Tag Archives: Darragh O’Brien

From top: Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien; Social Democrat TD Cian O’Callaghan

Pluto?

Saturn?

Coruscant?

This morning.

Via Independent.ie:

Developers will be paid up to €120,000 per apartment by the State to fund the shortfall between spiralling building costs and current market prices.

The €500m fund is aimed at unblocking stalled developments and will see 5,000 apartments built between 2024 and 2026.

The move comes amid concern builders are not developing certain sites in cities due to the cost of construction.

Developers will have to apply to have their developments included in the fund and will receive a subsidy of up to €120,000 per apartment.

Taxpayers to fund new €120,000-per-apartment subsidy benefiting developers (Independent.ie)

Meanwhile…

… Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan said:

“It is bizarre and extraordinary that Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien intends gifting developers up to €120,000 per apartment – without securing any apparent benefit for the Exchequer.

“The State is bailing out developers, but they will still be seeking full market value when the apartments are sold. On what planet does this make any sense?

“If developers are in financial trouble and unable to complete developments, why doesn’t the State take over those developments and ensure the supply of social, affordable and cost-rental homes is increased.

“Instead, the Housing Minister will pay developers huge sums to complete these projects – without any reduction in the sale price being agreed. You couldn’t make this up.

“This government’s housing policies are replete with sweetheart deals for developers and this is yet another egregious example. Why is the ambition of this government, when it comes to housing, so pathetically weak? Why are they so eager to prop up developers and so loathe to take any radical action to support ordinary workers and families desperately seeking a home?”

Anyone?

RollingNews

This afternoon.

St Canice’s Hall, Finglas, Dublin 11

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien at the launch of a new development of 32 homes through Co-operative Housing Ireland (CHI), an Approved Housing Body (AHB).

Minister O’Brien said AHBs are expected to provide over 40% of the newly built social housing this year provide housing through home-ownership, shared ownership and social rented co-operatives.

AHBs to provide 40% of social housing this year – O’Brien (RTE)

Leah Farrell/RollingNews

This afternoon.

Dublin Castle, Dublin

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien (above) and John O’Connor, Chair of The Housing Commission, after this morning’s meeting of the Housing Commission, which was launched in January and tasked with ‘bringing forward proposals for a referendum on housing’.

Advising the commission ‘with expertise in this area’ are Frank Clarke, Former Chief Justice, Professor Gerry Whyte, Professor of Law Trinity College Dublin, Professor Rosalind Dixon, Professor of Law University of New South Wales and Madeleine MacKenzie, Parliamentary Counsel in the Scottish Government’s Parliamentary Counsel Office.

None of whom is a landlord.

We assume.

Fight!

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage welcomes establishment of Working Group on Referendum on Housing (Gov.ie)

Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews

Staying in tomorrow?

The big one.

O’Brien (top) Vs O’Broin (above).

The Donnybrook in Donnybrook.

Can nimble brain demolish pure brawn?

Do you even care?

FIGHT!

RollingNews

This morning.

Dublin Castle, Dublin 2.

Nattily-dressed Housing Minister James Corden Darragh O’Brien arrives for a cabinet meeting to sign off on changes to the mortgage to rent scheme (where a ‘social landlord’ buys your home allowing you to stay as a tenant and complete mortgage payments to the council or housing association). To wit:

Yesterday: Keeping The Roof

RollingNews

This afternoon.

Dublin Castle, Dublin 2.

Housing minister Darragh O’ Brien outlines the government’s mica redress scheme which will be capped at €420,000. Homeowners will be able to receive €145 per square foot on the first 1,000 feet of a property. The total budget

Grants To be Capped At 420,000 In Mica Redress Scheme (RTÉ)

Meanwhile…

RollingNews

Get yourself together, man.

This afternoon.

Dublin Castle, Dublin 2.

Minister Housing Darragh O’Brien leaves a cabinet meeting.

Meanwhile…

Number of rough sleepers in Dublin falls by almost a quarter, latest figures show (Irish Times)

Property prices jump 12.4% in year to September – CSO (RTÉ)

RollingNews

This morning.

Leinster House, Dublin 2.

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing, Eoin Ó Broin, carrying a thoroughly-notated copy of the government’s Housing for All programme, speaks to media on the plinth at Leinster House.

Sam Boal/RollingNews

Meanwhile…

Last night.

Earlier: Build Back Bitterer

Meanwhile…

Meanwhile…

Ah here.

Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien

This morning.

FIGHT!

RollingNews

Darragh O’Brien, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage

This afternoon.

Further to dismay over the purchase of entire housing estates by real estate investment trusts or REITs.

Via The Ditch:

…While a TD for Dublin North in 2008, Darragh O’Brien declared in the Dáil register of interests holdings in a Standard Life Assurance savings policy. The policy later promised returns to holders through investments in REITs, which were introduced to Ireland in 2013 through legislation brought by finance minister Michael Noonan…

…O’Brien further declared he was a landlord from 2007-2015. He found himself in possession of not one, but two houses, so chose to rent one out, starting in the heady, pre-crash era.

O’Brien along with his wife bought a family home in 2007, but decided against selling his former residence – a two-bed apartment in Malahide.

O’Brien rented the property first to a family member from 2007 and later to other private tenants, before finally selling the property at 11 Castle Heath, Swords Road, Malahide. He sold it for €290,000 in March 2015.

Meanwhile…

…O’Brien’s government and party colleague Robert Troy is another landlord with a serious property portfolio. And he knows how to protect his interests.

In 2019 he took an unsuccessful Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) case against a tenant renting from him a €1,250 per month one-bed flat in Phibsborough, Dublin 7. Troy had let the flat to small business owner Paul McGahan. The flat is “a tiny little thing” according to McGahan: “You wouldn’t fit two people into this place,” he said…

Fianna Fáil ministers, the REITs and the housing crisis (The Ditch)

RollingNews