Results 5,501-5,520 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2022)

Steven Matthews: We are over the seven minutes. If the Deputy wants to ask the question,-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2022)

Steven Matthews: -----we might not have time for the answer, but the Deputy may ask the question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2022)

Steven Matthews: I might interject here. We are going through a significant review of the planning system and the Deputy might wish to submit that as an amendment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2022)

Steven Matthews: Deputy, we make the laws and the witnesses present execute the laws.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2022)

Steven Matthews: A few questions there require written answers, particularly how much of the council-owned land is under flood zone A and B.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2022)

Steven Matthews: I appreciate that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2022)

Steven Matthews: Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan was due to speak but he is speaking in the Dáil Chamber. I call Senator Cummins and Deputy O'Sullivan can speak when he arrives.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2022)

Steven Matthews: We are into the third round now. The order I am taking is Deputies Gould and McAuliffe, myself and Senator Boyhan. I can bring Senator Cummins back in then if that is okay. We will go to Deputy Gould now. We are okay to stick to seven minutes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2022)

Steven Matthews: Does Mr. Ó Donnabháin wish to come in on those questions?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2022)

Steven Matthews: I am sorry to interrupt Mr. Ó Donnabháin; it is kind of difficult to hear. I wonder whether his microphone could be better placed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2022)

Steven Matthews: We will try it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2022)

Steven Matthews: I thank Deputy Gould and call Deputy McAuliffe.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2022)

Steven Matthews: I have other Members on the list here but they are probably caught up in the Dáil or the Seanad, so I will just go with who we have in the room at the moment. I call on Senator Boyhan, after whom I will have a couple of questions, and then Senator Cummins.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2022)

Steven Matthews: I have a few questions. Both chief executives referred to the housing delivery action plan. Are they fully available on the website? They are. That is great. We did a short briefing last week on the housing needs demand assessment, HNDA. I am interested to hear from both local authorities their view on how difficult a process this has been and what it has revealed to them. It seems...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2022)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Mahon. I might stay with him on that then. Was the same methodology used to determine the affordability figure, as was used in the HNDA? Is that the reason for the very close correlation?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2022)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Mahon. To clarify, in the HNDA figure for the social housing requirement, he said one underplayed, but I am not sure which one it was. Did one underestimate more than the other?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2022)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Mahon. I am conscious that it is a relatively new process. The council is not dealing with an exact science here and is trying to make a lot of estimates and use the data that is available to it to come up with an appropriate figure. That was for Galway. I put the same question to the other witnesses.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2022)

Steven Matthews: I must ask Mr. Ó Donnabháin to stop there because I am not picking the audio up clearly. I will move on in the questions because I just have two minutes left. With regard to the earlier question about activating land, how far advanced are both of the local authorities in their zoned land tax mapping exercise? Perhaps both of the councils could answer that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2022)

Steven Matthews: Is Galway on target?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2022)

Steven Matthews: There was a question earlier about long-term leasing arrangements that local authorities can enter into. When the council enters into those arrangements it frees up other homes so that people can right-size and can be matched to those long-term leases. When those houses then become voids, because somebody has left them, do the councils try to bring them back? A figure was given by one of...