Results 4,681-4,700 of 8,482 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins
- Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)
Alice-Mary Higgins: I accept 40 years is better than 50 years. I still believe the State should aim for cathedral thinking, in which we look to long-term thinking. It is one of the great prerogatives and opportunities we have as a State and it makes many things possible. I regret to see the amendment previously put by Senator Moynihan, which related to this issue, is not resubmitted at this point. I hope it...
- Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)
Alice-Mary Higgins: First, I thank the Government, as Senator Cummins said, for accepting the principle of and using the exact wording of my amendment on Committee Stage. It is an appropriate caveat to add because it is an area in which we have seen some abuse. It has been exploited as a loophole at times. In recent editions of the Dublin Inquirer, for example, we have seen cases where service fees etc. are...
- Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)
Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 16: In page 32, line 26, after “dwelling” to insert the following: “as is necessary and appropriate and which will be subject to appropriate maximum threshold as may be set out by the Minister in regulation”.
- Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)
Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 17: In page 32, line 26, after “dwelling” to insert “as is necessary and appropriate and which will be subject to regulation by the Minister”.
- Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)
Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 18: In page 32, line 27, after “maintenance” to insert “or adaptation and retrofitting”.
- Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)
Alice-Mary Higgins: If the Leas-Chathaoirleach could bear with me for one moment, I forgot to speak to this amendment, so I will say one sentence, which is to indicate why I am looking to-----
- Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)
Alice-Mary Higgins: I accept the Minister of State's bona fides regarding the concerns, but perhaps the issue of a universal design for cost rental needs to be considered. He mentioned sinking funds or planning, but we need to plan for 18% of the population having a disability.
- Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)
Alice-Mary Higgins: As such, at least 18% of any cost rental development should be designed to accommodate those persons. I am happy to work on this with the Minister of State through other means that the amendment.
- Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)
Alice-Mary Higgins: I am happy to withdraw the amendment with a view to future engagement.
- Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)
Alice-Mary Higgins: I second the amendment.
- Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)
Alice-Mary Higgins: Senator Moynihan has put it very well. There is a point I should have made earlier when we were discussing the previous amendment from Senator Boyhan that referenced the bottom 40%. The Minister of State might note that given we are only reserving 10% for affordable housing under Part V, it would be very reasonable to have 10% of developments affordable to the bottom 40% of earners in this...
- Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)
Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 20: In page 35, between lines 24 and 25, to insert the following: “(4) Without prejudice to subsection (5), no rent shall be defined as “cost rental rent” whereby the total amount of such rent would exceed 33 per cent of the applicant’s net income as determined by a housing authority.”.
- Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)
Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 21: In page 35, line 27, after “plus” to insert “or minus”.
- Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)
Alice-Mary Higgins: The amendments address the mechanisms whereby rent may be changed over a period. It is in that context that I note that there is provision in the Bill for rent to change over a period. Rent is not set and does not remain the same. There are provisions for the changing of rent. For this to work consideration must be given to the previous points made about affordability, which we have...
- Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)
Alice-Mary Higgins: It is interesting when we speak about landlords to ask who is envisaged and imagined in that. I am glad the Minister of State envisages housing authorities and affordable housing bodies being part of that landlord piece. Nonetheless, some of the narrative around what is needed in terms of security and so forth seems to be framed from the perspective of thinking of the central provider - the...
- Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)
Alice-Mary Higgins: I second the amendment.
- Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)
Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 23: In page 35, line 33, after “plus” to insert “or minus”.
- Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)
Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 24: In page 35, line 39, after “plus” to insert “or minus”.
- Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)
Alice-Mary Higgins: Was it combined with the previous grouping of amendments?
- Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)
Alice-Mary Higgins: Apologies; I did not realise that. I would note that amendment No. 25-----