Results 6,001-6,020 of 15,555 for speaker:Eoghan Murphy

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Meetings (28 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: The information requested in relation to my Department is currently being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services Provision (28 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives in relation to water services.  The team can be contacted via email to or by telephone on a dedicated...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Planning Framework (28 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: The National Planning Framework (NPF) sets the framework for future planning in Ireland at a national and regional scale. In addition to Ireland’s five cities, the NPF recognises the important regional roles of three other centres as well as the Drogheda-Dundalk-Newry cross-border network. The Framework indicates that all of these centres and networks should each lead...

Other Questions: Housing Provision (27 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: The delivery of affordable homes to buy or rent is a major priority for the Government, with a particular emphasis on Dublin, Cork and Galway, where people face the greatest affordability challenge. To deliver more affordable homes, the State must develop the full potential of its residential landbank. I stressed this point to local authority chief executives at the second housing summit on...

Other Questions: Housing Provision (27 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: One of the main aims of Rebuilding Ireland was the construction of 50,000 social housing homes and their addition to the social housing stock over the period of the five-year plan. The additional funding secured at the time of the last budget for the five-year capital plan we have for Rebuilding Ireland means that we can now meet the joint committee's recommendation that 50,000 new homes be...

Other Questions: Housing Provision (27 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: We did not abandon the need for an affordable housing scheme. The Deputy's party did so when it abandoned the economy. House prices crashed and people fell into serious negative equity. The affordability of housing was not an issue in 2011. There were difficulties with ghost estates and knocking down houses that had not been completed.

Other Questions: Housing Provision (27 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: In recovering the economy we have put in place the ability to have a five-year ring-fenced capital investment plan that will take back responsibility for building social housing which the Deputy's party abandoned.

Other Questions: Housing Provision (27 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: We have done this to bring social housing units back into the stock of social housing via the local authorities and the approved housing bodies. The local infrastructure housing activation fund, LIHAF, scheme which is one of the key measures under which we are going to achieve the provision of affordable houses is open to every local authority in the State that applied under LIHAF 1. LIHAF...

Other Questions: Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (27 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Funding was not necessarily the problem when it came to a number of projects under the local infrastructure housing activation fund, LIHAF 1. LIHAF can be a complicated way of achieving what is a very important goal because it requires the local authority to work with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government and in some instances to also work with a number of different owners...

Other Questions: Homeless Persons Data (27 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Deputies for their questions. To respond to the questions asked by Deputy Dessie Ellis, people are still presenting to the homeless services. We are putting a huge amount of work into prevention and there will be a big focus in the coming year on trying to use supports such as the homeless housing assistance payment to prevent people from having to enter emergency accommodation....

Other Questions: Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (27 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: The first call for proposals under the local infrastructure housing activation fund, LIHAF, was issued to all local authorities in August 2016 and 34 projects received preliminary approval in March 2017. Westmeath County Council submitted two projects for consideration under LIHAF and funding in the amount of €1.83 million was approved for an access road on Brawny Road, Athlone....

Other Questions: Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (27 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Some 74 proposals were submitted under LIHAF 1 by 21 local authorities in October 2016, with 34 projects across 15 local authorities receiving preliminary approval in March 2017. To date, grant agreements on 30 of these projects have been signed between the Department and local authorities. The total cost of the projects is €195.71 million, of which €146.69 million will be...

Other Questions: Homeless Persons Data (27 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Babies in hotels not reaching developmental goals was one of the first things brought to my attention upon being appointed to this office, to make sure that we could find a policy solution that would ensure adequate play spaces, cooking facilities and wraparound supports that families need were in place when they experience this crisis in their lives. That is what the family hub, initiated...

Other Questions: Homeless Persons Data (27 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: The vast majority of families who have been placed in family hubs spend less than six months in that family hub accommodation. We get in there as quickly as possible with our care supports to get them either into social housing or one of the social housing supports that we have. This is why we have expanded the placefinder service which is there to help families to source accommodation,...

Other Questions: Homeless Persons Data (27 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: It is important to note the huge amount of work that has gone on in 2017 between my Department, local authorities, the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive and the NGO sector. As I stated in my previous reply, more than 1,200 families exited hotels and bed and breakfast accommodation in 2017. Of course it is still a huge challenge for Government and society, with 700 families still in hotels...

Priority Questions: Construction Costs (27 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Deputy for the question. Under the Government's Rebuilding Ireland action plan, my Department committed to undertaking a detailed analysis, in conjunction with the construction sector, to benchmark housing delivery input costs in Ireland in order to facilitate an increased level of housing output. To advance this work, a working group, chaired by my Department, was...

Priority Questions: Construction Costs (27 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: The Department's work in this area has been led by our independent study of construction costs. I have seen early drafts we have received in the past few months. We hope to have the Housing Agency's report on international cost comparisons next week. I anticipate that will show that we are not wildly out of line with other close countries such as the United Kingdom, France and Germany. ...

Priority Questions: Construction Costs (27 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Nothing is delaying the report's publication. I intend to get it finalised and published as quickly as possible. I hope both reports will be available next week, but the Deputy might bear in mind that the Department is working on responding to this week's weather event, which is taking most of my attention this week.

Other Questions: Homeless Persons Data (27 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 36 and 73 together. My Department publishes monthly reports on homelessness and the report in respect of January was published today and is available on the Department's website. These reports are based on data provided by housing authorities and produced through the pathway accommodation and support system, PASS. The reports capture details of individuals...

Priority Questions: Rental Sector (27 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Under action 18 of the strategy for the rental sector, my Department established a working group in June 2017 with representatives of all major public stakeholders with a policy interest in short-term lettings to develop guidance on planning applications and changes of use relating to short-term lettings and to examine the need for new regulatory arrangements. The proposals under...