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Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Residential Tenancies Board's new ICT system €5.2m over budget
A new ICT system for the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) ran €5.2m over budget and was delivered 29 months late, without all planned functions. The online tenancy registration system was initially budgeted at €3.3m, and came into use in November 2021, but it reached an overall cost of €8.5m, bringing it over budget by 157%. After the RTB360 system went live, the RTB noted in its annual report that the cost had reached €7.3m but stated that "no further costs are expected for this phase". However, the commencement of annual tenancy registration in April 2022 saw "significant performance failures" arise for users and further development was required through 2023, with the operation issues resolved towards the end of the year. Initially, the associated costs for the further development work was estimated at just over €1.1m. Temporary pause As a result of these system failures, a temporary pause in the automatic charging of late fees was introduced in November 2022 and remained in place until March 1, 2024. During 2023, the RTB refunded €1.67m in late fees, while the data on fees refunded in 2024 has not been published. In the 2023 annual report, it is also noted that the original scope for the system included system requirements for handling disputes and enforcement, which were not included. The RTB has since "adopted a new approach" to deliver a dispute-resolution system using the ServiceNow platform, with a pilot beginning testing last month. The first phase of this new system will be delivered within one year and has cost less than €1m to date, according to an RTB spokesperson. In light of the drastic cost overrun and delay in delivery, the RTB board commissioned an independent external review of the RTB360 project. A spokesperson told the Irish Examiner that it had "received legal advice that currently prevents us from sharing this report" but said recommendations from the review have been implemented. Rory Hearne questioned whether State agencies require more support for ICT projects. Picture: PA Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne submitted a parliamentary question to housing minister James Browne regarding RTB360 but was told the minister has "no official responsibility to Dáil Éireann for this matter". As the RTB is a State body, Mr Hearne said Mr Browne should be taking responsibility to respond, just as other ministers must when it comes to State agencies being held accountable. The issues raised by RTB360 and other ICT projects which have resulted in significant overspend beg the question as to whether State agencies require more support and resources when such projects are being undertaken, Mr Hearne added. Read More 50th anniversary of Seamus Heaney's landmark collection on Troubles to be marked
Irish Independent
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Opposition vows to fight any Government plan to remove rent caps
On Monday, TDs from Sinn Féin, Labour, Social Democrats and People Before Profit launched a joint Raise the Roof housing initiative, which includes a protest outside Leinster House in June. The parties called for 'emergency action' to be taken to tackle the housing crisis, and criticised the Government's approach. The protest will come as TDs will bring forward a private member's motion on tackling the housing crisis in the coming weeks. Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin said the Government is missing 'all of their targets'. 'We want to make a very, very strong call to say that this Government, this do-nothing Government, is letting people down, and the only way we're going to tackle this crisis is with emergency action,' Mr Ó Broin said. Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne described the housing issue in Ireland as a 'social catastrophe' and added that the Government action has not been much of the same, but worse. 'They have completely failed to treat this crisis like an emergency,' Mr Hearne said. Mr Hearne said it appeared the Government wanted to remove protections from renters in the middle of a housing emergency and said it was 'completely taking us off a cliff in terms of commencements, in terms of planning permissions'. In recent weeks, the Housing Agency delivered its report on rent pressure zones (RPZs) to housing minister James Browne, in which it recommended changes to the rent cap system. 'I think we need, in the opposition, to actively within the institutions, within the Dáil, within the committees, absolutely oppose any attempt to remove those rent caps, because it is just unthinkable that this Government would remove that protection that renters have in the middle of an emergency,' Mr Hearne said. ADVERTISEMENT Mr Ó Broin said Sinn Féin would fight changes to rent caps and put pressure on the Government both inside and outside the Oireachtas to force the it to 'stand by renters'. 'Any move by Government to allow landlords to increase the rent burden on tenants, a rent burden that is already far too high, will be strongly resisted, not just by our political parties here and the Raise the Roof movement, but I think by thousands and thousands of people,' Mr Ó Broin said. People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy said a housing emergency needed to be declared. 'We need to act as if there's a housing emergency and that means pivoting away from reliance on the private sector, reliance on the market to deliver housing and instead for a much, much greater role of the state,' Mr Murphy said. 'So that's why we want people to come out at 6pm on Tuesday the June 17, outside the Dáil, and to send a very, very clear message to this government,' he added.
