Results 121-140 of 1,165,240 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Damien English OR speaker:Niall Collins OR speaker:Réada Cronin OR speaker:Eoin Ó Broin OR speaker:Fergus O'Dowd OR speaker:Heather Humphreys OR speaker:Aindrias Moynihan OR speaker:Leo Varadkar OR speaker:Brendan Smith OR speaker:Joe O'Brien OR speaker:Seán Haughey OR speaker:Steven Matthews OR speaker:Marc MacSharry OR speaker:Pat Buckley OR speaker:Brian Stanley OR speaker:Frank Feighan OR speaker:Ruairi Ó Murchú OR speaker:Joe Flaherty OR speaker:Seán Fleming OR speaker:Pádraig O'Sullivan OR speaker:Emer Higgins OR speaker:Jackie Cahill OR speaker:Violet-Anne Wynne OR speaker:Michael Lowry OR speaker:Joe McHugh OR speaker:Jennifer Whitmore OR speaker:Thomas Gould OR speaker:Neale Richmond OR speaker:Gino Kenny OR speaker:Kieran O'Donnell OR speaker:Catherine Murphy OR speaker:Micheál Martin)

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: I have a concern with this, although again I am not opposed to the principle and understand the logic. One reason that single people may want to share is that they cannot afford the one-bedroom units because the rent would be more than a third of their take-home pay. While not necessarily a desired option but as a practical solution to their housing needs, two single people will come...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: I have two final questions on the household definitions. Do the witnesses have a view on what the income threshold should be? We asked the Minister and he said it has not been decided yet, but I think they have a ballpark figure. Do the witnesses have a view? How do we guard against a couple whose combined income might be above the threshold but whose separate incomes will be below the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: I have a supplementary question on that. I have many other questions, but I am over time. One of the concerns I have is, given where the rents are, I suspect that a significant number of people are applying but are being refused on the basis that the rent will be more than a third of their take-home pay. Are the AHBs monitoring the position in that regard? Could they share figures on it?...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: That would be useful. We should write to the LDA and say that the AHBs are able to provide that, even if it is on a total stock rather than scheme-by-scheme basis. If we had the LDA’s data, that would be very useful too.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: I wish to make one point and then I will bring in Deputy Gould. It was kind of in my line of questioning previously and it was mentioned in the opening statements. We are moving to ultra-efficient buildings, like the passive house standard almost or like how Shanganagh Castle Estate was constructed. Conventionally, you would have looked at one third of the income as being pitched around...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: I apologise, I am going to have to leave after this. Something struck me when Ms Cleary was speaking about older people and pensioners. We see pensioners who are homeless, which was probably something we never saw previously in the lifetime of this State. There are 224 now, and the number is creeping up slowly. I imagine that the vast majority of people who avail of cost-rental properties...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: I appreciate that. What happens to that lady I mentioned who is on €42,000 who does not qualify for HAP because she is over the threshold? Many people have to pay a lot of extra money over the HAP amount in order to get rental properties. Will HAP be sufficient in order that there will not be pensioners who are struggling? Will it be enough for pensioners to still be able to afford...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: I had not thought of what Ms Hennigan said about people who lose their incomes for different reasons, namely losing their jobs or on foot of health issues. It is important that work is being done, so that is good to hear. We are looking at cost rental long term. People are saying we need to develop the Irish mentality to cost rental, and all those things need to be considered. One of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: They get more money than the local authorities.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: I wanted the witnesses to say that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: Even if we were to take the human side out of it, Mr. O'Gorman has made the point about the consequences of having cold and damp houses with mould in them. I have people now whose clothes in their wardrobes are mouldy. The ends of their beds are getting damp because they are up against the wall. The human cost of this is great, but so is the financial cost. When there is a chance to do...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: I always that the concept whereby an AHB or a local authority would step in when a family was in trouble rather than that family losing its house was a good one. There seems to be a reluctance, however, to get involved in this undertaking. I would like to see more of it being done. I say this because my big worry now is that people are paying so much for overvalued homes that some of them...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: I thank Ms Cleary.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: What I am taking from that is that we are saying local authorities cannot plan in the long-term.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: We will have to allow representatives from the local authorities to come in to answer that question. It is unfair to-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: I will say that local authorities, to be fair to them, are not being funded long-term. This would be the way to look at it. I must run, so I thank the witnesses very much. Go raibh maith agat.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: I thank Deputy Gould.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: On that point - it is important that we are all very clear - Dr. McManus is right about the AHB homes that were funded through the old capital loan and subsidy scheme, CLSS, and are currently funded through the capital assistance scheme, CAS. It must be said, though, that the capital advanced loan facility, CALF, and the availability agreement is the most advantageous of all. It is not just...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: I thank the Deputy. I have just one question and then I will go back to him.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: That is perfect. I thank the Chair.