Results 41-60 of 69 for nama speaker:Dessie Ellis

Financial Resolutions 2014 - Financial Resolution No. 8: General (Resumed) (16 Oct 2013)

Dessie Ellis: ...112,000 people on the housing waiting list and a further 5,000 people in homelessness, every little helps, but this is minuscule. It is also hard to take seriously when the Government has been promising thousands of NAMA homes since 2011, with fewer than 500 delivered. No doubt we will have some restating of this promise over the course of 2014 in the hope that we have all forgotten and...

Topical Issue Debate: Homelessness Strategy (26 Sep 2013)

Dessie Ellis: Since 2008 there has been a cut of almost €1 billion in the housing budget. The National Asset Management Agency, NAMA, has only delivered 400 units. Next year, Dublin City Council will only build 18 houses, aside from the regeneration projects. This is an absolute tragedy. Local authorities are unable to turn over their properties because they do not have the money to do so....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Homelessness Strategy (16 Jul 2013)

Dessie Ellis: ...and those who have nowhere else to go. Homelessness involves a multitude of factors. Are the 2016 targets realistic? Meeting them will be very difficult unless we produce more social housing. NAMA is not delivering quickly enough one way or another on the amount of social housing it is providing. The Minister of State referred to 400 homes, and 100 more are promised in addition to...

Finance (Local Property Tax Repeal) Bill 2013 [Private Members]: Second Stage (11 Jun 2013)

Dessie Ellis: ...people are really paying for these days. People do not see their hard-earned money being used for understaffed hospitals and crumbling roads; instead, they see it going into the coffers of bondholders and NAMA developers. They feel utterly bitter, and they are right to feel this way. It is hard to stomach forking out money which could make their children's lives more comfortable, keep...

Housing (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (2 May 2013)

Dessie Ellis: ...a magnificent and welcome role, this should not come at the expense of local authorities which have traditionally done a great job in delivering and managing social housing. It is also infuriating that properties leased by NAMA under these arrangements will be returned to developers when the lease agreements conclude in ten, 15 or 20 years. Thus far, only a few hundred homes have been...

Mortgage Restructuring: Motion [Private Members] (19 Feb 2013)

Dessie Ellis: ...scheme and 94,000 people in receipt of rent supplement, with recent cuts to rent supplement rates making securing affordable housing even more difficult and in some cases leading to families being made homeless; and — the National Asset Management Agency, NAMA is mandated to provide a social dividend, yet only 179 units have so far been provided for housing; and calls on the...

Other Questions: NAMA Social Housing (5 Feb 2013)

Dessie Ellis: ...of 20 years to 25 years with voluntary housing groups and then there is a possibility that the properties would return to the owners. That is unacceptable. They should belong to the State. NAMA is a State company and such units should be in State control. I cannot envisage any circumstances in which they should return to a developer in NAMA.

Other Questions: NAMA Social Housing (5 Feb 2013)

Dessie Ellis: We have probably had NAMA for four years or longer. The delivery in terms of social housing has been disappointing, to say the least. Some 203 units have been delivered overall. In 2011, it was claimed that almost 2,000 units had been identified, but these were whittled down to a small number. Another claim of 3,879 identified units has also been whittled down because some of those units...

Residential Tenancies (Amendment)(No. 2) Bill 2012: Second Stage (15 Nov 2012)

Dessie Ellis: ...developments on the legislative protection of rights in the tenant-landlord relationship. It is welcome that some tenants of approved housing bodies will come under the legislation. The 10,000 NAMA properties to which Threshold referred should also be taken into account. I understand that certain local authorities have a role where properties are provided on leasing schemes but we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Dessie Ellis: What about the money NAMA is supposed to have?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Dessie Ellis: I have a few questions. The Minister referred to 2,000 NAMA properties but he recently referred to 3,800 units. Last Christmas, we were supposed to deliver 2,000 units. We delivered approximately 130.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Dessie Ellis: Is it true that NAMA is holding substantial funds of approximately €2 billion in cash? Apart from the assets it is holding, is it possible to put pressure on it to access funding? If the funding is just sitting there then it makes sense for us to chase it. What level of local government cuts will be introduced in the coming year? Reference was made to the amount previously. I am...

Other Questions: National Asset Management Agency (23 Oct 2012)

Dessie Ellis: ...leased. I do not think this is the correct route to take because it will not give value for money. We are rewarding those who have let us and the taxpayer down. These individuals are involved with NAMA and they owe the State a huge amount of money. However, they will end up being paid and, in many instances, the properties in question will be returned to them when the leases run out....

Other Questions: National Asset Management Agency (23 Oct 2012)

Dessie Ellis: Before last Christmas we were told that NAMA had identified 2,000 houses in this area but in the end approximately 68 were delivered, which was very poor. For various reasons houses and properties were ignored. Now 3,800 units have been identified. However, the Minister of State has given a breakdown of some that are unsuitable or have been withdrawn and consequently there now are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Discussion with Housing Finance Agency (2 Oct 2012)

Dessie Ellis: ...good voluntary housing groups, but I wonder about their capacity down the road to deal with the problems that arise as buildings get older. I do not know how the HFA would judge that. Much of the NAMA property is going to voluntary housing bodies. They are striking deals with NAMA but I assume they then seek funding from the Housing Finance Agency. I assume the HFA does not engage with...

Unfinished Housing Developments (28 Jun 2012)

Dessie Ellis: I agree that the report of the advisory group is very important and we need to see that. Up to 2,000 NAMA properties were supposed to come on stream before Christmas, but we ended up with around 800 that were suitable for housing, for different reasons. I hope the other properties can be made available at some stage. That commitment was given before Christmas and there is a huge social...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (19 Jun 2012)

Dessie Ellis: ...and Local Government if he will provide an update on the development of the National Assets Management Agency properties for social housing; and if he is endeavouring to secure housing from NAMA for local authority ownership. [29472/12]

Social and Affordable Housing (2 Feb 2012)

Dessie Ellis: Just before Christmas, NAMA announced it had approximately 2,000 properties available for local authorities and housing associations and that funding would be made available through the social housing leasing scheme, which the Minister of State mentioned. NAMA bought the debts at a reduced rate. It did not buy the properties. Would it not make more sense to call in the debts and have the...

Social and Affordable Housing (2 Feb 2012)

Dessie Ellis: ...may result in a short-term gain, but in the longer term it is not in the best interest of the country. It is certainly not in the interest of the State that we are paying developers to pay off NAMA. It does not make sense. We should consider another way of doing business. The Minister of State is saying there is a legal requirement based on the approach we have taken. It appears as if...

Local Authority Housing (30 Nov 2011)

Dessie Ellis: ...rental subsidies to private landlords. We need to target the people who are in these places and allow the local authorities the opportunity to buy these premises or to have them available from NAMA or otherwise. For example, a local authority could put a deposit on a number of houses and repay over a period of time. At least, these properties could be bought and put back into the system-----