O’Leary’s CEO role at housing agency is extended
BARRY O’Leary has been reappointed CEO of the State’s Housing Finance Agency for another five years by Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy.
Mr O’Leary was first appointed to the role in 2012.
A notice in ‘Iris Oifigiúil’ said that with the consent of Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Paschal Donohoe, Mr O’Leary has been reappointed to the role with effect from May 1.
The new appointment runs to the end of April, 2025.
The Housing Finance
The number of home completions this year is expected to drop
Agency was incorporated in 1982.
Its role is to advance funds to local authorities, the voluntary housing sector and higher education institutions to be used by them to borrow or raise funds for construction.
An accountant, Mr O’Leary joined the agency in 1988 after briefly working at the Comptroller and Auditor General’s Office. He began his career working on insolvency matters.
The Housing Finance Agency has backed a slew of recent developments, but with construction sites having been closed for the past number of weeks and social distancing being a requirement once they do reopen, the number of home completions this year is expected to drop significantly.
About 40 sites have been recently permitted to open, ostensibly so social housing elements of those developments can be completed.
Mr Murphy said last week that 5,000 homes in total were built here in the first quarter of this year. It’s been estimated that the total built this year might be just 18,000, or 7,000 below a Government target.