Results 4,501-4,520 of 8,342 for speaker:Peter Burke

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (28 May 2021)

Peter Burke: I thank the Senators for engaging on this. I will respond to the amendments together, as outlined earlier by the Leas-Chathaoirleach. These amendments refer to and are connected with the power given to local authorities in the Bill to provide financial assistance to eligible purchasers to purchase dwellings on the open market. They propose removing that power and any reference to it from...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (28 May 2021)

Peter Burke: I did not interrupt the Senator. He is obviously having trouble-----

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (28 May 2021)

Peter Burke: The Senator obviously has a problem when he hears the truth. The truth of the matter is what his party is doing, which is opposing housing in the State, as this Government tries to get sites that have been lying idle for decades back into use for our citizens and for sustainable communities. We have seen many examples of sites where providing community centres, parks and key infrastructure...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (28 May 2021)

Peter Burke: I acknowledge Senator Warfield's amendment. Without doubt it has a significant portion to play. What I would say is that capacity is the issue we are concerned about.While I do not propose to accept the amendment at the present time, I recognise that there is significant merit attached to it, what Senator Warfield and other Senators have brought to the debate, and for considering it in the...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (28 May 2021)

Peter Burke: Yes.

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (28 May 2021)

Peter Burke: I thank Senators for engaging in the debate. I do not propose to accept this amendment. In respect of allowing, where appropriate, housing authorities to enter into such arrangements, including joint ventures, in order to deliver affordable housing for sale in one of the ways that might deliver housing, as I said previously and as some Members have referenced, the LDA will be a game changer...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (28 May 2021)

Peter Burke: I thank the Senators for a debate I genuinely value. Much good content has recurred throughout the different themes. Before I address the amendments, regarding what Senators Casey and Boyhan said about the section 183 process and the LDA, the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, is working hard to try to resolve that issue. As the Minister of State with responsibility for local authorities, I...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (28 May 2021)

Peter Burke: I thank Senators for their contributions on this matter. They are correct on the importance of language in legislation. This is not an issue of principle but a legal issue in terms of the direction given on the Planning and Development Acts. I agree to take another look at the amendment. I propose to accept amendment No. 12, which was touched on by Senator Higgins, to show our commitment...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (28 May 2021)

Peter Burke: We are accepting this amendment and I hope that reflects the broad thrust of the day. We have accepted amendments and we have given commitments to come back on others because we genuinely value the contributions made by Senators.

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (28 May 2021)

Peter Burke: This has been a very good debate with extremely valuable contributions. I almost do not know where to start in view of the range of issues that were raised. I very much agree with the amendment. I support the thrust of it. The amendment relates to housing authorities proactively planning for the delivery of affordable dwellings for purchase and for cost-rental. Local authorities are...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (28 May 2021)

Peter Burke: I thank Senators Ruane and Higgins for their amendment. It proposes to add another subsection, presumably (7), to section 6 which is the provision of dwellings by housing authorities. Affordable dwellings will be provided by housing authorities with assistance from the Department, including from the serviced sites fund where a clear need has been identified for such. The process sees...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (27 May 2021)

Peter Burke: My Department oversees workforce planning for the local government sector, including the monitoring of local government sector employment levels. To this end, my Department gathers aggregate quarterly data on staff numbers in each local authority on a whole time equivalent basis. However, granular data, in terms of the detailed breakdown of the number of planning enforcement officers...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (27 May 2021)

Peter Burke: I propose to take Questions Nos. 156 and 163 together. The Programme for Government - Our Shared Futureincludes the specific action to strengthen the regulatory and enforcement mechanisms with regard to short-term letting, and the ongoing approach in this regard is currently being considered. However, as some elements of potential regulation of the short-term letting market fall outside the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (27 May 2021)

Peter Burke: My Department requests extensive Short-Term Letting (STL) data returns from local authorities on a quarterly basis. Amongst the information requested is the total number of properties identified as potentially in breach of the STL regulations and therefore requiring further consideration. However, local authorities are not required to identify and report on the number of short-term lets...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (27 May 2021)

Peter Burke: My Department requests extensive Short-Term Letting (STL) data returns from local authorities on a quarterly basis. These returns include extensive statistics regarding the enforcement and implementation of the STL Regulations and feedback on the impact of Covid-19 in this regard. Amongst the issues raised in these returns are the effect that Covid-19 has had on the ability of local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (27 May 2021)

Peter Burke: My Department continues to pursue the outstanding returns from local authorities regarding the implementation and enforcement of short-term letting regulation. To date, 16 of the 22 relevant local authorities have responded, with the remainder expected in the coming days.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Bodies (27 May 2021)

Peter Burke: Under the Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Sustainable Rural Housing 2005, planning authorities are required to frame the planning policies in their development plans in a balanced and measured way that ensures the housing needs of rural communities are met, while avoiding excessive urban-generated housing. I wish to clarify that the ‘Flemish Decree’ was a March 2009...

Independent Beef Regulator: Motion [Private Members] (26 May 2021)

Peter Burke: As I open the debate on the Government side, I do so, first, as the son of a suckler farmer in the midlands who has lived the experience that many of the Deputies speaking today say they are aware of. I grew up on a family farm that supported me in life and gave me the key opportunities to realise my ambition and supported me to do that. I have also experienced the late nights and long days...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Rental Sector (26 May 2021)

Peter Burke: I thank Deputy Sherlock for raising this matter. I appreciate the genuine way in which he put his concerns forward. I accept that those concerns are valid. The Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 specify requirements on a range of matters such as structural repair, sanitary facilities, heating, ventilation, natural light and the safety of gas, oil and electrical...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Rental Sector (26 May 2021)

Peter Burke: I again thank the Deputy. His point is very well made and his concerns are very valid; I fully accept that. As I have said, there is a target for 25%, more needs to be done and we are trying to achieve that with increased funding, albeit in very constrained circumstances due to the pandemic. My Department has increased funding. As I said, the current €10 million budget should allow...