Results 8,001-8,020 of 15,009 for speaker:Eoin Ó Broin

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (22 Mar 2022)

Eoin Ó Broin: However, the HFA got away with it in Enniskerry Road and so it might be able to get away with it a few times.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (22 Mar 2022)

Eoin Ó Broin: I agree with that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (22 Mar 2022)

Eoin Ó Broin: I thank Mr. O'Leary. I have two questions for Mr. Jordan on that. Obviously, there have been problems in some parts of the country with the capital advance leasing facility, CALF, and the payment and availability agreement, particularly because it was erroneously, in my view, originally linked to market rent rather than full cost recovery. Would it not make more sense in the review of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (22 Mar 2022)

Eoin Ó Broin: Does that mean that other than a new build project, it is unlikely that turnkeys will be delivered through CREL in the city in the next few years unless the CREL portion is amended by Government in terms of size of that subvention?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (22 Mar 2022)

Eoin Ó Broin: What about the payment and availability agreement?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (22 Mar 2022)

Eoin Ó Broin: The encouragement of local authorities to enter cost rental is currently not policy. They are focusing on the approved housing bodies and the LDA.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (22 Mar 2022)

Eoin Ó Broin: No, I am not-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (22 Mar 2022)

Eoin Ó Broin: Before I go to my questions, it would be nice if HBFI would just lend to the people it was originally intended to lend to, which is small- and medium-sized builders. I will not ask the witnesses to comment on such a policy matter. I want to make a general comment about rent setting and then I have a number of questions which we might go through one by one since we have all the time in the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (22 Mar 2022)

Eoin Ó Broin: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (22 Mar 2022)

Eoin Ó Broin: The straight answer to the Acting Chair's question as I understand it is that circular has not been updated. There is still that three-month requirement with a bit of discretion. I just want to put it on the record.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (22 Mar 2022)

Eoin Ó Broin: To be clear, the circular does say three months. Either way, I am on the same page as the Acting Chair on that point. I have a couple of quick-fire round questions, while we have Mr. Jordan here. I have two queries about the fresh start from insolvency. The first is about people who have exited personal insolvency agreements. For them, does the five-year period or the six-year period...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (22 Mar 2022)

Eoin Ó Broin: I ask this because there is still some confusion in the local authorities. The statutory instrument that was issued does not make it clear whether it is a six- or seven-year period. I know that this is Department’s area, rather than the Housing Agency’s area. The more clarity we give to our local authorities that are dealing with the applications in the first instance, the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (22 Mar 2022)

Eoin Ó Broin: It would be helpful, and this could be done by either the Housing Agency or the Department, to have the earliest possible clarification of the year the person can potentially become eligible for the fresh start principle on exit from the agreement.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (22 Mar 2022)

Eoin Ó Broin: Second, I have a question on the change to the incremental tenant purchase scheme. The Minister has communicated the change clearly, that both contributory and non-contributory pensions are now to be regarded as income, rather than as social welfare, for the purposes of potential eligibility for tenant purchase. As well as this, the threshold has been reduced. What is not clear, however,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (22 Mar 2022)

Eoin Ó Broin: The next thing I wanted to ask is about Croí Connaithe, on both the cities and towns aspects. Is any of us any the wiser at this point in time about where Croí Connaithe cities is at? I assume, but correct me if I am wrong, that Croí Connaithe cities will be developed further throughout the course of this year. Therefore, this is really a project for next year. On...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (22 Mar 2022)

Eoin Ó Broin: Are you losing your hair on that piece of work?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (22 Mar 2022)

Eoin Ó Broin: If I am right, what we have been told so far is that the towns scheme will more likely be a grant. This will potentially be for the purchase of a vacant property. I know that the Acting Chair will have a great interest in that, because he is from Waterford. It would be really useful in towns and cities like that. Is that the way it is currently still expected to work? Will it be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (22 Mar 2022)

Eoin Ó Broin: Absolutely.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (22 Mar 2022)

Eoin Ó Broin: It is Waterford city.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing: Discussion (22 Mar 2022)

Eoin Ó Broin: I have two questions for Mr. O'Leary and three for Mr. Jordan and his team. At the tail end of Mr. O'Leary's contribution, he talked about low or no-interest loans up to five years to local authorities from vacant properties. I may not have heard him properly. Will he cast his mind back to that? The second point is a more general observation. Again, it is not necessary with regard to...