Results 24,681-24,700 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report Stage (15 Dec 2016)

Simon Coveney: The law does not allow that. If there is a change of tenancy and if a new tenancy applies, the maximum amount that can apply in terms of any rent review in that context must first be consistent with the local market rent and, second, regardless of that, the maximum increase that can happen is 4%.

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report Stage (15 Dec 2016)

Simon Coveney: I am not trying to put one over on anybody here. Most of the Deputies who have been working with me on this legislation to date would accept that. We are trying to get this right to ensure that when we do designate areas, hopefully next week, in Dublin and Cork and when other areas of the country get designated in the new year, which I believe they will, we have in law what we intend to do...

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report Stage (15 Dec 2016)

Simon Coveney: My understanding is that the time proposal tomorrow is that we will be dealing with this again at 12.30 p.m.-----

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report Stage (15 Dec 2016)

Simon Coveney: -----until we finish it, which hopefully will be early tomorrow evening-----

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report Stage (15 Dec 2016)

Simon Coveney: -----so that staff members can go home. However, that will be up to the House, not me, to decide.

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2016)

Simon Coveney: Even though it is not common to revert to Committee Stage from Report Stage, it does sometimes happen to tease through the detail of an issue and to make sure we are not making a mistake on a key issue such as the one we were discussing last night. Our team worked late into the night last night and we got advice from the Attorney General's office this morning to make sure that what we are...

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2016)

Simon Coveney: I am happy to respond whenever-----

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2016)

Simon Coveney: My understanding is the former. It is from the last time a review took place because it is about the calculation of the rent. If someone took out a tenancy four years ago and had a review two years ago, it is the calculation from the last time the rent was reviewed. That is my understanding. With regard to Deputy Shortall's question, once a rent pressure zone is designated, it is the...

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2016)

Simon Coveney: -----annualised. If that is six months, it is 2%. If it is 18 months, it is 6%, but it is annualised after that, depending on when the review takes place versus when the last review took place. That is how we get over the issue raised last night by one or two Deputies about incentivising change in tenants. Can I respond to some of the comments made? A number of Deputies raised this issue...

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2016)

Simon Coveney: Deputy John Curran raised it and I think Deputy Ruth Coppinger raised it as well. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan also raised concerns. A number of people raised concerns and we met those Members this morning to go through the reasoning behind the change in numbers. The point Deputy Boyd Barrett made is right. The normal person looking at this equation, given the complexity of it, will not easily...

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2016)

Simon Coveney: That is fine.

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2016)

Simon Coveney: To be clear, there was not a written presentation per se. I asked the people I had remembered raising this issue last night if they wanted an informal briefing this morning before we resumed the debate. There was nothing beyond that. They just got the amendment and a verbal explanation from me, but I can arrange that for Deputy Shortall afterwards. There is no problem with that.

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2016)

Simon Coveney: I take the point of the Deputy is making. The note I have is our understanding is the date the rent became payable means the date the rent was last set. We can check this and confirm it later.

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2016)

Simon Coveney: We will check it.

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2016)

Simon Coveney: It will go to the Seanad on Tuesday and then the President must sign it. We are anxious to get it done before the end of the year so it will be in place for the new year.

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2016)

Simon Coveney: Deputy Smith's question is a fair one but it is a separate issue to this. My understanding is if notice is given then the process of review has already begun if it is at the end of a two year period. I will check this for the Deputy, but my understanding is that once notice is given our legislation cannot supersede the process. If the process of a review has already begun it will take its...

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2016)

Simon Coveney: I am giving the Deputy the understanding I have, which is if a notice has been given of a review the process of the review has begun and we cannot retrospectively change it. This is my understanding. I asked that question and this is the answer I received. This is why the sooner we get the rent pressure zone designations in, the sooner people will be protected from increases in rent that...

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2016)

Simon Coveney: Could I say to be helpful in response to that and advise that we will happily schedule statements on the overall strategy when we resume in January so people will have an opportunity to raise all of these issues. I have no problem with that if that would be helpful to some Members.

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2016)

Simon Coveney: A lot is being done.

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2016)

Simon Coveney: I just spent €200 million buying 1,000 houses.