Tag Archives: Eoghan Murphy

Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy

This afternoon on RTÉ Radio One’s News At One.

Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy was interviewed by reporter Louise Byrne about the latest Daft.ie quarterly report which shows just 2,700 properties were available to rent nationwide on the website on May 1, while the average rent nationwide is €1,366.

Mr Murphy told Ms Byrne rent inflation is low.

The Daft.ie report did refer to the national annual rate of inflation at 8.3%, in the first quarter of 2019, being the lowest in five years as a “crumb of comfort” in the report.

Ms Byrne put it to Mr Murphy: “Are rent increases of 6.8% in Dublin year-on-year slow?

He said:

“It’s the slowest rate of increase that we’ve seen since 2013. We know that rents have run away in the capital because of the lack of the supply that we have had with homes to buy and homes to rent.

“And that’s why with Rebuilding Ireland, we’re dramatically increasing the number of homes to buy, but we’re also bringing in these reforms to protect renters which is so important. We know we have more work to do.

“We’re halfway through Rebuilding Ireland but it is showing signs of progress in some key areas like supply. But there’s more to do and that’s exactly what we’re going to be doing over the rest of the year.”

Asked when 80,000 homes will be built in Dublin – given that this is the figure Daft.ie claims is required and only 18,000 were built across the country last year, Mr Murphy said:

“What we saw last year was the 25% increase in the number of homes built over the previous year, it’s going to increase again this year. Each year, under our plans we’re committing more money to building more homes for social and affordable housing, we’re also seeing on the private side more housing being built as well.

“The key thing we need to see in places like Dublin is more apartments, but it’s not just Dublin where we need to see more apartments being built, it’s in each of the cities in the large towns that we have in the country. And that’s why we talk about our vision beyond Rebuilding Ireland.

“We’re talking about growing the population outside of Dublin, taking the pressure off Dublin, not just for homes but for jobs as well.”

Mr Murphy also told Ms Byrne that the rent caps “that have been working” have been extended to 2021 “at the earliest”.

Listen back in full here

Earlier: Daft Figures

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Boo.

Hiss.

This afternoon.

The Liberties, Dublin 8

Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy officially opening homeless charity Focus Ireland’s new 31 unit development at John’s Lane West (just Off Thomas Street] which is ‘providing homes for families and individuals in the heart of Dublin city’.

Fight!

Focus Ireland

Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland

Comedian Oliver Callan and Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy

For decades, Dublin has been hailed as a low-rise capital that protects its historical skyline – until [Housing Minister Eoghan] Murphy said high-rise was needed to solve the housing shortage and would encourage more apartment developments.

So far, the only tower approved for planning under his new laws is Johnny Ronan’s 22-story office block and hotel.

It will be the tallest building in Ireland but won’t provide a single home for anyone.

…In 2017, over four million square feet of office space was built in the capital, enough for 25,000 extra workers.

But during the same ­period, just over 3,500 new housing units were built to house them. Basic math reveals the problem.

…Government policy on social housing is abysmal — last year in Dublin there were just 74 social housing units built, 69 of which were “modular” homes, basically prefabs. That leaves just five proper houses built in 12 months.

FIGHT!

Our housing crisis was created by design and the Government, led by disastrous Eoghan Murphy, is refusing to solve it (Oliver Callan, The Irish Sun)

Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy

This morning and afternoon.

Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy is addressing the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government.

His appearance follows a report on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland yesterday in which journalist Louise Byrne reported that, according to documents she obtained under Freedom Of Information, the Department of Housing – in a briefing note dated January 31, 2019, to its press office – said further approvals under the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan Scheme are not currently being issued for these particular loans.

Specifically, the memo said the department “has been advised that no further approvals should issue for now”.

These loans allow first-time buyers to borrow up to 90 per cent of a property’s value from their local authority. The conditions to secure one of these loans includes that the borrower has to show they’ve been turned down for mortgage approval by two banks, while gross earnings cannot exceed €50,000 for a single person or €75,000 for a couple.

Yesterday, in response to questions from Fianna Fáil leader Mícheál Martin about this memo and – specifically Mr Martin claiming Mr Murphy didn’t tell the Dáil that no further approvals were to be issued, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the Government needs to decide whether to increase the scheme’s initial cap of €200m, and it needs to consult with the Central Bank.

Further to this…

Mr Murphy told the committee this morning that the scheme is not closed, money for the scheme has not run out and people can still apply for these loans.

He also told committee member Fianna Fáil TD Darragh O’Brien, who claimed to be possession of a copy of the memo obtained by RTÉ, is not his memo.

He said:

“I’m telling you I don’t know what the memo is, I’m telling you it didn’t come from my department. That’s what I’ve been informed. I’m telling you that memo did not come from my department…

“I don’t have the memo, it’s not my memo…

“It’s not my memo. The FOI was released by DEPR [Department of Public Expenditure and Reform] not by my department. It’s not my memo.”

Earlier, Mr O’Brien asked Mr Murphy not to take the public for fools and said there are 100s of people who are concerned about the loan applications under the scheme.

Mr Murphy said:

“Any confusion here has been caused by people asking questions that they either know the answers to or want to cause confusion.”

He also said:

“I’m genuinely surprised about how this was reported yesterday. The scheme is not closed, funding has not run out and I’ve been very clear about how it’s progressing.”

