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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 Deputy has raised a number 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 will ask the Deputy about the person who has missed the three-day look-back. I have not seen that correspondence and I ask the Deputy to get it to me directly. The Deputy asked for a look-back and I brought one in, which was fair. Nobody had done that before, by the way. The purchase for tenants in situhas ramped up. The reason we were phasing out leasing, and I answered Senator Cummins...

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 wish to keep the scheme simple.

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 other option is to tag it to house values or purchase prices and there are various different clawbacks. The reason it has been successful so far is because it is simple. Does the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, wish to add to 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: With regard to compact urban growth in particular, if one looks at cost rental, for argument's sake, one thing Deputy Gould never mentions is the cost-rental scheme right in the middle of Cork city at Lancaster Gate, which is a fantastic development. Unfortunately, it is the only city-centre cost rental that is tenanted at present. We have many good developments around Delgany, in...

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 will stay until midnight, if the Senator wishes.

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: Is féidir leis an Aire Stáit leanúint ar aghaidh.

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 good point. We wish to encourage local authorities and AHBs to do so. There are affordable purchase schemes approved in 15 local authorities. Deputy Flaherty mentioned earlier that we have expressions of interest going out for a scheme in Longford. We have schemes in Mayo and other areas. It is increasing. This is a new ask of a local authorities. I want, as best as...

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: Let us just stick with local authorities on the cost-rental side of things. We need more local authorities doing cost rental directly. They can borrow at lower rates through the Housing Finance Agency, HFA, and it makes the schemes more viable.

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: They need to be encouraged. We have changed the affordable housing fund to allow increased subvention from our Department within that. Tomorrow, for argument's sake, South Dublin County Council will be turning the sod on 134 cost-rental units. That is the first time South Dublin County Council has done that directly. Fingal County Council and Dublin City Council will be doing direct...

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 have been quicker out of the blocks than others. They are our colleagues and we need to encourage them. They are mandated through the Housing for All plan to deliver. One thing we have done is we have made and published our housing plan for each local authority. The housing need and demand assessments, HNDAs, are there. People can see the plan. It covers local authorities and AHBs...

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: Okay. I can talk to the Deputy about 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: I will mention a couple of things. I do not agree with a lot of what Deputy Gould has said but that will not surprise him at all. Looking at the numbers, output has increased by 10,000 in a year and the number of social housing units built is the highest since 1975. I put it to Deputy Gould that it would probably be higher if his party colleagues did not object to housing all over 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: No.

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: Tá brón orm. Sinn Féin said it would abolish it. I remember one throwaway remark its party spokesperson made one day. He said it was not enough. I asked him what would be enough and whether €50,000 or €70,000 would be enough for a vacant home grant. I take it that, if someone comes into Deputy Gould's constituency office in Cork city and says that he or she...

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 did not interrupt Deputy Gould.

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: Let me speak to something positive.

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: Go on. It would be the first.

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 will be very brief but I will first say that I did not mean to raise the Deputy's ire. However, Cork City Council delivered 517 new-build homes last year. That is a significant number.

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: Will Deputy Gould stop for a second?