Results 20,101-20,120 of 20,300 for speaker:Brian Stanley

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Challenges Relating to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (27 May 2025)

Brian Stanley: Going back to the 100% mortgages, the proposal is daft. That is my own opinion about it for a number of reasons, some of which the witnesses have outlined. There is an issue with regard to people in private rental accommodation who have been paying rent over a three-, five-, six- or eight-year period. The rent they pay is in excess of what a mortgage on the same home would be. I wish to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Challenges Relating to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (27 May 2025)

Brian Stanley: We are still paying the price of that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Challenges Relating to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (27 May 2025)

Brian Stanley: We are still paying the interest on those loans.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Challenges Relating to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (27 May 2025)

Brian Stanley: Before I move to my next question, is Dr. O’Toole saying that perhaps lending institutions should give that aspect more attention?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Challenges Relating to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (27 May 2025)

Brian Stanley: Of course.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Challenges Relating to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (27 May 2025)

Brian Stanley: In response to one of the contributions, Dr. Kelly mentioned that 100% mortgages would be likely to drive up prices and that he did not see them leading to an increase in supply. Does the shared equity scheme not do the same thing? Regarding prices, the curve seemed to go on a steep incline after the shared equity scheme and some other ones were brought in.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Challenges Relating to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (27 May 2025)

Brian Stanley: Could I ask Dr. Kelly a question about supply? It has been mentioned that rent controls or rent pressure zones, RPZs, limit supply. For example, Portlaoise is in one but there does not seem to be limited supply in Portlaoise. A lot of sites are very active in the area and are being built on. On this relationship between rents and supply, during the Celtic tiger, in one year we built...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Challenges Relating to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (27 May 2025)

Brian Stanley: I wish to ask both witnesses about land. The Kenny report, which was done under the then Fine Gael Government in 1974 if I recall correctly, advocated putting structures in place to deal with this issue. It was never implemented. It was put on a shelf and it has been there since. On the issue of land, how do the witnesses see this being dealt with? It is obviously driving up prices,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Challenges Relating to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (27 May 2025)

Brian Stanley: It was basically to cap the price of land to a small multiple of the pre-zoning period. It was agricultural or unzoned land. It would only go so much beyond that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Challenges Relating to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (27 May 2025)

Brian Stanley: Yes.

Gaza: Motion (28 May 2025)

Brian Stanley: Constituents and people across the 32 counties of Ireland are watching on in horror. They depend on us to take action with regard to what is happening in Gaza. There is merciless bombing of hospitals, clinics, homes and tents, with families, children and men being slaughtered. There is forced starvation and famine while convoys of food are a mile or two away. Men and women are being...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (28 May 2025)

Brian Stanley: Yesterday, we had a well-attended presentation from SMA Ireland in the AV room. Its priority is to secure access to the life-changing treatments and medicines for people with spinal muscular atrophy issues. We were told this is caused due to a loss of motor neuron nerve cells. It is an important issue. SMA can have life-limiting effects. It can cause difficulty for swallowing, breathing,...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (28 May 2025)

Brian Stanley: It involves a small amount of money and requires a ministerial directive from the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, who was sitting beside the Taoiseach. Maybe she will address the matter.

Protection of Employees (Employers’ Insolvency) (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage (28 May 2025)

Brian Stanley: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this issue of workers' rights. Over the past 40 years, I have long been involved in campaigns, with workers and as a worker myself on many occasions, trying to get basic rights. I broadly welcome the Bill. It makes the necessary changes to the insolvency payments scheme but it is coming late. I welcome that it will cater for the situation at...

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (29 May 2025)

Brian Stanley: I thank the witnesses and officials for coming in. In her opening statement, Ms Maguire said the programme for Government sets out a commitment to reform the operation of the triple lock while ensuring that the amendments to the legislation are in keeping with Ireland's values and policy of military neutrality. Let us imagine a scenario where a peacekeeping resolution comes before the...

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (29 May 2025)

Brian Stanley: There are 11 peacekeeping missions around the world at the moment.

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (29 May 2025)

Brian Stanley: Ireland participates in some of those.

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (29 May 2025)

Brian Stanley: The picture Ms Maguire is painting is that there are almost no peacekeeping missions around the world at the moment.

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (29 May 2025)

Brian Stanley: Ms Maguire is missing the point I am making. The point that I am making is that Ireland is then taking sides in a conflict without UN sanction. Is that not correct?

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (29 May 2025)

Brian Stanley: So we put our faith in that. Is that what Ms Maguire is saying? That it is okay. I am not trying to be combative. I am trying to explore where this could go.