Results 141-160 of 1,133,977 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Rory O'Hanlon OR speaker:Peter Fitzpatrick OR speaker:Seán Sherlock OR speaker:Joe McHugh OR speaker:Aindrias Moynihan OR speaker:Cathal Berry OR speaker:Micheál Martin OR speaker:Helen McEntee OR speaker:Matt Carthy OR speaker:Louise O'Reilly OR speaker:Johnny Mythen OR speaker:Michael Healy-Rae OR speaker:Catherine Connolly OR speaker:Pearse Doherty OR speaker:Michael McGrath OR speaker:Jim O'Callaghan OR speaker:Thomas Gould OR speaker:Seán Ó Fearghaíl OR speaker:Thomas Pringle OR speaker:Joe Flaherty OR speaker:Mark Ward OR speaker:Marc Ó Cathasaigh OR speaker:Seán Crowe OR speaker:Noel Grealish OR speaker:Alan Dillon OR speaker:Mattie McGrath OR speaker:Ossian Smyth OR speaker:David Cullinane OR speaker:Eoin Ó Broin OR speaker:Mary Butler)

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues relating to University Hospital Limerick: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Seán Crowe: Thanks very much. I am out of time. We will not have enough time to bring the members back in. I apologise to Deputy Wynne. I know a number of her questions have not been answered but we do not have the time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues relating to University Hospital Limerick: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Seán Crowe: I do not have time to bring in other speakers.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues relating to University Hospital Limerick: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Seán Crowe: I do not mind. I have not asked any questions myself. Does Deputy Durkan have one question?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues relating to University Hospital Limerick: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Seán Crowe: I thank the Minister and his staff very much for coming in. We have all found the information we have been given very interesting. As a committee, we took the unprecedented step of going down to visit UHL. Members expressed a number of reasons for this but we were all concerned by the really negative stories we were hearing about what was happening in Limerick. We were hearing stories for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: I thank the witnesses for attending. When I originally got into politics, I was not a big fan of AHBs. I believed they were doing the work local authorities should be doing. I just could not get my head around it. However, they do some fabulous work and I cannot understand why local authorities are unable to deliver what AHBs can. That might be down to funding or a number of other...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: Ms Anderson mentioned that the rent calculation was based on a length of time. Is that 20, 30 or 40 years?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: Could a longer period be considered to help reduce costs? There are people who do not qualify for social housing, cannot buy a house and cannot pay market rents. Many people are living in box bedrooms. There is an entire box bedroom generation. Maybe we need to tease out the question of the period more. Deputy Ó Broin will probably do so. Capacity is another issue. We could do...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: We know that there is definitely a need. A cost-rental scheme in Glanmire in Cork ran out of houses. I am not 100% sure about the figures, but I believe there were 1,200 applications for 36 properties.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: Ms Anderson touched on the standard of cost-rental accommodation. In Cork, it is of a very high quality and being managed properly. It is a place people want to live. I spoke to two young women who were sharing a property on Lancaster Quay. One worked in the hospital and the other worked in the city council. They were really positive about the accommodation. They spoke about a community...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: I thank the witnesses for being here at short notice and for the opening statement. Part of the reason a number of committee members wanted to do this session is that, while we accepted there was a need for Part 2 to be introduced before the break for Christmas, some of us were surprised at the cost-rental elements coming in. It is not that we are against them in principle but some of these...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: I get that. My question is, since most AHBs have not amended their constitution, does it make any material difference that they do not have that wording in their constitution? Obviously, when the folks in the Department drafted the legislation, they had a reason for putting that in.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: The wording was too restrictive. It would have excluded non-housing-related activities and therefore not having it in means they can continue doing those non-housing activities.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: I am asking for the benefit of clarity. What would non-housing activities include?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Anything beyond the bricks and mortar.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Perfect. One of the other changes in Part 2 is the deletion of the alleviation of housing need. It is not that I have a problem with that but I think it is important there is public clarity. From Dr. McManus's point of view, what is the purpose or consequence of removing the alleviation of housing need from those sections of the existing legislation? What does that do or allow the AHBs to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: That makes sense.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: I have a number of questions on Part 3. With respect to the change to the definition of household, did the AHB sector ask for this? I know there are different organisations here. What was the rationale for asking for this, from the witnesses' point of view? What from their experience of cost rental so far led them to think this was a good proposition?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Is it Ms Cleary's understanding from reading the Bill that these separate households would solely be single-person households or could they be two-person households? Does she have a view as to whether it should only be a single-person household or a two-person household sharing? If there was a two-bedroom unit, for example, could it only be two singles, or could it or should it be possibly...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: I have a concern with this, although again I am not opposed to the principle and understand the logic. One reason that single people may want to share is that they cannot afford the one-bedroom units because the rent would be more than a third of their take-home pay. While not necessarily a desired option but as a practical solution to their housing needs, two single people will come...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: I have two final questions on the household definitions. Do the witnesses have a view on what the income threshold should be? We asked the Minister and he said it has not been decided yet, but I think they have a ballpark figure. Do the witnesses have a view? How do we guard against a couple whose combined income might be above the threshold but whose separate incomes will be below the...