Irish Examiner
20-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Councils must focus on increasing land portfolio to provide housing, Oireachtas hears
Local councils only have enough land banks for social housing delivery to last the next three to four years, the Oireachtas Housing Committee has heard. Eddie Taaffe, chairman of the County and City Management Association (CCMA) committee on housing, said local authorities have over 560 landbanks suitable for housing, which can be used to deliver around 21,500 homes. However. Mr Taaffe said 28% of these sites are unable to be progressed at present due to a lack of services, including water, wastewater, and electricity. 'Local authority land banks are probably sufficient for the medium term only, as in you know, the next three, possibly four years of delivery at best,' Mr Taaffe said. 'That's assuming that the lands that aren't serviced will come on and be serviced in that time.' Mr Taaffe said there is a need for councils to start rebuilding up their land banks, citing existing land acquisition funding available to local authorities. However, he said the CCMA has heard from councils the amount of zoned and serviced land coming on the open market is small. So what we really do need to get involved in if we are to guarantee and build up our land banks is to get back into the compulsory purchase orders again. 'They take time to do but that is really the only method that gives you the certainty that you can get the land', he said. Meanwhile in the Dáil, the Taoiseach was questioned about comments made in this newspaper by Housing Minister James Browne about Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs). Mr Browne told the Irish Examiner that while the Government will soon be changing RPZs, he still aims to protect renters. However, Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne said the comments need to be explained. "How can the Government agree to lifting rent caps in the middle of a housing emergency? Renters need to know," Mr Hearne said. "Given what is going on, there should be a commitment to keep the rent caps and the rent pressure zones in place for a minimum of three years to give renters some security. Regardless of the questions of institutional investors and supply, renters need that." In response, Micheál Martin said changes to the rent caps had been suggested by The Housing Commission's report. "I do not know why [Mr Hearne] is condemning the Government for even considering the recommendation of the Housing Commission in respect of that issue."
The Journal
20-05-2025
- Business
- The Journal
First-time buyers facing 'out of control' housing market like 'The Hunger Games', says TD
SOCIAL DEMOCRATS TD Rory Hearne has likened the 'out of control' housing market to 'The Hunger Games' such is the fierce competition for homes. The Dublin North-West deputy said that first time buyers face 'absolutely unaffordable prices', further questioning the transparency of the costs around trying to buy a house. 'It's like the hunger games out there in terms of housing. I'm not using that in any facetious way. I'm saying this is the reality,' he told reporters. Hearne that there was an issue around the 'gazumping' of buyers when they are informed that they have been outbid, causing the price of a home to shoot up further. 'Queues for renting, queues to try and buy, people being outbid, and for housing the issue of gazumping is still going on,' Hearne said. 'There are real issues around the opaqueness in terms of housing purchasing, and it is those first time buyers, people trying to buy a home, who are suffering, who are being made to pay absolutely unaffordable prices. Advertisement He said this has reached a point where this is 'not unusual' and placed blame at the government which he said has 'not got to grips with' the system. Hearne, who penned a 2022 book about the housing crisis called Gaffs before he was elected to the Dáil, is a member of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage which will have its first meeting today. First up on the agenda is local councils and their role in delivering housing. The City and County Managers Association – which represents local authority chiefs – will tell the Oireachtas Committee on Housing about the impediments that need addressing so councils can build more housing units. The group will outline while local authorities have delivered 24,000 social housing units since 2022, Government ambitions to increase this to 12,000 units per annum are 'simply not feasible without urgent structural support.' TDs will be told that there is a need for investment funding, coordinated servicing of land by state bodies and increased staffing for councils to help meet the 12,000 target. It is to hear that local authorities have delivered 24,000 social housing units since 2022, but that Government plans to increase this to 12,000 units per annum are 'simply not feasible without urgent structural support.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