Watch live here

Yesterday: ‘It’s Low-Income People Being Let Down Again’

Outside the GPO, O’Connell Street, Dublin last Monday

This afternoon.

Homeless figures for January have been released….

The figure of 9,987 marks a rise of 234 people nationally when compared with the last month of 2018.

Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy has described the situation as “very disappointing”.

The Department of Housing report shows there were 6,363 adults requiring a bed in January and 3,624 children/dependants. When added together the figure is just 13 shy of the 10,000 landmark…

.
Homeless figures heading for 10,000 people in emergency accommodation (Indpendent.ie)

Meanwhile

Depaul CEO Kerry Anthony said:

“It is disappointing to see the figures rise again and to see that there are almost 10,000 people experiencing homelessness and living in emergency accommodation. The rise in both adults and children is disappointing given that last month’s figures showed a decrease in the numbers.

The numbers suggest we need to do more in our efforts to stop individuals and families entering emergency accommodation. That requires input and action from all agencies and departments and we must ensure we are doing everything in our power to bring the numbers down.”

Rollingnews

This morning.

Iveagh House, Dublin 2

Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government Eoghan Murphy (left) with Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe arriving for the launch of Home Building Finance Ireland….

… the state’s new financing initiative for the residential construction sector, will offer loans of up to €35m to house builders.

HBFI has been established to fill a funding gap for smaller builders. It will lend to developments of as few as 10 houses or apartments. The company’s website, which went live on Friday, states that it is open for expressions of interest.

HBFI will be funded with €750m from the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (Isif). A borrowing entity must provide a minimum of 20% equity of a building project, which can include the site value. HBFI will provide up to 80% of the project cost.

Home Building Finance Ireland to lend up to €35m to house builders (Niall Brady, The Times Ireland edition)

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Meanwhile…

This morning.

College of Anaesthesiologists (!), Dublin 2.

Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy (fourth left) with the Interim Board of the LDA (Land Development Agency) ahead of the first meeting of the Board

Leah Farrell/RollingNews

This morning

Amid protests, Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy, above with Green Party Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Councillor Ossian Smyth (left) and new resident Marie Miesczcyk, presides over the the official opening of 44 New Social Homes at Rosemount Court, Dundrum, Dublin 14.

Only 299,956 left to go.

FIGHT!

Sam Boal/RollingNews

 

From top: Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar

This afternoon.

In the Dáil.

During Leaders’ Questions.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald spoke about homelessness and raised her party’s pending motion of no confidence in Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy which will be debated at 8pm.

Ms McDonald called Taoiseach Leo Varadkar “delusional”.

She said:

“Taoiseach, I can only surmise that you’re delusional…you seem to believe that everything is ok, that you’re on track…despite the facts, not opinions, not speculation, the facts – that homelessness has risen. That houses prices rise, that rents are out of control and beyond the reach of even people at work.

“You seem to be entirely immune to the fact that people are now taking to the streets and taking direct action, to give voice to the anger and, in fact, the desperation that they feel.

You’re plans are not working, your minister has failed and is failing in his duty to the tens of thousands of people on housing lists to the ten thousand people who are homeless, to the children that I referred to earlier, who will sleep tonight and the next night, and the night after, and the night after that, in emergency accommodation.

“And by the way, we make no claim to have a monopoly on empathy but we certainly on these benches have plenty of exposure to those families and those very real, despite experiences and yet you are immune to them and delusional. Because you stand up as head of Government and you claim that you’re plan is working and that Fianna Fail assists you in that regard.

“You have failed, your minister is failing and on behalf of the people at the weekend who came out, desperate people, desperate people, with real stories, they want an answer from you and they want someone held to account and I suggest to you again Taoiseach that the person to be held to account in the first instance is Minister Eoghan Murphy.”

Mr Varadkar responded:

“We all know what this is about. The Dáil is back, Sinn Féin is looking to score political points so they put down a motion, a motion that is just pure politics. A motion that is just pure politics, tactical, cynical, personalised and ineffective. And there’s one thing that’s absolutely certain.

“There’s one thing that’s absolutely certain. The Sinn Féin motion put down tonight, if passed, will not house a single person. Nor will it help us to build houses any quicker than we are already. And this is all we have from Sinn Féin – oppositional politics, cynical politics, personal politics. They don’t really care about people who are homeless. They don’t really care about people on the housing list.

“They don’t really care about young couples who are struggling to buy for the first time. That’s why they put forward no solutions. When they put forward solutions, they’re solutions that don’t work. All over the country, all over the country, when they can help, all over  the country, when they can help, their councillors vote down social housing.

“Whether it’s in South Dublin or whether it’s in the North Inner City…This is the truth of Sinn Féin.”

Watch Dáil proceedings live here

UPDATE:

Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy and Minister for state Catherine Byrne

This morning.

Ahead of a no-confidence motion in housing minister Eoghan Murphy, tabled by Sinn Féin…

Mr Murphy said the no-confidence motion is nothing more than an “irresponsible stunt”.

The motion of no confidence, he said, will do nothing for those in need.

Mr Murphy said he hopes to speak with [Dublin South Central Fine Gael TD and Minister of State] Catherine Byrne this afternoon about “genuine concerns she has for her constituents“.

He added he hoped she would not be pulled into “Sinn Féin’s stunt.”

Vote will put pressure on Govt to accept policies are failing – Sinn Féin (RTÉ)

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