Results 2,801-2,820 of 26,228 for speaker:Kieran O'Donnell

Residential Tenancies (Deferment of Termination Dates of Certain Tenancies) Bill 2023: Second Stage [Private Members] (28 Mar 2023)

Kieran O'Donnell: -----not to the Garda Station. They should go to the local authority. If they go to the local authority and they are a HAP or a RAS tenant, there is a tenant in situscheme. From the feedback we are getting from the local authorities, they will well exceed the 1,500 we put forward for this year. That scheme is there. We want landlords to come forward and sell their houses with tenants in...

Residential Tenancies (Deferment of Termination Dates of Certain Tenancies) Bill 2023: Second Stage [Private Members] (28 Mar 2023)

Kieran O'Donnell: It is happening. Allow me to go through the points because it is the public out there who are homeless and I want them to know what is there rather than us shouting and roaring across the Chamber. Second, if someone is above the social housing income limit, there are two schemes coming on board now. Deputy Boyd Barrett referred to one. The bespoke scheme will come into operation on 1 April...

Residential Tenancies (Deferment of Termination Dates of Certain Tenancies) Bill 2023: Second Stage [Private Members] (28 Mar 2023)

Kieran O'Donnell: It has brought forward a Bill. Ironically it had elements after it had eventually seen the light on a staggered approach to eviction notices. But we fundamentally disagree on extending the eviction moratorium because we believe that we must have a functioning market. You have to have private landlords. You cannot have a situation where they are not there. If they are leaving the market,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (28 Mar 2023)

Kieran O'Donnell: Under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the Act), all development, unless specifically exempted under the Act or associated regulations, requires planning permission. In this regard, Class 31 of Schedule 2 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, as amended, provides that certain classes of development carried out by a statutory undertaker authorised to provide a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Regulations (28 Mar 2023)

Kieran O'Donnell: The timely making available of planning application documents to the public has been most recently addressed by the Planning and Development Act 2000 (Section 38) Regulations 2020. These regulations, which were signed on 22 May 2020, require that where a planning application is made to a planning authority, the planning authority shall - (a) not later than 5 working days after the day on...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (28 Mar 2023)

Kieran O'Donnell: Under section 180(1) of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the Act), where a development has been completed to the satisfaction of the planning authority in accordance with the permission and any conditions to which the permission is subject, the authority shall, where requested by the person carrying out the development, or, by the majority of the owners of the houses...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (28 Mar 2023)

Kieran O'Donnell: I propose to take Questions Nos. 293, 295, 296 and 297 together. The Disability Act 2005 places a statutory obligation on public bodies, including local authorities, to support access to services and facilities, for people with disabilities. Disabled people are entitled to apply for the full range of housing supports and when assessing applications for housing support, local authorities are...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 Mar 2023)

Kieran O'Donnell: Clear instructions have been given to the local authorities by the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. He has written to them-----

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 Mar 2023)

Kieran O'Donnell: -----in the last week. The Deputy is probably aware that each local authority is setting up a specific acquisition unit to deal specifically with the tenant in situscheme and various other issues. These units are now being established. The Deputy's points, which focus on those matters, will be taken into consideration by the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, and the Department. They will...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Housing Schemes (21 Mar 2023)

Kieran O'Donnell: I thank the Deputy. I agree the debate we had was intense. As he noted, this is about keeping people in their homes. Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 units per year up to 2030, comprising the delivery of 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost rental homes. The strategy is supported by an...

Eviction Ban: Motion [Private Members] (21 Mar 2023)

Kieran O'Donnell: -----across the board.

Eviction Ban: Motion [Private Members] (21 Mar 2023)

Kieran O'Donnell: We have also brought in a measure whereby local authority managers can now suspend the Part 8 process and shave 20 weeks off the period it takes to get properties built. Furthermore-----

Eviction Ban: Motion [Private Members] (21 Mar 2023)

Kieran O'Donnell: -----if Sinn Féin is so interested in building, why is it objecting systematically to housing developments?

Eviction Ban: Motion [Private Members] (21 Mar 2023)

Kieran O'Donnell: I commend the Government countermotion to the House.

Eviction Ban: Motion [Private Members] (21 Mar 2023)

Kieran O'Donnell: I thank everybody who has contributed to the debate. In the limited time I have, I want to deal with facts and to address a number of points that have been raised by individual Deputies. Deputy Ó Broin led off the debate. The tenant in situ scheme has been expanded and it has been in place since last April. We would like to have seen a greater take-up. The senior Minister has...

Eviction Ban: Motion [Private Members] (21 Mar 2023)

Kieran O'Donnell: It does, while at the same time, this also comes down to that balance between tenants’ rights and so forth. With regard to Deputy Verona Murphy's contribution, we agreed to the amendment tabled by the Regional Group. She spoke about the density guidelines, which are currently being finalised and will go out to public consultation. This is something we are very strong on. Deputy...

Eviction Ban: Motion [Private Members] (21 Mar 2023)

Kieran O'Donnell: My apologies to Deputy Connolly as she is in the Chair.

Eviction Ban: Motion [Private Members] (21 Mar 2023)

Kieran O'Donnell: The help-to-buy scheme provides a deposit on a home and that is totally overlooked. Yes, people are paying high rents but the scheme provides a deposit on a house and, furthermore, the mortgage-to-rent scheme allows people to stay in their homes and everything should be about keeping people in their homes. That is of great importance. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae spoke about nothing happening...

Eviction Ban: Motion [Private Members] (21 Mar 2023)

Kieran O'Donnell: Furthermore, there are at the moment 6,300 emergency beds through all the local authorities for single people and beds are available for 1,500 families. We would like to see more. There are 2,000 coming onstream across all local authority areas which is something we very much want to bring onstream. Over the past year, more than 5,700 people were either taken out of homelessness or...

Eviction Ban: Motion [Private Members] (21 Mar 2023)

Kieran O'Donnell: I am talking about the numbers being taken out of homelessness. We accept that homelessness went up but I believe it is overlooked that during that period, of 5,700 people, some 3,700 of whom were prevented from going into homelessness and some 2,000 were taken out of it.