Results 7,841-7,860 of 25,732 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The waiving of these levies will only be for one year.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: This is fundamentally an activation measure. We have estimated the costs to be approximately €308 million, as I said earlier on. We want any savings that can be passed on to be passed on. One of the most significant issues is that we need to ramp up supply, where we are talking about it being across all tenures. This is a targeted measure and will last from today, 25 April, to not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I am glad the Deputy is giving me the opportunity to answer this question because there are large elements of the scheme which are actually worked through. There is one issue with regard to what level of subvention versus equity, or is one or the other, will apply? The vast bulk of these houses will be delivered through the Land Development Agency, LDA, so these will be Land Development...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Yes, and I expect the vast bulk of them - this comes from our own analysis - will be done through the LDA. They will effectively be State cost-rental homes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Yes, we are talking about the Land Development Agency, whether it is managed through an approved housing body, AHB, or not. We know what is in Project Tosaigh phase 2 and what elements of it relate to cost rental and a sizeable portion of them do as well. Cost rental is capital heavy. It is not like affordable purchase, where one gets capital back. Funding needs to be done upfront and the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Last week, Mr. Feargal Ó Coigligh may have covered with members the full rental market review we are doing. We are looking at this issue as part of the review. As the Deputy knows, and this was supported across the Houses, we have reduced the level of deposit that landlords can charge. Students are covered within the measure also. We expect to publish documentation for public...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I fully appreciate that fact. I have called for it when on the other side of the House. I also called for the abolition of strategic housing developments, SHDs, and did so once I got into government.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: My point is we are going to publish that as part of the rental market review.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: As the Deputy knows, we have discussed this here before. It will be a sizeable piece of work to be undertaken on the financial side of things to have a separate entity that would protect deposits that are paid for all of our renters. We have already made some changes and I expect to do more.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I have written to the Deputy on this as well. We have engaged directly with the Department of Justice, which will be the lead on this. I will seek an update for the Deputy and I will respond. I do not have an exact date at the moment. As it is a criminal act, I would expect the Department of Justice to be the lead on it. I will get details for the Deputy and submit them to the committee.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: We are working on revisions to the cost-rental equity loan, CREL, model, which is what funds AHBs to deliver them. If we take Kildare for example, in Barnhall in Leixlip, the average monthly rental cost per unit there is about €1,250. In Newbridge in Kildare it is €1,197. As costs of development and financing have gone up, this has led to pressure on the upper limit of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I can and it gives me an opportunity to mention what Senator Boyhan mentioned as well. We are not in any way reaching into councils setting the schedules or the rates. This is a one-year measure. On a month-in-arrears basis, the councils will submit the waivers received and we will pay the full amount on a monthly basis. A slightly different process, but the same will happen with Uisce...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: It is a very fair point. That is why we introduced a fund managed by the Housing Agency to enable local authorities to buy land for social and affordable housing. That is open right now and we have received submissions from local authorities. It will help the process of the land purchasing arrangements. Kildare County Council might be used to it while others might not be. There is a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I am glad the Deputy asked that question, because they can. There were trans-boundary issues with people on housing assistance payment, HAP, in one local authority but on a list elsewhere. Through the directors of services for housing, that has been worked through. If for example, someone is renting in Kildare, but is a HAP tenant in south Dublin, Kildare can purchase the house....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: The changes take effect from 1 May. All local authorities will receive notification in advance of that and we have engaged with them before this. I wish to alert anyone who has not drawn down the grant that the grant is not drawn down until the very end.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Some people may play on that but that is the way it is. You do not pay for works until they are done and are invoiced.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Yes. The scheme has been opened up. The Act permits that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: That element was part of the debate and we went through the Land Development Agency Act. Cost-rental schemes on continental Europe allow ethical investment within that but cap creative return, and we can do that also. As a reference to tomorrow, the local authorities are now getting directly involved in cost-rental units, which is welcome, so that is local authorities, the LDA, approved...