Housing Agency. The problem is with the credit committee. That is why we are assessing what is happening. Perhaps drawdown is not a fair measure. This was not opened...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Sep 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: They go to the Housing Agency and they go back to the credit committee. They do not come anywhere near the Department.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Sep 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Yes, but it is not underwriting them. It does the due diligence and the financials. The credit committee makes the decision. We need to make sure each credit committee applies the rules in a consistent way when it is making decisions. There is a need for consistency among local authorities. This is not the only area in which they are inconsistent. We can achieve consistency with the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Sep 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I will let them do their work, then we will see what we need to do.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Sep 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Some 26,000 households were supported last year, many of them because of HAP. We need to have HAP at the moment. In 2020 and 2021, we will put more people into the stock of social housing than we will into HAP. We will finally start to turn the current situation on its head. Members will be familiar with the commitment in Project Ireland 2040, beyond Rebuilding Ireland. Essentially, for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Sep 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: In 2020 and 2021, we will house more people through the stock of social housing than we will through HAP. We will start to rebalance back in favour of controlled social housing, rather than using the private rented sector for private supports. We will still have HAP because people like HAP. It has been successful for many people. We will turn that balance on its head. Between 2021 and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Sep 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: We have a projection, but-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Sep 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: -----I am not going to come with a final figure on HAP.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Sep 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: It will be increased. There will be more people in the HAP scheme next year.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Sep 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: This means the current figure of €300 million will go up by-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Sep 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: The Deputy knows it will go up because we are going to support people through HAP next year.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Sep 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: There will be existing tenancies and new tenancies as well. People should be careful on this. If the State is paying one's rent, one's housing need is being met. That is what is happening with HAP. People are successful in HAP. I have provided reports on HAP that set out the number of exits out of HAP and the different reasons tenancies are not working out. HAP has a flexibility....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Sep 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I disagree on that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Sep 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: That is a different point. It is not sustainable to rely on HAP for our social housing supports, as we are doing at the moment. That is different from suggesting we are not meeting people's housing needs. I heard that there was a good programme on the repair and lease scheme the other night. I did not see it, but I understand it covered some properties I have inspected. The scheme is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Sep 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I do not.