Results 1,221-1,240 of 15,555 for speaker:Eoghan Murphy

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Quality (6 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 215 and 216 together. Ballymore Eustace is currently producing water in compliance with water quality standards, it does not feature on the EPA’s remedial action list and is not subject to any water use notices or restrictions. Leixlip water treatment plant is operated by Fingal County Council through a Service Level Agreement on behalf of Irish Water....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties Data (6 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Both Cavan County Council and Monaghan County Council have prepared a Vacant Homes Action Plan for their administrative areas. In August 2017, I requested all local authorities to designate vacant home officers to co-ordinate local actions to address vacancy and also to undertake local vacancy surveys in order to identify - through their Vacant Homes Action Plans - priority "vacancy...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (6 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: The Government is firmly committed to public water services remaining in public ownership, as reflected in the Water Services Acts and in the Water Services Policy Statement 2018-2025. This position is consistent with the Report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services (April 2017) which supported the concept of a referendum, while recommending that...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (6 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I am not aware of any social housing units funded under the Capital Loan and Subsidy Scheme (CLSS), which have been sold by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs). AHBs in general operate as providers of social housing, and their approach is set out in their own internal rules (including Memorandum and Articles of Association). Accordingly, I do not expect that the disposal of their social housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Quality (6 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. Both our water and wastewater systems require substantial and sustained investment: to bring the systems up to the standards of a modern service; to provide for population growth and to build resilience in the face of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social and Affordable Housing (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: To respond to Deputy Boyd Barrett, the Enniskerry Road development has commenced. It is a pilot project that will operate on a cost rental model. It involves two housing bodies, the Housing Finance Agency, the Housing Agency, my Department, and the local authority. If we get it right, a two-bedroom apartment in a great location that is very well serviced will be available for...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Home Loan Scheme (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Deputies for those follow-on questions. On the last point raised by Deputy Ó Broin, it would be an awful thing if couples were looking at homes on the basis of an expectation of a mortgage they were not going to get. That would kill their hopes and dreams right out of the gate. As a result, I will look at the issue as to whether the calculator and the credit committee are...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social and Affordable Housing (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 32, 38, 48 and 53 together. Arrangements for homes to be made available for purchase at a discount on open market rates are now provided for under the affordable dwelling arrangements and Part 5 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, which I commenced in June 2018.  As Deputies will be aware, provisions in Housing Acts and the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social and Affordable Housing (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: It has.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Home Loan Scheme (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 30 and 1160 together. When the Rebuilding Ireland home loan scheme was initially being developed, it was estimated that the drawdown of loans would be approximately €200 million over three years. This loan product, however, has proved to be more successful than initially anticipated. In the context of the scheme’s success, my Department...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Home Loan Scheme (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: The six-month drawdown period for those who have received approval for the Rebuilding Ireland home loan is standard within the industry. I am aware there have been some delays at the processing stage and people wanting the credit committee of the local authority to meet again more quickly to get approvals turned around. The Housing Agency, which is the overseer in the first line for an...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Water Supply Contamination (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Deputy for the question. I have a written answer but it is the same as the previous answer so, if it is okay, I am not going to read it out. I hope that will allow us to move through the questions more quickly. The important change with regard to accountability is that the EPA now reports directly to me. The agency is not under my Department's remit. In the course of an...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Water Supply Contamination (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Deputy for the follow-up question. We still have to get to the root cause of the November event but we can all agree that the level of risk currently inherent in the Leixlip plant is unacceptable. It is not acceptable and it is not fair to all of the houses served by this water treatment plan for this uncertainty to continue into the future. I do not want to get ahead of the...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Local Authority Housing Provision (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Deputy for the follow-on question. It is not a question of funding. Rebuilding Ireland was a ring-fenced budget, the first time that has happened over a number of years, because of the commitment we were making to getting social housing built again. I refer to more than €6 billion to be able to do that. The situation we have in homelessness is complex. It is not just...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Local Authority Housing Provision (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I can communicate directly with the Deputy if there are particular issues that people in his constituency are facing in this regard. We want people to engage with local authorities early where they are at risk of homelessness. We also want to make sure there is no unnecessary delay in processing their applications, be it for the housing assistance payment, HAP, homeless HAP, the use of a...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rental Sector (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: The Deputy's point about those who are renting and wanting to leave the rental sector to buy a home is well made. Rents are too high in too many parts of the country. People cannot afford their rent and are making sacrifices just to meet the cost. They should not have to make those sacrifices. In addition, they are unable to find the space to save in order to purchase their first home....

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Local Authority Housing Provision (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Deputy for the question. Over the course of the six-year Rebuilding Ireland action plan, the Government is firmly committed to meeting the housing needs of more than 138,000 households, with more than 50,000 homes being delivered through build, acquisition and leasing programmes. The implementation of Rebuilding Ireland is a key Government priority supported...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Local Authority Housing Provision (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: All Deputies receive numerous representations in relation to people in housing difficulty, whether they are trying to rent, buy a home or secure social housing or are at risk of going into emergency accommodation. The difficulties we have are fundamentally supply difficulties. Until we get supply surpassing demand, we will continue to have people facing difficulties in the housing sector. ...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Compulsory Purchase Orders (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: One of the complications we have to acknowledge with CPO is that it involves some 70 pieces of legislation, some of which have their roots in the nineteenth century. The Law Reform Commission is undertaking a piece of work to see how we can reform and streamline CPO powers so they can be clearer. We have held workshops in the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government in the...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Compulsory Purchase Orders (5 Nov 2019)

Eoghan Murphy: Deputy Darragh O'Brien is absolutely correct concerning the fair deal scheme. It is one of the things I first suggested when I came into this role. There was a huge backlash publicly about forcing people in nursing homes to become landlords. That is not what we were talking about at all. We were talking about a situation where someone might want to get a property back into use and...