Results 9,461-9,480 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Committee Work Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: I will run through my submission. Building defects will be covered under No. 2. I have suggested that local property tax and a review of how the baseline figure for local authorities has been agreed over the years be included in No. 15, which concerns local government funding and other issues. With members' agreement, I would like to explore the possibility of doing a report on replacing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Committee Work Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: That might be a good place to put that in there; I will give that No. 15. I thank the Deputy for that. We have covered category No. 12, Irish Water. I would like to examine the national retrofitting programme, especially for local authority stock and how that is going to be rolled out. We can put this under No. 17, the local authority housing department, and perhaps we could have a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Committee Work Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: I do not know. The idea of these categories is that if we establish them, we can then fine-tune and prioritise them. This is just to try to give us some boxes to put things into for the moment. I call Deputy Ó Broin.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Committee Work Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: I am open to suggestions on whom we may bring in on that. These are just notes that I have jotted down as I was going through this. We will put this under No. 17. I have mentioned biodiversity, heritage, and climate change. Officers and staffing levels in local authorities can go under No. 18, or possibly No. 15? Are members are agreeable to this proposal? I also wanted to look at...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Committee Work Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: We might also------

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Committee Work Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: ----- address that under No. 24, which is living city, urban regeneration, town centres and first living over shops. I do not mind as this may cross two categories but I agree that we should include it. I call Deputy Gould and then Deputy Duffy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Committee Work Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: I thank the Deputy. I call Deputy Duffy now and then Deputy O’Donoghue.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Committee Work Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: It is critical that we address emissions also. I agree with the Deputy on that. I have categorised item No. 19 as covering building design and universal design for disability and elderly people. I also included Covid-19 learnings and safety within building regulations and standards because that issue had been raised by Deputy Cian O'Callaghan. When I get to that section, he can agree on...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Committee Work Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: That is right. On No. 20, are members agreeable that we would have at least one session with the Minister and the Department on a departmental update on the programme for Government commitments in those areas? Agreed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Committee Work Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: Both of them are enormous bodies of work. I have no problem if that is split into, say, Nos. 20a and 20b or something like that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Committee Work Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: We did it based on a possible referendum. I have written down that I want a briefing from the Housing Agency. I do not know if that can be incorporated into another area. Do members have suggestions on the Housing Agency? Would we take it as a separate briefing?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Committee Work Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: I have that down as No. 21. There is a list including affordable purchase, serviced site fund, help to buy, Rebuilding Ireland, approved housing bodies, cost rental model and affordable housing models. It is that range of areas to do with supply of housing. Item No. 3, which we agreed last week, was about affordability and land use management, which Deputy Ó Broin had raised. He...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Committee Work Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: The proposal is that we leave No. 3 as it is. I refer to the suggestion made last week by Deputy Ó Broin, which was that we should pull the five reports together and that he act as rapporteur. Was that not his suggestion?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Committee Work Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: That is fine. With regard to all the other mechanisms for the provision of houses, including affordable purchase and serviced sites, Deputy Cian O'Callaghan or another member mentioned construction costs. Will we investigate all of those as a completely separate module and consider the progress in that regard as a new committee?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Committee Work Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: We may have referred to building control at one point but I will add it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Committee Work Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: When the Senator referred to enforcement, was she also referring to planning enforcement?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Committee Work Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: I will let Deputy Cian O'Callaghan respond to that but we will first hear from Deputy Gould and Deputy Ó Broin.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Committee Work Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: I suggest that this will fall under No. 18 or No. 15. When we come to deciding where it will be in the work programme, we can finalise it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Committee Work Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: Does Deputy Cian O'Callaghan want to respond to this? If he likes, we can go through his headings and there may be answers within that discussion.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Committee Work Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: the Deputy is happy enough for us to go through the headings. The marine planning and development Bill will come to us pretty soon. I have included it and I believe we will get a briefing on it. A number of witnesses will probably come before the committee to discuss it. Is that agreed? Agreed. The establishment of a commission on housing is a commitment in the programme for...