Results 13,961-13,980 of 15,065 for speaker:Eoin Ó Broin

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Review of Building Regulations, Building Controls and Consumer Protection: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Apr 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: I presume the local authority does not employ-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Review of Building Regulations, Building Controls and Consumer Protection: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Apr 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: Yes. Do they do that in-house or how is it done?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Review of Building Regulations, Building Controls and Consumer Protection: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Apr 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: However, exactly the same procedure has to be followed in terms of the various points of inspection etc.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Review of Building Regulations, Building Controls and Consumer Protection: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Apr 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: I presume exactly the same thing applies to any of the other models of social housing delivery, including PPPs. It is basically the same system irrespective of the delivery model.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Review of Building Regulations, Building Controls and Consumer Protection: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Apr 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: I have a couple of supplementary questions. Ms Neary mentioned three pieces of information: the building inspector's rapid build presentation; the SI 9 review from some years ago; and the survey building control activity. If some or all of that information - or a summary of it - was available to the committee, that would be really helpful. I will return to the issue of the percentage of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Review of Building Regulations, Building Controls and Consumer Protection: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Apr 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: We understand that because it is how it is designed. At last week's hearing, we had this discussion with other professionals. It is not that we think there are loads of dishonest professionals out there who are desperate to game the system. However, the more difficult it is made for anybody to do such a thing, the less likely it is going to happen. That is why it is an issue of concern....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Review of Building Regulations, Building Controls and Consumer Protection: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Apr 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: I will not stand over the figures as they are not mine, However, the claim made by Ronan Lyons relates specifically to the BCAR requirements. In his article on the issue he outlined the specific BCAR elements and then listed other costs.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Review of Building Regulations, Building Controls and Consumer Protection: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Apr 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: I asked a question on the Dutch system where local authorities self-certify.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Review of Building Regulations, Building Controls and Consumer Protection: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Apr 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: Perhaps Ms Neary will make some general observations on the Dutch system, rather than giving a damning indictment of it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Review of Building Regulations, Building Controls and Consumer Protection: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Apr 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: Who acts as watchdog for the certification of social houses? There is no such watchdog.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Review of Building Regulations, Building Controls and Consumer Protection: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Apr 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: I am not questioning that. As a former member of a local authority, I can stand over the quality and integrity of local authority staff. However, we must be mindful that there are clear examples in recent history of local authorities demonstrably failing to provide the standard of accommodation required under the building control regulations in place at the time. There is one clearly...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Review of Building Regulations, Building Controls and Consumer Protection: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Apr 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: It would be great if the witness could share those three bits of information.

Report of the Joint Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services: Motion (12 Apr 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: Just to be clear, Deputy Joan Collins is not misleading the Dáil. The senior counsel said at the committee that he had received correspondence from Fine Gael.

Report of the Joint Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services: Motion (12 Apr 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: That is not what he said.

Report of the Joint Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services: Motion (12 Apr 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: Three years ago the Right2Water movement hit the streets. It was a mass movement of communities, trade unions and political parties. It was a reaction to the austerity assault of Fine Gael and the Labour Party. It was about much more than water, but at its heart it was always about water. Just like housing and health, decades of under-investment left people with a crumbling public...

Report of the Joint Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services: Motion (12 Apr 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: The subtext of the letter which was clearly a threat to his colleagues in Fianna Fáil was that he must get his way at the committee or he would force a general election. He said: "Give me my meters and give me my excess charge or we will go to the polls." What happened then was that, as he has just done here, Deputy Barry Cowen huffed and puffed and threatened to block the Minister's...

Report of the Joint Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services: Motion (12 Apr 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: It is interesting to note the wide divergence between the Minister and Deputy Barry Cowen on that particular point. It will be an interesting battle when we come to the legislation to see how those two are going to square that circle. I must say that this week I almost felt sorry for Deputy Barry Cowen. It must be hard when one's party, fearing a general election, throws one to the wolves....

Report of the Joint Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services: Motion (12 Apr 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: In fact, they almost sound like the Minister, Deputy Simon Coveney, on this issue. The decisions, however, on charges and meters have nothing to do with EU law. The Oireachtas Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services received nine separate pieces of legal opinion from six different legal sources, each of which gave conflicting legal advice. One senior counsel on mature...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (12 Apr 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: I will make a general opening comment that has nothing to do with what the Minister just outlined. I am very disappointed by the turnout today, and that is obviously no criticism of the members who have turned up. This committee has a consistent problem of very low attendances, which reflects very poorly on the very serious issues with which we are dealing, and today is a matter in point....

Select Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (12 Apr 2017)

Eoin Ó Broin: I accept all that, but this is not a one-off. We repeatedly have very small attendances at committee sessions dealing with very important issues and events. We all have other commitments. I spent ten hours in the water committee meeting yesterday and seven hours the week before and was still able to attend to my housing committee commitments. I think anyone from the public looking in on...