Results 13,461-13,480 of 25,880 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (12 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Amendments Nos. 4 and 5 relate to consequential amendments. Amendment No. 4 deletes the previous section 26. Section 26 contained three amendments to Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000. My amendments Nos. 8 to 12, inclusive, insert a new Part 6 into the Bill containing a number of amendments to Part V of the 2000 Act. As such, the three amendments that were in section 26...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (12 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank colleagues for their comments. Cost rental is incredibly important. Like Senator Fitzpatrick, I also want to see it scaled up massively. This is a start. We wanted proof of concept and that is why the first 25 units were so important. We will have eight schemes across the country in the coming months.I would always encourage all Members to use their influence with the Ministers...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (12 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The amendments concern cost-rental provisions. Amendment No. 6 will insert language to illustrate matters that, under section 33, the Minister may prescribe as mandatory terms in every cost-rental tenancy agreement. As with social housing, it will not be the Minister who is the landlord for cost rental. However, the power to prescribe mandatory terms in tenancy agreements will allow the...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (12 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I intend to have the regulations for cost rental published in three to four weeks. As we explained in the Dáil, the reason for having regulations for cost rental and affordable purchase is they will be easier to change as opposed to primary legislation. I envisage there will be changes as we roll out the scheme and as we see how it works. We will go on a net-income basis, which will...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (12 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: These amendments relate to Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000. During the Second Stage debate, I flagged that these amendments, whose purpose is to expand the use of Part V in accordance with the programme for Government commitment, would be added to the Bill, to include the provision of affordable housing on top of the protection of the 10% social housing, during its passage...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (12 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The changes will take place from the time of the commencement notice being signed for new permissions. A transition period is allowed for someone who has purchased already. There is a period of five years when the 10% will apply but there is an activation measure where if it is not developed, an additional 10% will apply to the land. For any new land purchase after the commencement order...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (12 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank all Senators and Deputies. This is a significant day, with the Bill having passed the Oireachtas within just over a year of the formation of this Government. I thank the team in the Department, who have done an incredible job throughout. I thank all the members of the joint committee for their input from pre-legislative scrutiny onwards. This puts affordability back at the heart...

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to accept the amendment. The Senator has explained her position and why she believes it is appropriate. I oppose it on the basis that the LDA is entirely separate to NAMA. We have spent a lot of time on this. The LDA exists, and has existed for a number of years now, but it does not have legislation to underpin it. We need to get the LDA set up on a...

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I will address all the amendments in the group and speak to them. The Affordable Housing Bill just went through the House. Members will know that we accepted some Opposition amendments when we could. We are always open to doing that but these amendments seek to amend section 2 of the Bill, which provides for the purpose of the Bill by inserting a reference to public, social and affordable...

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: We have made some changes already. This came up on Committee Stage at the joint committee and there was a good discussion around it. I brought in an amendment on Report Stage. I believe the LDA can add value here. The Government and I have always completely supported the provision of Traveller accommodation. I have always done so right through and I feel strongly about it. This year we...

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: There is a Government commitment to ending direct provision and we will do this. The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and others have been involved in the publication of the White Paper in this regard. I have been heavily involved, as has the Minister, Deputy McEntee, on the justice side, because we want to and will bring an end to direct provision. I have had discussions with the Minister and...

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I will just deal with the amendments before me. To remind Senators, we are seeking to use land that is lying idle right now. We talk about new communities or regeneration but we are not excluding anyone. Some of these are old industrial units or old hospitals, such as the site in Dundrum. In many instances, it is about creating new communities. The amendments tabled, specifically Nos. 9,...

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I will deal with the amendments shortly but if anything, having an agency that will ensure that State land comes out and into the market, for want of a better term, that in itself could have a very significantly positive effect with regard to land price and cost, etc., because we will be activating lands for use. We reckon that we have enough zoned and serviced State land to deliver about...

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank both Senators for their contributions. The subsection as currently drafted states that one of the purposes of the legislation is to promote best practice in housing development. This amendment would go further and Senator Casey has dealt with it very well there. The LDA will promote best practice in housing development and in line with this provision will use innovation and...

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Senators for the amendments and the contributions they have made. I will not detain the House any longer than I have to on these amendments other than to state I cannot accept amendments Nos. 20 and 77 to 81, inclusive. I wish to explain some of the rationale that has been addressed as part of the discussion. Amendment No. 20 seeks to amend section 4, which provides definitions...

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: There are 268 acres in Malahide Castle. I wonder why that land is not covered in the amendment because obviously, we want to build on that too. This amendment was not moved with as much gusto in the Dáil by the acting spokesperson, Deputy Duncan Smith. Even Deputy Smith understood the purpose of this amendment. If one was ever to look at creating an issue out of a non-issue, this is...

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I banned co-living.

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Senators for their contributions. Many different points were raised, all of which are valid. With regard to plans for local authorities and what their SPCs do, I have always been at pains to say that I firmly believe in rebalancing the power between local elected members and the executive in local authorities. We need to empower our councillors and we are certainly trying to do...

Residential Tenancies (No. 2) Bill 2021: From the Seanad (Resumed) (8 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: These are all Government amendments. Are we talking about amendments Nos. 4, 6, 9 and 13?

Residential Tenancies (No. 2) Bill 2021: From the Seanad (Resumed) (8 Jul 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I will go through those amendments briefly because it is important that people know about these changes. Amendment No. 4 inserts a new section 6 into the Bill, amending section 20 of the 2004 Act. It provides that, generally, rent reviews are allowed to occur no more frequently than annually in a rent pressure zone, RPZ, or biennially outside RPZs. However, a rent review is allowed during...