Results 8,861-8,880 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Funding (3 Mar 2021)

Steven Matthews: 982. To ask the Minister for Health the steps he will take to meet the previously committed funding requirements of a facility (details supplied) in order to alleviate the concerns of staff, patients and families connected to this facility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12007/21]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Affordable Housing Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2021)

Steven Matthews: The committee is meeting today to deal with pre-legislative scrutiny of the general scheme of the affordable housing Bill 2020. We are joined remotely by the following witnesses from the County and City Management Association, CCMA: Mr. Frank Curran, chair of the housing, building and land use committee; Mr. Eddie Taaffe, programme co-ordinator, housing delivery and co-ordination office, and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Affordable Housing Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2021)

Steven Matthews: Thank you, Mr. Curran. I invite Mr. Declan Dunne of the Housing Alliance to make his opening statement.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Affordable Housing Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2021)

Steven Matthews: I am sorry to interrupt, but we must keep opening statements to approximately five minutes each. I ask Mr. Dunne to conclude his opening statement. We will definitely return to the issue of cost rental and the benefits of same with our questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Affordable Housing Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2021)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Dunne. We will now move to questions from members. I remind them that, if each member sticks to five minutes for questions and answers, we will get considerable value from this session. There is a great deal of experience in housing delivery present in the form of the local authorities and the Housing Alliance. I also ask members to identify themselves clearly for the Debates...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Affordable Housing Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2021)

Steven Matthews: I will bring Mr. Curran in on that question of the serviced sites fund.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Affordable Housing Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2021)

Steven Matthews: We might return to that question. We are out of time in this slot.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Affordable Housing Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2021)

Steven Matthews: Yes, and we will get a response to it, but I have to keep the meeting moving along so every member gets an opportunity to speak. The next speaker is Deputy Duffy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Affordable Housing Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2021)

Steven Matthews: Yes, we can hear you, loud and clear.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Affordable Housing Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2021)

Steven Matthews: The first question was on engagement with the Department to allow AHBs to provide at scale.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Affordable Housing Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2021)

Steven Matthews: Section 183 has been dealt with under the Land Development Agency Bill 2021. We are here to discuss the affordable housing Bill so the witnesses may not be in a position to comment on the last question from Senator Boyhan. Would the Senator like to direct his questions to anyone in particular?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Affordable Housing Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2021)

Steven Matthews: Senator Moynihan's time is up but I may be able to bring her back in on the second round. Who is the next speaker for Fine Gael?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Affordable Housing Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2021)

Steven Matthews: That is fine.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Affordable Housing Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2021)

Steven Matthews: Perhaps I could follow up on that. The long-term leases mentioned by Mr. Taaffe are where a local authority enters into a 25-year arrangement, for example. What happens after those 25 years to tenants in those long-term leases? What is the plan after the 25-year lease?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Affordable Housing Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2021)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Dunne. I have a couple of questions. The purpose of today's meeting is to scrutinise the affordable housing Bill, to help us report back on that Bill and suggest improvements that may be necessary. We know that local authorities and approved housing bodies have a long track record of delivering good quality housing and they will continue to do so. We must also examine the Land...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Affordable Housing Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2021)

Steven Matthews: Equity return is mentioned in the cost rental section. Does Mr. Dunne think the legislation would be improved by defining that as limited equity return, and the limit being defined?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Affordable Housing Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2021)

Steven Matthews: The perspective I am taking is that the equity return on cost rental should be provision of affordable cost rental housing, long-term secure tenancies, fixed to the consumer price index. The focus of cost rental should not be profitability but affordability. That is why I make the point about the equity return. I think it should be defined as limited equity return in order to define that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Affordable Housing Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2021)

Steven Matthews: The Land Development Agency is going through the Houses now. The Land Development Agency will have responsibility and capability in infrastructural delivery and acquiring land and working closely with local authorities. Does the CCMA see the advantages of the measures in the Land Development Agency Bill and the affordability legislation working in tandem?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Affordable Housing Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2021)

Steven Matthews: Deputy Duffy mentioned the meeting with the Austrian Green Party to look at the Vienna model. Cost rental is a model the Green Party has promoted for a long time, so I am delighted to see it placed on a statutory basis now. The Vienna model has been in place for generations, and that is why it is so successful. It is because it has proven track record. Do we have a bit of work to do in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Affordable Housing Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2021)

Steven Matthews: I thank the witnesses for their attendance and for sharing their experience and knowledge of this subject with us. We are trying to put together a report on this legislation that will feed into and improve it. The attendance of the witnesses here this morning has assisted us with that.