Results 1-20 of 5,855 for speaker:Thomas Gould

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Policy (1 Jul 2025)

Thomas Gould: In response to an earlier question, the Minister made a comment about bringing forward solutions. We can come in here and fight every week - we could fight for the next five years - but we have taken the decision to come in and try to work with the Government and bring forward solutions. Three weeks ago, I brought forward a solution. While it will not fix the housing crisis, it would bring...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Policy (1 Jul 2025)

Thomas Gould: The Minister talks about local authorities delivering on target and delivering social housing and cost-rental and affordable housing. Cork City Council is probably one of the best locals authorities in the State for delivering social and cost-rental and affordable housing, and yet the housing list goes up. It is because the Minister's Government has set targets so low that even when local...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Schemes (1 Jul 2025)

Thomas Gould: The Minister stated the Government has delivered 3,600 units. That sums up its delivery. There were no cost-rental units in 2020. There were 65 in 2021, 684 in 2022, 869 in 2023 and 2,027 last year. That is still below the Government's targets. The Government has never delivered and has in fact missed every target it has set over the past four or five years. On top of that, in respect...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Schemes (1 Jul 2025)

Thomas Gould: The Minister referred to people on moderate incomes and viability. There are people who cannot get on the social housing list because they earn too much, but they are not earning enough to qualify for cost rental because the rent is more than one third of their income. Individuals, couples and families are trapped in the middle. They are earning too much for social housing and not enough...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Schemes (1 Jul 2025)

Thomas Gould: There was no vote taken.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Schemes (1 Jul 2025)

Thomas Gould: I will correct the Minister-----

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Schemes (1 Jul 2025)

Thomas Gould: If I said something like that the Minister would-----

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Schemes (1 Jul 2025)

Thomas Gould: I had solutions two weeks ago.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Schemes (1 Jul 2025)

Thomas Gould: What about the people in the middle?

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Schemes (1 Jul 2025)

Thomas Gould: I brought solutions to the House three weeks ago. The Government voted against that.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Vacant Sites Levy (1 Jul 2025)

Thomas Gould: It is not happening.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Vacant Sites Levy (1 Jul 2025)

Thomas Gould: 4. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the derelict sites levies levied, collected, owed and cumulatively owed; the number of sites subject to a CPO in the previous 12 months; the number of sites for which a levy was applied; and the number of sites on their register on 31 December 2024, by local authority, in tabular form. [36135/25]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Vacant Sites Levy (1 Jul 2025)

Thomas Gould: I wish to ask the Minister about the derelict sites levies that have been levied, collected and owed; the number of sites subject to a CPO in the previous 12 months; the number of sites for which a levy was applied; and the number of sites on the register on 31 December 2024, by local authority.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Vacant Sites Levy (1 Jul 2025)

Thomas Gould: The Minister of State and I sat on the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage for four years. There are local authorities that will not put sites on the derelict sites register; some local authorities will not impose the levy, which is the law; and other local authorities will not collect the levy. Millions of euro are owed on derelict sites on the register but...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Vacant Sites Levy (1 Jul 2025)

Thomas Gould: The facts are the facts. There are derelict sites in every town, village and city in this State. Between them, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have been in government for between ten and 14 years. These are the facts. I am not making this up. If the Minister of State wants to walk down the street with me, I will walk down with the three Ministers and a couple of Members of the Opposition...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Homeless Persons Supports (1 Jul 2025)

Thomas Gould: I am taking this question on behalf of Deputy Eoin Ó Broin. Will the Minister to provide an update on the review of section 10 funding for homelessness service providers and the changes he intends to make to this funding stream in light of the near financial collapse of an organisation in 2023?

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Homeless Persons Supports (1 Jul 2025)

Thomas Gould: The Peter McVerry Trust almost went bankrupt in the summer of 2023. The core issue was the use of capital funding to cross-subsidise the day-to-day running costs of the organisation. It ran up a liability of almost €20 million. There have been two independent regulator reports on the issues. It is totally unacceptable that the provision of homelessness services has been privatised...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Homeless Persons Supports (1 Jul 2025)

Thomas Gould: I asked the Minister a couple of questions and he answered none of them. Why is 100% of the funding not being given to homelessness service providers? Why are they put into a bidding war with each other in trying to provide homelessness services for people? Was there any oversight of what was happening? There had to be a €15 million bailout of the Peter McVerry Trust, a trust that...

GPO and Moore Street Regeneration as a 1916 Cultural Quarter: Motion [Private Members] (1 Jul 2025)

Thomas Gould: The people do not trust the Government to honour the patriot dead, the men and women and their families. Those families must be remembered. The volunteers and heroes died but their families had to live on through the pain and suffering. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have disrespected those men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. The Minister comes in here and talks about turning...

Review of Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004: Statements (1 Jul 2025)

Thomas Gould: I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and I appreciate him letting me speak. The results of this report are no surprise to parents or anyone involved with special education in Cork city. This Government and previous Governments have failed children with additional needs. Schools like Scoil Íosagáin in Farranree are crying out for additional autism spectrum disorder, ASD, classes....