Results 1-11 of 11 for construction industry council speaker:Fergus O'Dowd

Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (17 May 2017)

Fergus O'Dowd: ...generally. Notwithstanding the fact that county development plans, for example, are publicised in local newspapers, it is very hard to get a debate going. When we invite people to come along to council meetings to discuss development plans, for example, only a very small number will turn up. One of the difficulties with planning is that it is only when things become controversial and...

Report of the Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Motion (7 Jul 2016)

Fergus O'Dowd: Go raibh maith agat - bhíos chun a rá Leas-Cheann Comhairle - a Chathaoirligh. This is a very important debate because it is the first time in this House that we have had a constructive engagement from the Opposition with the Government on what has rightly been described as a national emergency. It is a forum where all of the parties of this House and none have come together under...

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Construction Industry Federation (3 May 2016)

Fergus O'Dowd: I welcome the Construction Industry Federation, CIF, representatives. We all - society, politicians and the CIF - have a great deal of ground to make up. It brings to mind two houses side by side in the recent election. One was bought for €750,000 while the next door neighbour in the exact same house paid half that. There has been huge speculation and indeed the good name of the...

Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage (10 Dec 2015)

Fergus O'Dowd: ...tuppence worth to the debate. It is essential we get housing for as many people as possible as quickly as possible, given the severe crisis we are in and the state of the collapse of the building industry, which thankfully is now turning a corner and beginning to change. In my constituency, there have been many new starts and I welcome that. There are issues with modular homes. Let...

Seanad: Statute of Limitations (Amendment) (Home Remediation-Pyrite) Bill 2012: Second Stage (5 Dec 2012)

Fergus O'Dowd: ...are the actions of those who supplied the building material from quarries. As far we know, just five of the country's 1,200 quarries have been involved in the provision of pyrite material for the construction industry. The main counties or geographical areas identified as being affected are Fingal, Dublin, Kildare, Offaly and Meath. On the question of the number of households, the...

Private Rented Accommodation (18 Oct 2011)

Fergus O'Dowd: Following serious concerns regarding fire safety at Priory Hall, Dublin City Council acted quickly and withdrew its tenants from the development approximately two years ago. Private tenants were advised by the council at the time that serious safety concerns existed. Dublin City Council initiated legal proceedings on 17 August, 2010 in respect of compliance with fire safety regulations....

Private Rented Accommodation (18 Oct 2011)

Fergus O'Dowd: ...to this. There is no reason a meeting with the residents' association cannot be accommodated as soon as possible. Those people would have experience of how badly things can go wrong in the construction industry. They are the victims but their rights have been vindicated as Dublin City Council has brought this through the courts. The High Court has ruled that the defects should be remedied.

Climate Change: Statements (Resumed) (2 Dec 2009)

Fergus O'Dowd: ...here, man to man. How can one argue nuclear energy is sustainable when one considers the risks to life and the thousands of years of pollution it poses? The carbon footprint cost in terms of the construction, manufacture and after-work required, including the decommissioning costs, is massive and in this regard the Minister's sums do not add up. Our energy future is in wind and wave...

Greenhouse Gas Emissions. (4 Oct 2006)

Fergus O'Dowd: ...more pollution per capita than any other country in Europe. The spatial strategy is not working. Will the Minister insist to each local authority — this has been implemented in Fingal County Council — that a specific amount of renewable energy be used in house construction, whether that is 10%, 15% or 20%? I will not argue about the percentage but the principle must be established....

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (4 Apr 2006)

Fergus O'Dowd: ...no State agency to complain to and with an increasing number of non-resident investors in the apartment sector, it is often difficult to spur the necessary number of residents into action. Urban councillors and Deputies have no shortage of horror stories regarding apartment blocks. Gardens not landscaped, unpainted walls, broken lifts, crumbling brickwork, sporadic refuse collection and...

Building Control Bill 2005: Second Stage. (14 Feb 2006)

Fergus O'Dowd: ...buildings, the limitations of the existing system are obvious. The report continues that it is unlikely that the level of resources necessary for a full-scale approval system, covering design and construction of every building and involving multi-stage inspections, are or would be available. There is clearly a problem that the professions are trying to address in their recommendations and...