Results 7,521-7,540 of 26,864 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: We are actually not in the same situation. I take the Deputy’s point but a number of stakeholders deliver social housing. The reallocation to CAS is significant. There is €80 million additional to CAS because we are looking at where we can deliver homes this year and where the pipeline is coming through. In some local authorities there has been slower delivery while others...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: There was.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Last December, €125 million was transferred to the Housing Agency and-----

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The Housing Agency, as I said in my opening statement, has informed me that in quarter 1 – literally in a matter of months – €85 million has been effectively spent and €35 million-----

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Then I do not understand. I am saying to the Deputy that-----

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: We first had to see what the demand was. It is the first time we have done this where we are purchasing land for local authorities and AHBs. That has been heavily subscribed and taken away a lot of the burden from the local authorities of purchasing good development land. We have €85 million approved, €35 million is being assessed and it will all be spent in quarter 1. I...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Because it has been very successful.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I might come back to the Deputy in the supplementary-----

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: First, the land acquisition fund was established last year so we had to make sure through the Housing Agency there would be demand for it, which there was. It was appropriate to do that. It was allocated last December, transferred to the Housing Agency and will spend out by quarter 1. We have found through that process that there are additional lands and, particularly, strong demands from...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Sure. As I said in response to previous questioners, we will have very strong social housing delivery this year. It will be a record year for delivery as regards new schemes that have come forward. Taking cost rental for argument's sake, since the start of November we have approved an additional 1,650 homes and they are large-scale developments in our cities. There are apartment...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Charlestown is a very significant apartment development that is part of the new round of schemes we have approved. It will be 50% cost rental and 50% social housing. There will be a really good mix there. That is a very significant apartment development. We have also managed to get our first three Croí Cónaithe schemes going, which were apartments for purchase. There are two in...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: It is a very prominent site and is very desirable also. I have discussed this directly with the Land Development Agency, LDA, and asked it to scope that out. We need more delivery for affordable purchase or affordable cost rental in particular areas. There will be another significant site in Cromcastle, which is close to the Deputy and he has advocated for, and there are more in Fingal...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Yes.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I can give those figures now.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The number of commencement notices for October was 2,624. That was an increase of 42.5% on the number of new homes commenced in the same month last year. That brings us to a rolling total of 26,547 commencements in the first ten months of this year. That is an increase of 16.6% on the same period last year. Effectively it is 4,000 more homes that we have been able to commence. On...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: That is a very good question. The Supplementary Estimate is giving just short of €150 million to the Department, which is not insignificant. We have looked at some areas where developments may not conclude in December but in January. That is always a risk where the historical dependence on quarter 4 delivery, which we are turning around, continues. What we have done here is that...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: We wanted to expedite the implementation because we worked hard, and everyone did, to conclude a deal that worked for our firefighters and our personnel across the country. There will be €8 million in additional expenditure this year because the payments are backdated to July as part of the deal. This is additional pay and other allowances for training, turning out at incidents and...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: It will be closer to 8,000 in total, if we go back to 2020, which was the year we came into office. This year we are providing an additional €15 million in this Supplementary Estimate for this year's expenditure. Some of that is due to increased cost, but it is targeting additional homes to come back in. This year we targeted about 2,300 vacant dwellings to bring them back into use...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: No, and I never have.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary Estimate) (23 Nov 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: They were previously in stock. It is still important they are brought back in. Some are in really bad shape. I will not mention the county, but I was there recently and the homes had been four or five years out of commission. That is the county that was spending €90,000 per home. That is good stock coming back in. I do a report on them separately. They are real homes for real...