Results 821-840 of 2,180 for speaker:John Cummins

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Modern Construction Methods: Discussion (Resumed) (9 May 2023)

John Cummins: Could I go back to the main premise? Reference was made to grant support from Enterprise Ireland. Are more grant supports needed in this area? I am conscious of what was said about changing the goalposts and trying to ensure certainty in the future, because changing the goalposts is not helpful for processes, systems and streamlining, as Mr. Searson stated. If we were to have more grant...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Modern Construction Methods: Discussion (Resumed) (9 May 2023)

John Cummins: Is there a specific request over and above the existing ones? If there were something of use that is not in the system right now and that we could introduce tomorrow morning, what would it be?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Modern Construction Methods: Discussion (Resumed) (9 May 2023)

John Cummins: I like what Mr. Browne has just said. It is something I have said many times. I agree the IDA Ireland model for advance building solutions has worked exceptionally well. This is not a space that Enterprise Ireland has been in, but that is not to say it is not one it cannot or should not be in.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Modern Construction Methods: Discussion (Resumed) (9 May 2023)

John Cummins: There is some conflict in what has been said. We are being told that when there is demand and certainty, the sector responds, and I tend to agree with that, but Mr. Parlon told us that the timber-frame side was maxed out. Why is the sector not responding to that if there is more demand for that product?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Modern Construction Methods: Discussion (Resumed) (9 May 2023)

John Cummins: I still do not see the issue. Is it that the bigger guys have soaked up the capacity and that is interfering with the ability of a medium-size builder to get in on the timber-frame side? A medium-size builder who sees that a bigger company is able to throw up timber-frame housing quickly whereas he is stuck with block construction, he will decide he wants a bit of that because it delivers...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Modern Construction Methods: Discussion (Resumed) (9 May 2023)

John Cummins: Going back to the beginning of our conversation when Mr. Parlon referred to a possible next housing Minister, I assume he would agree that were such a person to remove the help-to-buy scheme, which is an integral element of buyers getting their deposit together, it would result in the construction sector pulling back from the delivery of homes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Modern Construction Methods: Discussion (Resumed) (9 May 2023)

John Cummins: Does Mr. Parlon agree that were the help-to-buy scheme removed in the morning, it would result in fewer homes being built, modular or otherwise?

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Housing Schemes (4 May 2023)

John Cummins: I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter. She has had a busy morning filling in for her ministerial colleagues. I am sure that the Minister of State will agree with me that the housing adaptation grants that are issued by local authorities to older persons and those with disabilities is some of the best value to be had for the money the State spends each year. Last week, the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Housing Schemes (4 May 2023)

John Cummins: I thank the Minister of State for that reply. My local authority received €1.8 million last week under the disabled persons grants scheme but I believe that is insufficient to meet the needs in my area of Waterford. I welcome the fact an announcement is imminent in regard to the social housing stock but from engaging with the housing team in Waterford, as an example, it could...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Land Value Sharing and Urban Development Zones Bill 2022: Discussion (4 May 2023)

John Cummins: I will continue on the same subject. The representatives should excuse the simplicity of my questions because I want as simple a breakdown as possible. What is the difference between existing-use value and market value? If we are talking only about land subject to an uplift and if it has been zoned as residential for the past 15 years, does it come into scope?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Land Value Sharing and Urban Development Zones Bill 2022: Discussion (4 May 2023)

John Cummins: It would still be considered an agricultural land value, despite the fact it is zoned for a period of 15 or 20 years.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Land Value Sharing and Urban Development Zones Bill 2022: Discussion (4 May 2023)

John Cummins: It goes back to-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Land Value Sharing and Urban Development Zones Bill 2022: Discussion (4 May 2023)

John Cummins: The register that has been mentioned will form an integral part of this. I always get worried when I hear the phrase "subject to GDPR". What is the anticipation with regard to what can be and what will not be on the register as a result of GDPR?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Land Value Sharing and Urban Development Zones Bill 2022: Discussion (4 May 2023)

John Cummins: These would be suboptimal obviously.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Land Value Sharing and Urban Development Zones Bill 2022: Discussion (4 May 2023)

John Cummins: Valuations play an integral role. Notwithstanding the principles that will be set out, if three valuers come in to value a parcel of land, house or anything, they will not all come up with the same figure.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Land Value Sharing and Urban Development Zones Bill 2022: Discussion (4 May 2023)

John Cummins: I will move on to the urban development zones, UDZ. I note the commentary from Mr. Hogan at the outset on the strategic development zones. There is a significant SDZ in my county of Waterford at the North Quays. One of the difficulties with it for several years has been with the upfront public infrastructure required to unlock a site after it has been designated. The urban regeneration...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Land Value Sharing and Urban Development Zones Bill 2022: Discussion (4 May 2023)

John Cummins: It would be a UDZ fund. If a site is designated but over and above this a piece of infrastructure must be funded to unlock it, is this something the necessary Department could feed into? For example, the Department of Transport could give X amount to the fund and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage could give another amount. I am just trying to tease it out with the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Land Value Sharing and Urban Development Zones Bill 2022: Discussion (4 May 2023)

John Cummins: I will keep going in this vein. A developer could provide the infrastructure in lieu of the contribution, namely, the 30%. For example, let us say that €1 million is determined as the figure for s site. The developer can apportion €1 million of infrastructure costs to unlock that site and discharge its responsibility in that regard. What is the process for that in practice...