Results 1,761-1,780 of 5,948 for speaker:Paul McAuliffe

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government (Mayor of Limerick) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Nov 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: I oppose the amendment to reduce the threshold, given that we had specific discussions on it. Another part of that discussion was the point that Deputy Quinlivan touched on. We do not have this process of impeachment in our Irish system so we can only look to where it exists, and the system in the United States is probably the most obvious example. There are consequences for councillors...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government (Mayor of Limerick) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Nov 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: My big fear is that, because of our multiparty system, a majority on the council might be made up of three or four parties. Some of those may be in government and some may not. It would be too easy to achieve 50% and that is why I would not propose it. It is still easy to achieve 33% and we could easily see tensions between coalition parties in governments playing out in a council, where...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government (Mayor of Limerick) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Nov 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: For Deputy McNamara's benefit, there was some discussion about this during pre-legislative scrutiny and, actually, our concern was about the title. We felt that maybe the term "deputy mayor" should have been applied and would be more easily understood. There was a very clear understanding during the discussion that, for the sake of the chamber and the members in the chamber, one would not...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government (Mayor of Limerick) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (15 Nov 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: I have a concern about the amendment for two reasons. While I am a strong advocate for the living wage, there is an argument about why we are not suggesting other areas would not be included. Once we get into a legislative scenario where we are prescribing one form of ambassadorial role, we are then allowing the possibility that they would be precluded for other areas. I would query that....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Domestic Violence (9 Nov 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: I welcome the Minister being open to the issue. I dealt recently with case where a HAP tenant who had been a victim of domestic violence was losing her home and the local authority included them in the tenantin situ scheme. It was a bit convoluted getting there but she walked away from a property interest she had in a family home. Anybody else would ask why someone would walk away from a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Domestic Violence (9 Nov 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: Many years ago, when local authorities had a smaller number of approved housing bodies providing housing and they had more discretion to take it outside the scheme of lettings, those AHB developments were often used for these more sensitive cases where discretion could be applied, although we are in a changed landscape compared with where we were ten years ago, when local authorities had that...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Domestic Violence (9 Nov 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: 93. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if there are plans to allow domestic violence victims to transfer their housing applications to other counties without losing their time on the waiting list. [49071/23]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Domestic Violence (9 Nov 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: Will the Minister give consideration to those in a domestic abuse situation who often through a housing assistant payment, HAP, or other form of temporary housing find refuge away from the family home and were previously on a local authority waiting list in their area? Could they be allowed to transfer to a local authority waiting list in another area without losing the time they have built...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Schemes (9 Nov 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: I thank the Minister of State for outlining the circular issued to all local authorities. The Croí Cónaithe scheme has been invaluable. This has especially been the case in those areas where house prices are that bit lower than they might be elsewhere and additional works cannot be funded with borrowing because of the loan-to-value ratio and the cap the market places on homes in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Schemes (9 Nov 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: I thank the Minister of State. I especially welcome the update concerning Dublin City Council and the interaction in this regard. We have been speaking with the Minister for some time. Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan, who asked me to raise this parliamentary question on his behalf today, has also been working with Cork County Council, and perhaps the same interaction could be undertaken with...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Schemes (9 Nov 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: We will let them off with that.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Schemes (9 Nov 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: I see Sinn Féin councillors now-----

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Schemes (9 Nov 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: I see that Sinn Féin councillors are now offering the guarantee that the tenant in situscheme is working, but the party's frontbenchers do not accept that either.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Schemes (9 Nov 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: I ask the Minister and the Minister of State to do whatever they can to try to ensure this scheme is rolled out and that as much value as possible is derived for the money being put into it by the Minister, the Minister of State and the Government.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Schemes (9 Nov 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: Hear, hear.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Schemes (9 Nov 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: Will the Minister give consideration to extending the completion deadline for Croí Cónaithe grant applications, which is set at 13 months? It would allow successful applicants time to properly finish the property and draw down what is a very important support to tackle vacancy and dereliction.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Hospital Facilities (9 Nov 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: On the issue of additional capacity, could the Minister update the House on the additional beds provided by the Government over recent years and the plan to put in place 1,500 new hospital beds, which he had indicated earlier this year?

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Hospital Facilities (9 Nov 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: I thank the Minister for stealing my punchline because I am taking this question on behalf of Deputy Troy. I welcome the arrival of Maria Ginnell Troy, his daughter. It is an example of how, in very important times, we need hospital capacity. I welcome the additional beds that the Government has brought on board and the significant funding. In the talk of cuts over recent weeks, I have...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Hospital Facilities (9 Nov 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: The use of rapid build is increasingly important in both housing and the delivery of infrastructure but it can pose a challenge at constrained sites. In my constituency, Beaumont Hospital is an increasingly constrained site, although it once had a lot of land around it. The Mater hospital, which is nearby, is beyond maximum capacity. The big challenge will concern how rapid build can be...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Hospital Services (9 Nov 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: Cappagh hospital is in my constituency but as the Minister rightly says, it is a national hospital. My colleagues, Deputies Cahill and Brendan Smith, have been plaguing both the Minister and the Ministers of State, Deputies Butler and Rabbitte. We have had extensive visits from Ministers. The Taoiseach himself has been out, as has the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and many others. It is a...