The Journal
18-05-2025
- Business
- The Journal
'Highly coincidental' Airbnb launched €100k in rural Ireland grants two weeks after clampdown, says TD
LAST UPDATE | 2 hrs ago Christina Finn 'IT IS HIGHLY coincidental' that Airbnb announced that it will provide grants for rural Ireland at a time when legislation is being progressed to clamp down on short term lets, Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne has said. Two weeks after government announced it is moving to ban planning permissions for short-term lets in towns of more than 10,000 people, Airbnb launched its 'Rural Tourism Fund', which it said will give a 'vital injection to rural areas across Ireland that rely on the benefits of tourism to support local families, businesses and culture'. Pledging to pay out €100,000 in grants, Airbnb states that the money they plan to give to local communities will help 'preserve and enhance innovative tourism projects across the country'. The Rural Tourism Fund grants range from €1,000 to €10,000 and are available to local organisations and community groups. The advertisement for the grants has been shared widely on Facebook by local councillors, TDs and some local authorities. 'I think that it's highly coincidental that Airbnb are providing grants for rural tourism at a time when legislation is being progressed that should clamp down on short term lets. Advertisement 'There is a massive housing crisis in rural areas and cities and short term let's are contributing to that crisis as homes are rented out on Airbnb instead of the long term rental or lived in by a home buyer,' said Hearne. Following the sign-off at Cabinet of the regulations, due to kick in in May 2026, there was criticism of the move by rural TDs such as Kerry TD and now Minister of State Michael Healy Rae and Cork TD and Independent Ireland leader Michael Collins. Children's Minister Norma Foley, who also hails from Kerry, has also voiced her concerns about the impact such a measure might have on tourism in rural Ireland, such as her constituency. Hearne called on the government to clarify if planned restrictions on short-term lets will apply to towns located in Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) where populations are under the 10,000 threshold provided for in the new regulations. Cabinet agreed last month that short-term lettings in towns with populations of more than 10,000 people would fall under the measures. Hearne said it his view the entire country should be covered by short-term let regulations – not just towns with larger populations. Speaking on RTÉ's Claire Byrne Show this week, Minister Healy-Rae said while it is extremely difficult for people to get long-term housing in areas such as Killarney, but he doesn't believe the new regulations for short-term lets is a good idea. He stated that tourism is vital to areas such as Killarney, stating that those in the business of short-term lets will not return their properties to the long-term rental sector. 'I am genuinely afraid, because I'm hearing it from the people. They won't do that,' he said, stating that if the tourism accommodation is curtailed, it will not necessarily mean an increase in long-term rental accommodation, in his view, he said. Related Reads Increase in Airbnb listings not the 'root cause' of rental property shortages, research finds Short-term let rules one step closer as Cabinet gives green light 'Absolutely devastating': Kerry Councillors raise concerns about short-term lets register 'We don't want to cut off the availability for those people [tourists] being able to come, because when they come, remember, they're supporting local jobs, they're supporting local industry. So you can't cut of your nose to spite your face,' said Healy-Rae. He called for the provision whereby planning permissions will be banned for towns over 10,000 people should be revisited, stating that Killarney for instance has around 14,000 people living in it. Leader of Independent Ireland, Michael Collins TD, also sharply criticised the government's proposals stating that it threatens to destabilise rural tourism economies, particularly in west Cork. He said there will be far-reaching negative consequences for tourism-dependent communities. Airbnb has stated previously that it supports introduction of a register for short-term lettings and that it believes short-term lettings have an economic benefit to the Irish tourism economy. The Journal asked Airbnb for comment in relation to the new rural Ireland grants and around the timing of the announcement, just shortly after Cabinet signed off on progressing with the regulations. A spokesperson for Airbnb said it would not be commenting on the matter. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
