Results 1,721-1,740 of 2,052 for speaker:Maria Bailey

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Derelict Sites and Underused Spaces: Discussion (1 Feb 2017)

Maria Bailey: We are here to address the issue of vacant derelict sites and underused spaces. I remind members that there will be two one-hour sessions. I welcome to the first session Dr. Lorcan Sirr, Ms Orla Hegarty and Mr. Mel Reynolds from the Dublin Institute of Technology. I also welcome Mr. Pat Doyle, Mr. Francis Doherty and Mr. Brian Friel from the Peter McVerry Trust. The joint committee is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Derelict Sites and Underused Spaces: Discussion (1 Feb 2017)

Maria Bailey: We will take a number of questions and then come back to the witnesses.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Derelict Sites and Underused Spaces: Discussion (1 Feb 2017)

Maria Bailey: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Derelict Sites and Underused Spaces: Discussion (1 Feb 2017)

Maria Bailey: I ask Dr. Sirr to be careful. We are dealing with derelict sites and units and it would be unfair to cross over into other schemes such as the help-to-buy scheme in the context of value and inflating or not inflating prices. As we all know, there are many pieces to this jigsaw which must fit together if Rebuilding Ireland is to work. We are dealing with one piece of the jigsaw today. I do...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Derelict Sites and Underused Spaces: Discussion (1 Feb 2017)

Maria Bailey: I am not defending Government policy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Derelict Sites and Underused Spaces: Discussion (1 Feb 2017)

Maria Bailey: If the Deputy lets me finish, officials from the Department are not here to respond to remarks made, whether about massaging figures or whether there are 15,000 new builds. I am simply asking Dr. Sirr to be careful in making remarks of that nature because officials from the Department are not here to defend it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Derelict Sites and Underused Spaces: Discussion (1 Feb 2017)

Maria Bailey: I have no problem with that, but I ask everyone present to stick to the topic we are supposed to discuss. While speakers will digress, we should try to stick to the topic as much as possible.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Derelict Sites and Underused Spaces: Discussion (1 Feb 2017)

Maria Bailey: I thank Mr. Reynolds.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Derelict Sites and Underused Spaces: Discussion (1 Feb 2017)

Maria Bailey: I am conscious of time. Mr. Doyle also wants to contribute. Mr. Mel Reynolds referred to the period 2011 to 2015. We did not have a construction industry that was viable back then. To be fair, we have years of catching up to do in that regard.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Derelict Sites and Underused Spaces: Discussion (1 Feb 2017)

Maria Bailey: The witnesses should be aware that the Dáil does not normally sit while committee meetings are taking place. Today is unusual. As the proceedings in the Dáil do not normally commence until 12 noon, normally we do not have clashes. To be fair, we could not have foreseen the clash.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Derelict Sites and Underused Spaces: Discussion (1 Feb 2017)

Maria Bailey: I thank Mr. Doyle. While I acknowledge Dr. Sirr wishes to come in again, I will take the next round of questions. I call Deputy Casey.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Derelict Sites and Underused Spaces: Discussion (1 Feb 2017)

Maria Bailey: Many of the Senator's questions were more relevant to the County and City Management Association, CCMA, and the Housing Agency. They have taken note and we will get them to revert to her.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Derelict Sites and Underused Spaces: Discussion (1 Feb 2017)

Maria Bailey: I have one or two questions to ask this and the next set of witnesses. Each local authority has submitted its works programme and information on its housing supply, the zoned and non-zoned sites that it owns, where there is infrastructure, etc. For various reasons, it would not be financially viable to purchase many of the vacant units in question. In Dún Laoghaire, it costs 20% more...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Derelict Sites and Underused Spaces: Discussion (1 Feb 2017)

Maria Bailey: It is in a separate attachment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Derelict Sites and Underused Spaces: Discussion (1 Feb 2017)

Maria Bailey: I thank Mr. Reynolds, Dr. Sirr, Ms Hegarty, Mr. Doherty, Mr. Doyle and Mr. Friel. I am grateful for their patience. I am sure we will engage with them again. If members agree, Deputy Casey will take the Chair for ten minutes. I must take a phone call.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Derelict Sites and Underused Spaces: Discussion (1 Feb 2017)

Maria Bailey: I propose to suspend for a few moments to allow the second set of witnesses to take their seats. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Derelict Sites and Underused Spaces: Discussion (1 Feb 2017)

Maria Bailey: I thank Senator Boyhan. We must be conscious of time. I want to get answers to all the questions so members and witnesses should be conscious of that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Derelict Sites and Underused Spaces: Discussion (1 Feb 2017)

Maria Bailey: Did Senator Murnane O'Connor have a point of order or a supplementary question?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Derelict Sites and Underused Spaces: Discussion (1 Feb 2017)

Maria Bailey: I have one supplementary question. The rent-to-buy scheme was not mentioned, but I know of areas that are unaffordable for first-time buyers or people who are caught in that they are over the social housing threshold but cannot get mortgage approval. I know, and Senator Boyhan will know, how successful the rent-to-buy scheme we had in Dún Laoghaire was a number of years ago and I know...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Derelict Sites and Underused Spaces: Discussion (1 Feb 2017)

Maria Bailey: Do the witnesses know the overall average rate throughout the country?