Results 201-220 of 1,051,181 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Duncan Smith OR speaker:Cian O'Callaghan OR speaker:Denis Naughten OR speaker:Gary Gannon OR speaker:Dara Calleary OR speaker:Mark Ward OR speaker:Simon Harris OR speaker:Noel Grealish)

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Catherine Connolly: Some 441 approved housing bodies came back. More than 441 approved housing bodies exist and we wonder about accountability and the absence of it. I am talking about all of this in the context of Galway city, which has absolutely no hope to give applicants on the housing waiting list. I am not given to exaggeration. There is absolutely no hope. I have the minutes of the task force....

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Violet-Anne Wynne: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. I will just touch on a few points because there is a case I would like to refer to. Regarding the language change and inclusion of "alleviation of housing need" it is important to note such changes are to ensure AHBs are solving the housing crisis. There are no plans, however, and no mention of how to build and deliver new affordable...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Catherine Connolly: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill, which has three Parts and 16 sections. I will reiterate what my colleague has said. It is completely unacceptable there was no pre-legislative scrutiny, notwithstanding that the largest Opposition party agreed with that. It was absolutely essential to have pre-legislative scrutiny. There was also no regulatory impact analysis published....

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Danny Healy-Rae: The tenant purchase scheme was a great scheme. People got their feet under them and went down the road of purchasing their own home, and the money went back into the coffers and built more houses. Now councils have stopped that; any house built after 2015, they will not even sell it. We were so proud when people used to get rural cottages. It was the same story - when they got their legs...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Carol Nolan: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. I have raised the issues relating to approved housing bodies on the floor of this House a number of times. I have engaged with the Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority in the past few weeks on its efforts to monitor compliance with approved standards. I acknowledge the very constructive and open response I received from the...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: We go to the Independent Group. Deputy Pringle is sharing with Deputy Connolly.

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Thomas Pringle: I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to speak on this Bill. I would like to voice my opposition to how this legislation has been introduced and progressed through the House. We were told just last week we would take Second Stage today and proceed through Committee and Remaining Stages tomorrow. Our legislative process was not designed to be rushed through in this way. All...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: We have been talking about housing since I came into the Dáil and it has not got any better. It has got worse under the Government’s leadership. Instead of a clear light going forward it is more difficult. Talking about young people, especially in my own constituency, rural planning is savage. It is a horrible issue for a lot of young people. The disappointment, hurt and...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Richard O'Donoghue: When will the discrimination stop for the counties that have been promised delivery of sewerage and water systems for decades? I have said this before and I will say it again. Forty years ago, the Government promised a Fianna Fáil councillor in Askeaton that they would have a sewerage system. Now look at Glin, Abbeyfeale, Oola and Dromcollogher. Two thirds of Limerick county has been...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Michael Healy-Rae: In discussing this very important issue, I want to highlight something on behalf of the people of Kerry. This is the loss of the single rural cottages. It has been so long that a lot of politicians might not even remember what that was. A farmer - man or woman - would give half an acre to the local authority and the authority could build a house that would serve that family for...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: As my colleagues have said, Sinn Féin has no issue and neither does the AHB sector with the proposed changes to the registration regime. While we are not opposed to the operation of cost rental, we do not believe the changes go far enough. We have some concerns, which we will deal with. I raised the issue of housing adaptation grants with the Minister of State in the past while....

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Mattie McGrath: The Minister of State is a new Aire Stáit and I wish him well but something needs to be done. This is papering over the cracks. It is more of the same. I am not pointing at the gentlemen and ladies here - the officials - but the game is lost. The game with regard to housing is badly lost. Maybe the Minister of State is used to losing so he should not shake his head. I did not want...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Matt Shanahan: I concur with my two colleagues. The Bill before us today may be progressive, but again, we are tinkering around the edges regarding the whole issue of construction in this country. As I have said in this House before - others have said it too - at some point we are probably going to have to call the issue of housebuilding in this country a crisis. It has to be treated like a crisis....

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: I smile to myself when I hear many of the things that have been repeated over and over - I am sure the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach does likewise - with regard to the obstacles facing people who are in need of homes. These people have various income levels. We have listened to people rightly say that on the one hand there are people whose income is too high to qualify for local authority...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Seán Canney: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important issue. It is the issue of the day. Not alone is it affecting young people, it is also affecting the economy. FDI companies in expansion mode cannot deliver housing in the areas where they need it so their workers can have a decent standard of living commensurate with that expected among workers of a global company at local level. This...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Johnny Mythen: Sinn Féin agrees with this Bill and recognises the urgency to make necessary changes to fully register all approved housing bodies, which account for approximately 61,000 dwellings, either owned, leased or managed by AHBs throughout the country. We see AHBs as an important cog in the supply of cost-rental and affordable homes, particularly for the homeless, elderly citizens and for both...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Verona Murphy: I will speak for eight minutes and share my remaining time with Deputies Canney and Shanahan, who will have eight minutes and four minutes, respectively. I have spoken on the topic of housing more than anything else in the Chamber. It is regrettable the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, is not present. No matter what way we discuss this issue, it is about the basic economics of supply and...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Richard Boyd Barrett: It is outrageous that the debate on this Bill is being guillotined. I still do not fully understand all the implications of the legislation. This way of proceeding is wrong. As my party's spokesperson on housing, I consider myself fairly clued in and focused on the issues. This legislation is not being given adequate scrutiny is to what precisely it does. That is a problem and a matter...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Martin Kenny: We are not opposing the Bill. We recognise the important role that approved housing bodies have in delivering housing in many parts of the country, not least when it comes to affordable rent. The reality, however, in the Minister of State's county, County Mayo, as well as in counties Leitrim and Sligo, not one affordable house has been built under this Government, and that is a problem....

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I agree with the previous two speakers regarding the overall delivery of affordable cost-rental housing. It is way off what is needed. There is no question about that, and it is especially the case given we have multi-billion euro surpluses available that could, of course, be put into affordable housing. The Bill is no way to do legislation. I accept that parts of it are urgent, such...