Results 6,261-6,280 of 15,555 for speaker:Eoghan Murphy

Other Questions: Housing Provision (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Every time we talk about numbers and statistics, behind that are individuals and families. When we talk about HAP, the Deputy will mention an individual who is having a difficulty with HAP, and I understand that and we try to work to resolve those difficulties. When I talk about 32,000 families and individuals who are in HAP, those are families and individuals for whom HAP is working. I...

Other Questions: Housing Provision (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: These statistics are important because they tell us something about our policies and whether we are moving in the right direction, and that is why I give them. It is also important that we talk about individual cases - hard cases as well as good cases, because we have both. The hard cases will help us make sure we have more good cases, which is why it is important we talk about them.

Other Questions: Housing Provision (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: The median house price up to the end of October last year was around €340,000 to €350,000 in Dublin. Under our Rebuilding Ireland home loan, where a couple is earning less than €75,000, they will be able to buy a house at about €320,000, and it is capped at that. To take first-time buyers last year in Dublin, Galway and Cork, 67% of homes were sold for less than...

Other Questions: Housing Provision (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: -----so people are able to afford to buy homes and apartments in Dublin. The figures tell us that people can afford to buy homes in Dublin and they did last year, which is what is happening. I will give the Deputy the figures around affordability on Cherrywood, as I committed in the Oireachtas committee, when I have finalised the Adamstown agreement. LIHAF 1 will then be finished on 30...

Other Questions: Rental Sector Strategy (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: The cost rental model makes up almost half the rental market in some European countries. There are huge gains for Irish society if we can move to a cost rental model because of the security it will give to people who are not able to own a home or who want to rent and have security in that choice. I want it to be a major part of our housing market but it will take time to get us there. That...

Other Questions: Rental Sector Strategy (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: As regards build, acquisition and lease and everything else, those targets will not necessarily contain a detailed breakdown of where the cost rental will be.

Other Questions: Rental Sector Strategy (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: As regards the cost rental model, one must consider the different affordability measures we are trying to progress. For example, we wanted to have a cost rental model on the O'Devaney Gardens site but when we ran the numbers it transpired that affordable purchase was a better way to go, so we prioritised affordable purchase as part of a mix of social and private housing on the site. People...

Other Questions: Housing Provision (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 64, 65, 75, 87, 90, 94, 98, 114 and 120 together. The new affordable purchase scheme will be governed by the relevant provisions of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, which will soon be commenced. It will be targeted at households with annual gross income of below €50,000 for a single applicant or €75,000 for joint...

Other Questions: Housing Provision (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: The overall scale of delivery, and timescales, will be informed by these responses. In addition, I am providing funding of €25 million over 2018 and 2019 for a targeted programme whereby local authorities will make low-cost serviced sites available to approved housing bodies or co-operative housing associations in specific areas. This approach has worked well in certain...

Other Questions: Home Loan Scheme (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Deputy for his question. I also thank him for welcoming the Rebuilding Ireland home loan scheme. We had staff prepared to deal with queries in a call centre for two weeks but after the first day of operation of the loan scheme we had to double the number because of the level of interest among the people telephoning the helpline to ask questions about how they could apply and...

Other Questions: Home Loan Scheme (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Deputy for his question. This was something we considered when we were designing the loan scheme, namely, whether bundles or targets would be given to each local authority, but we thought it might interfere with some of the decisions the credit policy committees would have to make on loan applications in trying to meet their targets or draw down what might be seen as a limited...

Other Questions: Home Loan Scheme (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I understand the Deputy's interest and recognise his knowledge in this area, but he complains about the cost of house-building and also about the lack of regulation. As someone who comes from the sector, he knows that the more regulation there is the greater the cost burden on builders.

Other Questions: Home Loan Scheme (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I do not understand the contradiction in the point made by the Deputy. He should not look at any one measure in isolation. The Rebuilding Ireland home loan and affordable purchase schemes are only part of the affordability measures we have introduced. To date, we have introduced the An Bord Pleanála fast-track process to remove time and costs from the process for developers. It is...

Other Questions: Rental Sector Strategy (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 63 and 83 together. I thank the Deputies for their questions. Against the background of the affordability pressures in the rental market in certain areas, the Government is determined to make affordable or cost rental a major part of the housing system. Under this approach, rents are set at levels to recover the construction costs and facilitate the...

Other Questions: Home Loan Scheme (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 61, 62, 85, 92, 96, 117 and 118 together. Last week, I announced a package of initiatives, to help alleviate affordability pressures faced by households, particularly in areas of high housing demand and high accommodation costs. A central element of the measures involved is the introduction of a new Rebuilding Ireland home loan. Following a review of the...

Other Questions: Home Loan Scheme (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: Those figures are different from those the Deputy gave earlier.

Other Questions: Home Loan Scheme (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: The figure of 40% in the original circular was not going to work in terms of getting the sites opened up in time. Instead we have a commitment for affordable houses, in terms of a reduction across every unit on the site or a carve out of a certain number of homes that will roll into the affordable purchase scheme I announced last week. The eligibility criteria applicable to that is an...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: It is important to understand the purpose of the LIHAF funding, which is to have the very large land banks, with over 500 homes per site, opened more quickly and to ensure the public money is returned in a lower cost of houses or an affordable purchase scheme such as I have announced. If one looks at the 1,800 homes which will be built on the 29 sites, on which I have signed off, 50% of them...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: It is important when considering the Government's policy on the affordability of housing not to look at any one housing policy in isolation. It is important not to look at LIHAF funding only but also at what we are doing with affordable purchase schemes, the Rebuilding Ireland home loan scheme and the different things we are doing to reduce the cost of development. The Deputy likes to focus...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (31 Jan 2018)

Eoghan Murphy: -----but all of the evidence is that LIHAF is working for the taxpayer. On the numbers the Deputy gave in his example, the couple would be able to afford to meet the minimum price of €348,000 he mentioned if one were to take into account their combined gross earnings, the size of the loan they could take out, the deposit they would have to have, plus any assistance they would receive...