Results 141-160 of 498 for speaker:Séamus McGrath

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Transport (24 Jun 2025)

Séamus McGrath: 108. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to consider initialising a further phase of the Cork Luas project (details supplied). [34025/25]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Revenue Commissioners (24 Jun 2025)

Séamus McGrath: 306. To ask the Minister for Finance the average time taken to process claims and issue refunds to applicants under the employment and incentive investment scheme; and when refunds were made on average relating to applications in 2023 and 2024. [34057/25]

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (19 Jun 2025)

Séamus McGrath: I reiterate what everyone has said. The thrust of the letter we received indicating that the trust is not willing to come before us is totally unacceptable. We need to implore it to come before us. We are talking about a significant amount of public money. I agree with Deputy Neville that there is a wider issue with the public money put into housing bodies. The Peter McVerry Trust is the...

Public Accounts Committee: 2023 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2023
Chapter 2 - Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 11 - Exceptional State Funding of the Peter McVerry Trust
Chapter 12 - Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund
Local Government Fund - Account 2023 (19 Jun 2025)

Séamus McGrath: I thank everybody for being here this morning. Going to the opening statement and the issue of housing delivery, in 2023, 32,695 units were delivered. That was 13% above target. I want to get a handle on how the Department manages its resources in terms of its forecasting, its budgeting and so on. Will the witnesses outline briefly, given that I have less time than Deputy McAuliffe, the...

Public Accounts Committee: 2023 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2023
Chapter 2 - Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 11 - Exceptional State Funding of the Peter McVerry Trust
Chapter 12 - Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund
Local Government Fund - Account 2023 (19 Jun 2025)

Séamus McGrath: Overall housing delivery, yes.

Public Accounts Committee: 2023 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2023
Chapter 2 - Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 11 - Exceptional State Funding of the Peter McVerry Trust
Chapter 12 - Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund
Local Government Fund - Account 2023 (19 Jun 2025)

Séamus McGrath: Regarding this year, the Central Bank has now downgraded its forecast. Will Mr. Doyle comment on that? Does he agree with the Central Bank's forecasting?

Public Accounts Committee: 2023 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2023
Chapter 2 - Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 11 - Exceptional State Funding of the Peter McVerry Trust
Chapter 12 - Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund
Local Government Fund - Account 2023 (19 Jun 2025)

Séamus McGrath: Is Mr. Doyle in a position to give an indication of where the Department sees figures landing this year?

Public Accounts Committee: 2023 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2023
Chapter 2 - Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 11 - Exceptional State Funding of the Peter McVerry Trust
Chapter 12 - Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund
Local Government Fund - Account 2023 (19 Jun 2025)

Séamus McGrath: Does the Department itself have a view? People will find it extraordinary that the Department does not have a view on what the housing delivery is likely to be.

Public Accounts Committee: 2023 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2023
Chapter 2 - Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 11 - Exceptional State Funding of the Peter McVerry Trust
Chapter 12 - Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund
Local Government Fund - Account 2023 (19 Jun 2025)

Séamus McGrath: Turning to what is within the Department's control, in terms of approval of social and affordable cost rental schemes across the board from local authorities and housing bodies, the delays within the Department to approve schemes have been referred to a number of times. At this point, how many schemes are fully ready to proceed but awaiting approval from the Department across all the...

Public Accounts Committee: 2023 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2023
Chapter 2 - Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 11 - Exceptional State Funding of the Peter McVerry Trust
Chapter 12 - Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund
Local Government Fund - Account 2023 (19 Jun 2025)

Séamus McGrath: I am sorry for interrupting but we are caught for time. What quantity of units are we talking about for which approval is awaited at present?

Public Accounts Committee: 2023 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2023
Chapter 2 - Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 11 - Exceptional State Funding of the Peter McVerry Trust
Chapter 12 - Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund
Local Government Fund - Account 2023 (19 Jun 2025)

Séamus McGrath: Is Mr. Benson confident that the Department has sufficient funding this year to approve the schemes that it deems appropriate to approve?

Public Accounts Committee: 2023 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2023
Chapter 2 - Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 11 - Exceptional State Funding of the Peter McVerry Trust
Chapter 12 - Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund
Local Government Fund - Account 2023 (19 Jun 2025)

Séamus McGrath: Okay. No scheme is waiting for approval and there is no funding issue at present.

Public Accounts Committee: 2023 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2023
Chapter 2 - Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 11 - Exceptional State Funding of the Peter McVerry Trust
Chapter 12 - Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund
Local Government Fund - Account 2023 (19 Jun 2025)

Séamus McGrath: There is nothing that is not being approved because of funding.

Public Accounts Committee: 2023 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2023
Chapter 2 - Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 11 - Exceptional State Funding of the Peter McVerry Trust
Chapter 12 - Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund
Local Government Fund - Account 2023 (19 Jun 2025)

Séamus McGrath: Okay. I thank Mr. Benson. In the 2023 accounts, there was a significant underspend of €255 million in the local authority housing expenditure. We have an acute housing crisis now. We had one in 2023. People will find it difficult to understand how €255 million was not spent. Can we have some commentary on that?

Public Accounts Committee: 2023 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2023
Chapter 2 - Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 11 - Exceptional State Funding of the Peter McVerry Trust
Chapter 12 - Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund
Local Government Fund - Account 2023 (19 Jun 2025)

Séamus McGrath: There was a rollover, okay. Under energy efficiency, there was an underspend of €10 million. I know that when I was a member of a local authority, we were always anxious for extra funding in that area. I wonder how €10 million was left unspent in that year.

Public Accounts Committee: 2023 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2023
Chapter 2 - Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 11 - Exceptional State Funding of the Peter McVerry Trust
Chapter 12 - Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund
Local Government Fund - Account 2023 (19 Jun 2025)

Séamus McGrath: I appreciate that. Under affordable housing, in the 2023 figures we budgeted for €90 million and we spent €20 million. That is a huge disparity. I have for a long time advocated affordable housing and it is disappointing to see that level of underspend. Why did that happen?

Public Accounts Committee: 2023 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2023
Chapter 2 - Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 11 - Exceptional State Funding of the Peter McVerry Trust
Chapter 12 - Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund
Local Government Fund - Account 2023 (19 Jun 2025)

Séamus McGrath: Our spend on homelessness in 2023 was €317 million. That just brings me to the current situation with the tenant in situ scheme, which has effectively stalled throughout the country from what I can see because of budgeting issues. How is it viewed that not purchasing a house under the tenant in situ scheme is better value for money than putting someone into homeless accommodation?...