Results 13,061-13,080 of 26,886 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Policy (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Sinn Féin Members just cannot take the truth this evening.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Policy (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: They are continually interrupting. Any Minister who tries to answer any questions, they just try to shout us down. What will not happen on this side of the House, is that we will not be bullied. We are focused on delivering homes for people.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Policy (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: During the last oral questions just before Christmas, Deputy Ó Broin actually asked in respect of Oscar Traynor Road to set aside the public spending code that governs value for money in this country. He said to set it aside.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Policy (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I am just being honest with people. The Deputy is being found out.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: We have a challenge. I thank the Deputy for the question. The Affordable Housing Act 2021, which I commenced in August 2021, laid the provisions for the introduction of two new affordable purchase schemes. This will see new homes made available via local authorities, the Land Development Agency and a new national first home scheme. The measures will primarily assist first-time buyers or...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: We have delivered the most comprehensive affordable housing legislation that any Government has ever brought forward. That affordable housing legislation was supported by all in this House with the exception of eight Deputies. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan was one of those eight Deputies who voted against affordable housing for working people. He voted against cost rental, against affordable...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Dun Emer in Lusk, to which the Deputy referred, with this Government's support through the affordable housing fund, will be delivering homes for between €166,000 and €266,000. In Ballymastone in north County Dublin, there will be over 1,000 homes. I remind the Deputy that will include 258 social homes and 258 affordable purchase homes. The Deputy's colleagues in Fingal County...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputy and his colleagues will always find a reason to oppose it. Regarding Oscar Traynor Road, they opposed the deal again there for effectively 40% social, 40% cost rental and 20% affordable purchase.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Social Democrats opposed it. The Deputies opposite cannot contain themselves this evening.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Unfortunately people have found them out on this because they are not going to be able to deliver affordable housing for working people without the Government supporting it, which we are doing through Housing for All.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: We are going to deliver a significant number of affordable purchase homes this year which I have outlined to the Deputy in my answer.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: On top of that we are going to deliver cost rental, which the Deputy opposed by voting against the Affordable Housing Bill.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Derelict Sites (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Hear, hear.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Policy (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for his question. As he rightly said, under the Housing for All strategy, we confirm both the need and the intention to increase the supply, on average, to about 33,000 units per year. The strategy is, however, clearly based on increasing new supply across social, affordable and private housing from State-owned and private land. Our policy is to bring forward delivery in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Policy (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I assure the Deputy the last thing we want to do is to squeeze out owner-occupier first-time buyers. That is why every measure we put in place in the Housing for All policy, such as those mentioned by the Deputy, including the first home shared equity scheme, which will kick in at the end of quarter 2 and be able to help people to bridge the gap between the finance they have and what they...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Policy (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: We must increase apply across the board. I gave the example of the O'Devaney Gardens development, which will provide 1,047 homes. There is also Ballymastone in Donabate, which was also opposed, where there will be more than 1,000 homes. Then there is the Oscar Traynor Road project. Thankfully, because of this Government's affordable housing fund, we at last have agreement on that project...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rental Sector (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputy has rightly highlighted the ongoing issue of the exiting of many mom-and-pop landlords from the housing market. It is not a recent event but has continued for the past number of years. As he will know, the property rights of owners are protected under the Constitution and landlords need to be in a position to manage their property to suit their financial needs as they change with...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rental Sector (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I struggle to find the range of measures the Deputy says he has proposed to assist landlords. In the 12-page document, which includes five pages of pictures, that the Deputy submitted on Housing for All the only mention of landlords is his proposal to commission the Housing Agency to do a report. The only other measure the Deputy has ever brought forward in relation to landlords was in his...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rental Sector (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: We have stated a fact though.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rental Sector (25 Jan 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Deputy Ó Broin's proposals are fairly threadbare - let us be straight about it. In the Deputy's submission, he proposes to commission "the Housing Agency to undertake research into the disorderly exit of landlords". That is it. The other measure is a €400 tax. What we are doing is delivering 300,000 new homes between now and 2030, including private rental properties, and...