Results 81-100 of 2,457 for speaker:John Cummins

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (9 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: The Deputy's time is up.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (9 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: Settle down, settle down.

Financial Resolutions 2025 - Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (8 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: As the Minister, Deputy Browne, has outlined, there has been a very significant package of measures announced yesterday to accelerate the delivery of housing and this will be built upon further in the housing plan, which will be published in the coming weeks. I would like to take a few moments to talk through a few of the areas within my own delegated functions. These are local government...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Building Energy Rating (8 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: I cannot give the Deputy a date for that. The matter is being kept under active review. We have obviously enhanced the measures to try to improve the BERs relating to our rental stock. The Deputy is right to say that the ESRI has completed valuable work on this matter. It has stated that four in five rented dwellings currently have BERs below B and the estimated cost of upgrading the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Building Energy Rating (8 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: As the Deputy will know, a significant scheme, namely the home energy upgrade loan scheme, is in place. It was launched last year and is used to provide loans of between €5,000 and €75,000 at levels significantly below prevailing interest rates in order to try to address the scale of the challenge that has been identified in the ESRI report. As stated, four in five rental...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Vacant Properties (8 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: I propose to take Questions Nos. 14, 15, 21, 83, 105 and 112 together. As I said in my previous reply, this Government is committed to tackling the issue of vacancy and dereliction. The vacant homes action plan published in January 2023 sets out a range of measures and actions being pursued to return vacant and derelict properties to use as homes. In March, the Minister, Deputy Browne,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Vacant Properties (8 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: It is the intention that local authorities will still have a significant role to play in the context of the new derelict sites tax by creating the register that Revenue will implement. There has been an issue in collecting the existing levy. That is why we are moving to introduce it as a tax that will be collected by Revenue. We encourage people to use the supports there and if they do...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (8 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: The same tactics.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Building Energy Rating (8 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: I thank the Deputy. A commitment was included under Housing for All to develop a roadmap to implement minimum building energy rating, BER, standards where feasible for the private rental sector. This work supports the objectives set down in the Government's climate action plan. My Department is committed to improving energy efficiency in the rental market and our work in this area is being...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (8 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: These are schemes that are providing supports to individuals and families to bridge the gap to home ownership.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (8 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: I thank Deputy O'Rourke for his question. Both the Minister, Deputy Browne, and I, and the Government as a whole, are fully committed to ensuring the delivery of housing at scale. Part of that is the continued acceleration of delivery of affordable housing. Over 14,500 affordable housing solutions have been delivered by our range of delivery partners since the launch of Housing for All,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (8 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: I did not quite catch exactly the description of the country the Deputy just gave but, as he knows, there are as many people returning to this country as people leaving it. In terms of affordability supports, he should tell the 618 individuals and couples in his county of Meath who have been approved under the first home scheme that the support that the Government is providing is not of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (8 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: The Deputy said the scheme was saddling people with additional debt. Some 6,200 persons in his county of Meath have availed of the help to buy scheme.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (8 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: That is getting their taxes back that they have paid over the previous four years to support them in getting their deposits together to purchase their first homes. That does not have to be paid back. The Deputy's party is opposed to that. It is not putting additional debt on any family or individual. The first home scheme is bridging the gap to home ownership, with 618 applications in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (8 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: I did not interrupt the Deputy. If he is not going to allow me speak-----

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Wind Energy Guidelines (8 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: As the Deputy will be aware, I have no ability as Minister of State with responsibility for planning to place a pause on any type of planning application, be that for housing, wind energy, infrastructural projects or any other type of development. The 2006 wind energy development guidelines will remain in force pending the finalisation of revised guidance, which is currently subject to a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Wind Energy Guidelines (8 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: I will not publish anything for the sake of ticking a box. I have been in this role for six or seven months. I want to ensure that we get these guidelines right, so I have been working extensively with my officials, who have been engaging with their colleagues in the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment. All of the matters raised by the Deputy are being taken into account in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Wind Energy Guidelines (8 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: I reiterate that it is a priority in my Department. My officials and I have been working on this for a considerable period of time. I want to ensure that we get these revised guidelines right. I take public consultation seriously. There was public consultation over the summer on exempted development and over 920 submissions were received. I have reviewed all of those so I take on board...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Compulsory Purchase Orders (8 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: I thank Deputy Gould for the question. Addressing vacancy and dereliction is a key priority of the Government. The vacant homes action plan published in January 2023 set out a range of actions to be taken to return vacant and derelict properties back to use as homes. The 2025 progress report shows significant progress has been made and it is available on the Department's website. ...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Compulsory Purchase Orders (8 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: It is certainly my expectation that the report will be published this month. That is what my officials advise me. Local authorities have a role in pursuing the owners of vacant and derelict properties. They can issue notices and where those notices are not acted upon, the properties are included on the register and levies are applied. The Deputy will be aware that in yesterday's budget...