Results 6,241-6,260 of 15,555 for speaker:Eoghan Murphy

Questions on Promised Legislation (1 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I answered this question last week for the Deputy's colleague, Deputy Howlin. We are working on the establishment of the scheme in conjunction with the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB, as part of the new change management programme. The legislation in place may not be sufficient to do what we want to do with the RTB. We may need to bring in new legislation to supplement the primary...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service Staff (1 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: International research indicates that the retirement age of 55 is the optimum age to ensure that fire-fighters are capable of satisfactorily performing the tasks expected of them. The retirement age of 55 years of age was introduced because of health and safety considerations related to the job. Since the enactment of the Health, Safety and Welfare at Work Act 1989, underpinned by subsequent...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Mortgage Lending (1 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Local authorities have an exemption from retail credit firm status under the Markets in Financial Instruments and Miscellaneous Provision Act 2007 as local authorities provide housing finance for public purposes and at a rate more favourable than that available commercially. Therefore, the Central Bank’s macro prudential lending regulations do not apply to local authority mortgage...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Assets (1 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I understand that site is under the control of Dublin City Council and as such its development or disposal is a matter, in the first instance, for the Council, including its elected members. In this regard, I understand that Dublin City Council is considering disposal of this site, by way of a development agreement, to support the transformation of the area. In carrying out its...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Home Loan Scheme (1 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Following a review of the two existing local authority home loan schemes, the House Purchase Loan and the Home Choice Loan, I am introducing from today, 1 February 2018, a new loan offering, known as the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan. The new loan will enable credit worthy first time buyers to access sustainable mortgage lending to purchase new or second-hand properties in a suitable price...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Irish Water Administration (1 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I am positively disposed to considering an appropriate role for the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) in relation to Irish Water. A review of the issues involved is currently underway. I hope to report shortly on an appropriate role for the C&AG with respect to Irish Water. That report will outline the next steps with respect to any amending legislation that may be required.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Internal Audits (1 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: My Department has an Internal Audit function which is guided by the Institute of Internal Auditors’ Standards which the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform determined, in November 2012, should apply across all Departments and other Vote Holders. These Standards require that a quality assurance and improvement programme be developed for the function which involves both periodic...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Credit Union Services (1 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: My Department and the Department of Finance have met with Credit Union representative bodies on a number of occasions to examine how their sector can assist in the area of financing social housing delivery. The Central Bank is currently finalising their Consultation on Potential Changes for the Investment Framework for Credit Unions. Once this has been finalised and, if approved, the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (1 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 346 and 347 together. As part of a review commissioned by Eurostat, the EU Statistical Office, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) were asked in October 2016 to review the classification of Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) for Government accounting purposes. The classification was last reviewed in 2014, with a recommendation from the CSO to Eurostat at...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Apprenticeship Data (1 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: There are currently no staff in my Department enrolled in apprenticeship programmes. The details requested in relation to bodies under the aegis of my Department are a matter for the individual bodies concerned. Arrangements have been put in place by each Agency to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas. The contact email address for each agency is as...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Voluntary Sector (1 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation, and related services, for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities. Many...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payment Eligibility (1 Feb 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Circular AHS1 of 2009 - Measures to deal with Unsold Affordable Homes gives local authorities the option of bringing Unsold Affordable (USA) dwellings in their ownership into temporary social housing use through the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP) (formerly known as the Social Housing Leasing Initiative (SHLI)) or the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS). This purpose of...

Overcrowded Housing Bill 2018: First Stage (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: No.

Questions on Promised Legislation (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Deputies for their questions. In the last quarter of last year, the Oireachtas joint committee decided that it did not need to undergo legislative scrutiny. The Bill is currently being drafted. It is priority legislation for this term. We will proceed with it as quickly as possible.

Other Questions: Housing Provision (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I restate that the rent pressure zones, RPZs, are new. It is important with any new policy that we keep it under review. We try to keep it under review almost constantly. I have had a number of engagements with the CEO of the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB, to keep talking about what exactly is happening in the RPZs. If we look at the change from quarter 2 of last year to quarter 3, we...

Other Questions: Housing Provision (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Under the affordable purchase scheme, we have already identified land and finance for at least 3,000 homes. At the housing summit we had with local authorities last Monday, I talked about our ambition for reaching 10,000 under the affordable purchase scheme, which is achievable because of the way it has been set up. By taking an equity stake, when the home is sold or part of the equity is...

Other Questions: Local Authority Housing Provision (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Since the publication of the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan, the Government’s attention has been firmly focused on delivery. The implementation of the plan is overseen by the Cabinet committee on infrastructure, housing and climate change, chaired by An Taoiseach. Within my Department, implementation is driven at ministerial level and led at official level by the Secretary General...

Other Questions: Local Authority Housing Provision (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Deputy and his colleagues for the very kind welcome to Limerick. I very much appreciated the band; that was a nice touch. Delivery is key in everything that we do. Rebuilding Ireland is our plan but it has to be delivered. We do not just release a policy and step back from it. That is why we started this housing summit model to bring the local authority chief executives...

Other Questions: Housing Provision (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Deputy for welcoming the initiatives. People were hit very badly by the economic crash that occurred following the bank bailout in 2008 and the intervention from the IMF and ECB in 2010. What we saw was a collapse in property prices across the country of somewhere in the region of 54% from a very high peak. As we look at escalating property prices now, year on year, prices are...

Other Questions: Housing Provision (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Deputy. It is important he acknowledges that there are people who want to rent and that it is a choice that people want to make because it suits their particular lifestyle. Too often, when we have this debate, speakers do not acknowledge that cohort of people. I am glad the Deputy recognises them. When I talked about the peaks in 2007 and how we are off the peak in terms of...