Results 601-620 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: The stick was enough. Did he avail of the repair and leasing scheme or the assistance of a vacant homes officer? He also had the option not to apply for planning permission. Was that-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: Yes. It is good to see that happening.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: They are worth a lot more now and they are generating an income. I will come back to Deputy Flaherty when he is finished his Dáil duties. The next slot is mine. Last night, when we were debating the planning Bill, it was all going really well until we got into major discussions about one-off rural housing and it descended into some strange, bizarre, entertaining, if you want to call...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: They will then be issued as a section 28 ministerial guideline. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: To listen to the discussion last night, you would think it was absolutely impossible to build a one-off rural house. To clarify, the figures in the OPR are about one-off houses. They do not differentiate between one-off housing in rural and urban settings. I suspect most of them are in rural areas. That is good. We will expect to have them issued. What is the approximate time for the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: I encourage the focus on that aspect. Planning is not an exact science. We all know that. It is our best guess of what we can try to put in place to deliver what is needed. It is very helpful when there is an organisation like the OPR which provides such good research on planning. It is a real shame to see the Office of the Planning Regulator being held up as the bogeyman of all things...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: As for the right to purchase, I cannot remember the name of that Bill on which we did pre-legislative scrutiny. What was it called?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: We concluded pre-legislative scrutiny and the Department submitted a report. I just-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: Okay. We will make the space and time for Committee Stage because it is important legislation. I thank him for bringing it forward. In my last minute, I have one final question. I have a Private Member's Bill on dereliction and the regeneration of buildings. An aspect of that Bill is around a one-stop shop. The Minister's colleague, Deputy Barry Cowen, was the one who drafted the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: The vacant homes officer would be the relevant people in place to provide that guidance. I foresee the difficulties as being that sideward way of people saying this is the way we have always done it. People are afraid to deviate from a standard and a way which is working. However, we should look at something that could be introduced on a pilot basis with an appropriate level of oversight...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: It also fits into our national planning objectives of compact growth, as well as transport and climate action.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: I call Deputy Cummins.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: Sorry?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: The next two contributors are Deputy Gould and Deputy O'Callaghan. If they could be as direct and brief as possible, we will have a break and then move to discussing the Estimates, if that is okay with everybody.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: Leave it to Deputy Gould. Please finish your point, Deputy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: I will call to a halt to Deputy Gould's contribution. Representatives of Uisce Éireann will be before the committee next week and the Deputy can put that question to them.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: I thank Deputy O'Callaghan. Deputy Ó Broin has the final slot and then we will take a break.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: That concludes the meeting on Housing for All. I remind the Minister and his officials of what has been requested. Senator Cummins asked for the figures for 2023 for the change in use to residential. Senator Boyhan raised the dashboard for progress and the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, referred to it. Deputy O'Callaghan asked for an update on the figures for the prevention of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: It would be really helpful to provide clarity and guidance. The guidelines are there as guidance, rather than relying on anecdotal discussions which take place about the difficulty, or lack of difficulty as the figures suggest, on the delivery of one-off housing. The Office of the Planning Regulator was probably one of the best things to happen in the planning system following the Mahon...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: I raise the issue of teacher allocations and the apparent inflexibility of the current system. The key factor for determining the number of teachers for the next school year is the number of pupil enrolments in the previous year. I am dealing with a situation in a school in Bray where, despite the school having had a significant increase in student numbers over the course of the school...