Results 6,001-6,020 of 12,593 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill: Second Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2012)

Willie O'Dea: I have documentation from the Department of Social Protection, which I am sorry I did not bring with me.

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill: Second Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2012)

Willie O'Dea: When one is dealing with the Labour Party one must bring the written evidence. The Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton, tried to tell me last week that expenditure on child benefit had actually risen and that she had failed to support private landlords. One must have written evidence when one is dealing with them now. I have documentation, which I will publish after this debate,...

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill: Second Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2012)

Willie O'Dea: I am not opposing it because there is little or nothing to oppose.

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill: Second Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2012)

Willie O'Dea: -----particularly when there is the simple scheme to which I referred. Although I could be wrong, I would guess that the deposit retention scheme that we will see here will be similar to that which applies in the United Kingdom. I stand open to correction on that. There is also the question of compliance. I have been involved in and advised on cases with the Private Residential Tenancies...

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill: Second Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2012)

Willie O'Dea: I acknowledged that. The Government is two years in office and all we have is this Bill which, frankly, is a combination of the mundane and the minuscule.

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill: Second Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2012)

Willie O'Dea: There is nothing here, bar changing the name of the board, reducing the numbers for quorums, etc.

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill: Second Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2012)

Willie O'Dea: It is doing nothing for the people of Castletroy, Caherdavin and Farranshone, all those areas within the Minister of State's city where residents are being plagued by the activities of these tenants, a large part of whose rent is being paid by the victims.

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill: Second Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2012)

Willie O'Dea: The Government is in office two years and the problem has continued.

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill: Second Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2012)

Willie O'Dea: It is a long time since 2004 and the problem has continued unabated.

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill: Second Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2012)

Willie O'Dea: The point is that there is a sort of vague notion that it all will be handed over to the local authorities next year. I have documentation from the Minister of State's colleague, the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, which states that this changeover will take place on 1 January. Is that the date?

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill: Second Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2012)

Willie O'Dea: This is like Animal Farm where "four legs good, two legs bad" became "four legs good, two legs better". In adding one word, the Minister of State changes the meaning of the slogan.

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill: Second Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2012)

Willie O'Dea: The promise to everybody was that this would all change from 1 January. We are now told it will not all change on 1 January.

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill: Second Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2012)

Willie O'Dea: It does not matter. It is merely another empty broken promise from the Labour Party.

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill: Second Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2012)

Willie O'Dea: The Minister of State can merely add it to the list and the mountain keeps growing.

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill: Second Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2012)

Willie O'Dea: The point is-----

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill: Second Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2012)

Willie O'Dea: The Acting Chairman should tell that to the Minister of State. She would want to watch her blood pressure. It is rising.

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill: Second Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2012)

Willie O'Dea: Failure has obviously gone to her head.

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill: Second Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2012)

Willie O'Dea: The promise was that all this would change on 1 January. We are now told, shock horror, in a revelation here on the floor of the Dáil, that it will not change at all on 1 January.

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill: Second Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2012)

Willie O'Dea: It will be changed to some extent. I suppose there will be a pilot scheme. There are enough pilots in the Government to equip the Israeli air force. This is rubbish.

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill: Second Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2012)

Willie O'Dea: This Bill consists of juggling. It is tinkering with the problems. As I stated, it is a combination of the mundane and the minuscule. There is no change to reflect the deficiencies which practice has shown in the 2004 Act and, more importantly, the dramatic changes since.