Results 3,401-3,420 of 4,933 for speaker:Jennifer Murnane O'Connor

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Childcare Services Funding (30 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I appreciate the Minister coming to the Upper House to discuss this matter with me. A new national childcare scheme will be rolled out from this October which will replace previous childcare support programmes. The aim of this, as I understand it, is that parents of children aged from two to 15 years attending any Tusla-registered childcare service will be entitled to some level of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Childcare Services Funding (30 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I am disappointed with the answer because years ago when all these groups were set up, the after-school services were always in what would have been called disadvantaged areas but now these parents are going to lose out. They will not be able to afford to send their children to after-school services. We are talking about the most vulnerable in our society. I beg the Minister to re-examine...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Childcare Services Funding (30 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I appreciate that.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: Friday, 21 June is the national family carers' day in Ireland and Shine a Light will mark the occasion. I encourage all Senators to support it. I have consistently raised the importance of carers in our society and I am increasingly frustrated with the time it takes to process carer's allowance applications. At my regular clinics I hear of backlogs of between six and eight months and that...

Seanad: Fire Safety in Apartment Dwellings: Statements (30 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I do not have to tell everyone there is a crisis in housing as not only do we see the homeless figures climbing but we have mistakes for which we are now paying. Too many apartment blocks were built to poor standards. We have a tortured history in how we built accommodation. To be fair, it seems to me that the co-living scheme, which is being touted as the solution to all our problems, is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 2) Regulations 2019: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (29 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: Many of my concerns have been answered. I think I am more confused now. The Minister has responded to questions about enforcement, timescales and resources by saying he will come back to us. When he said he will start an awareness campaign, he said he thinks Dublin City Council will be the lead base in that regard. I appreciate that short-term lettings are more common in Dublin and the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 2) Regulations 2019: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (29 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: Okay.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 2) Regulations 2019: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (29 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: No, I have been listening. Who is going to enforce this? Is there an issue with regard to the timescale? A question was asked about awareness and the Minister responded to that. I am not being unfair. I think this is welcome. As a member of the housing committee, I have expressed concern to the Minister about many matters. I know this issue is particularly relevant in our cities. I am...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 2) Regulations 2019: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (29 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I would have concerns. I am still not happy with some of the answers. There are still issues that need to be sorted out. The most significant issue, and the Minister knows it, is the fact that everything boils down to money and resources. It does not matter which regulation the Minister introduces or which local authority someone works for, if there is no money and enforcement, it does...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 2) Regulations 2019: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (29 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: Will the Minister come back to us in the next few weeks with all the different things?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 2) Regulations 2019: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (29 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I am just saying there is-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 2) Regulations 2019: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (29 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: Absolutely not.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 2) Regulations 2019: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (29 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: If the Minister comes back to us with timescales on enforcement, what will happen with planning-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 2) Regulations 2019: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (29 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I know the Minister did but I am not happy with them.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 2) Regulations 2019: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (29 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: The Minister did not.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 2) Regulations 2019: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (29 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: The Minister did not answer the question about money.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 2) Regulations 2019: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (29 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: The Minister should not have to-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (29 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: We have all been out canvassing in recent months in the local and European elections. Housing was the biggest issue at the door. As some of my colleagues have said, housing came up as an issue on every doorstep. In fairness, I did say, as a member of the housing committee, that we worked extremely hard and that the work being done had not yet come to fruition but that it would in the next...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (29 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I compliment the Minister's staff, in particular, Laurence Keating who has been excellent. I have gone to him with several issues. When people do good work, it is important to recognise it. I say, "Well done," to him. Llike the rest of the Minister's staff, he is very good, but he is particularly helpful and very good to give information. I want to give him a mention.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (29 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I thank the Minister. Along with other speakers, I am also concerned about the homeless figures. There are issues there that we need to address more. We have all said that more needs to be done for people in emergency accommodation. Another example is people who are coming to me who are not even qualifying to go onto the housing list. These people are on family income supplement. They...