Latest news with #HAO
Irish Independent
25-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
‘Common sense' to delay Housing Plan until review of National Development Plan complete, housing minister says
Yesterday Taoiseach Micheál Martin confirmed that the housing plan would be delayed beyond July, when it was initially expected, with the possibility it will not be published until September. The housing plan will outline how the Government plans to meet its housing targets. While the review of the NDP, which sets out the Government's investment priorities in infrastructure, will look at all public capital investment projects up to 2035. Mr Browne said the Government were 'not waiting for the housing plan' to bring in measures to tackle the housing crisis and that new decisions were being made every week. 'I think it's just common sense in terms of we won't be able to finalise and publish the housing plan until the National Development Plan is completed. 'Minister Chambers is working very hard with all the various departments but that is obviously a challenging situation. All of us in our different departments have our asks,' Mr Browne said. Meanwhile secondments from different state bodies to the new Housing Activation Office (HAO) are being finalised, Mr Browne confirmed. However, he did not confirm when the head of this new office would be appointed. 'We're finalising now and confirming secondments into it from the various utilities. The secretary is in place, and we're standing it up now and only had a meeting on it yesterday,' Minister Browne said. Mr Browne said while the HAO would be 'on the ground' to help ensure properties are development and land is serviced, the office is only 'one part of a really important jigsaw'. After former NAMA chief Brendan McDonagh withdrew his name from consideration to head up this new office, it is unclear who will take up the position. The minister said while the head of this office was important, it was not essential to housing activation. 'It's a matter of identifying the head, but this is a team that's going to represent myself on the ground. 'I'll be making the strategic decisions, the policy decisions. Their role as a team on the ground is to unlock those sites. The head is important, but it's not an essential piece that housing activation, obviously, it's just one piece in that puzzle,' Mr Browne said.
Irish Independent
25-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
'Common sense' to delay Housing Plan until review of National Development Plan complete, housing minister says
Yesterday Taoiseach Micheál Martin confirmed that the housing plan would be delayed beyond July, when it was initially expected, with the possibility it will not be published until September. The housing plan will outline how the Government plans to meet its housing targets. While the review of the NDP, which sets out the Government's investment priorities in infrastructure, will look at all public capital investment projects up to 2035. Mr Browne said the Government were 'not waiting for the housing plan' to bring in measures to tackle the housing crisis and that new decisions were being made every week. 'I think it's just common sense in terms of we won't be able to finalise and publish the housing plan until the National Development Plan is completed. 'Minister Chambers is working very hard with all the various departments but that is obviously a challenging situation. All of us in our different departments have our asks,' Mr Browne said. Meanwhile secondments from different state bodies to the new Housing Activation Office (HAO) are being finalised, Mr Browne confirmed. However, he did not confirm when the head of this new office would be appointed. 'We're finalising now and confirming secondments into it from the various utilities. The secretary is in place, and we're standing it up now and only had a meeting on it yesterday,' Minister Browne said. Mr Browne said while the HAO would be 'on the ground' to help ensure properties are development and land is serviced, the office is only 'one part of a really important jigsaw'. After former NAMA chief Brendan McDonagh withdrew his name from consideration to head up this new office, it is unclear who will take up the position. The minister said while the head of this office was important, it was not essential to housing activation. 'It's a matter of identifying the head, but this is a team that's going to represent myself on the ground. 'I'll be making the strategic decisions, the policy decisions. Their role as a team on the ground is to unlock those sites. The head is important, but it's not an essential piece that housing activation, obviously, it's just one piece in that puzzle,' Mr Browne said.
Travel Weekly
17-06-2025
- Travel Weekly
Thompson Zihuatanejo offers suite promotion
Travelers looking for a beach escape this summer can tap the Thompson Zihuatanejo's new Suite Escape promotion. The limited time offer includes $150 in resort credit, daily breakfast and a seasonal welcome amenity for guests who book a suite using the code "suite" by Sept. 30. The promotion is valid for stays through Oct. 31. The beachfront resort sits on La Ropa Beach and features 56 rooms and suites, some with private plunge pools. Guests have access to parasailing, snorkeling, deep-sea fishing, yoga, three outdoor pools, two tennis courts and a fitness center. Two on-site restaurants include Ceniza, an open-air restaurant featuring surf and turf, and HAO, serving modern Mexican cuisine.
Business Insider
31-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Haoxi Health Technology files $80M mixed securities shelf
16:24 EDT Haoxi Health Technology (HAO) files $80M mixed securities shelf Confident Investing Starts Here: Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter Published first on TheFly – the ultimate source for real-time, market-moving breaking financial news. Try Now>>
Irish Times
30-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on public sector reform: defining the powers of a tsar
The secretary general of the Department of Housing, Graham Doyle, caused something of a stir at a housing conference this week when he said that the State does not need a ' housing tsar' – the moniker given by the media to the person who will head a new office to try to accelerate housing provision. This idea is, of course, part of Government housing policy and the Minster for Housing, James Browne, has been trying to fill the post. A statement issued by the Department of Housing later the same evening said that Doyle had emphasised that the new Housing Activation Office (HAO) will have a chief executive with ' an interventionist' approach, but not a tsar ' and the connotations that word evokes.' Predictably the media was given the blame for the 'tsar' title, which we were told was 'misleading and not reflective of the real intent and purpose of the HAO.' Words are important here. The primary dictionary definition of a tsar obviously relates back to Russian history, but it can also refer to a person given power by a Government to deal with a particular issue. So what power will the head of the new office actually have? It is clear that the Department sees the HAO role as under its aegis, rather than the independent executive recommended in the report of the Housing Commission. Clearly the Minister, reporting to the Government, is ultimately responsible for this. He needs to make it clear how the incumbent will relate to his and other government departments and groups in the area, of which there are now a few new additions? READ MORE Clarity and accountability is vital. We have seen in other cases, such as the recent revelations surrounding Children's Health Ireland, how blurred lines can lead to a lack of transparency and questions over who is responsible. The housing secretary general is no doubt correct to observe that just knocking a few heads together is not going to solve the housing problem. But it may still be needed, particularly to sort out who exactly is responsible for what in the complicated structures now in place.
