Results 25,121-25,140 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Leaders' Questions (29 May 2018)

Brendan Howlin: I agree with the Taoiseach 100% on the value of both the Constitutional Convention and the Citizens' Assembly. Originally it was former Deputy Eamon Gilmore's idea. Even within the Labour Party, he had some convincing to do on the idea that another forum would have merit. However, the model has proven its worth. One of its values is that it depoliticises an issue for a while. In other...

Order of Business (29 May 2018)

Brendan Howlin: I suggest that we do not conclude the statements. If we do what is scheduled for today and simply adjourn the debate and hold it when the Business Committee can fit it in later in the week, for a more considered debate than we would have in five minutes.

Order of Business (29 May 2018)

Brendan Howlin: Like others, I have raised a number of times with the Taoiseach the issue of legislation to remove the mandatory retirement age in the public service. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform promised this would be before the House in this session. Extending the retirement age voluntarily would give comfort to many people who are now reaching retirement age and are not quite clear how...

Order of Business (29 May 2018)

Brendan Howlin: What of interim arrangements?

Order of Business (29 May 2018)

Brendan Howlin: It will not be enacted.

Referendum of 25 May: Statements (29 May 2018)

Brendan Howlin: I said yesterday that for many people Saturday was a day of great excitement and that for some of us it was equally a day of relief. Clearly, 35 years is a long time to wait to repeal a measure we opposed in the first place. When I was in the Seanad in 1983 we came close to defeating the amendment. I recognise that would not have stopped the referendum in 1983. It would merely have...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Referendum Campaigns (29 May 2018)

Brendan Howlin: 64. To ask the Minister for Health if he will report on the referendum campaign on the eighth amendment. [18940/18]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance Applications (29 May 2018)

Brendan Howlin: 599. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of an application for a disability allowance by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23322/18]

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Programme for Government Implementation (30 May 2018)

Brendan Howlin: 1. To ask the Taoiseach the status of the implementation of A Programme for a Partnership Government. [21242/18]

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Freedom of Information Requests (30 May 2018)

Brendan Howlin: 9. To ask the Taoiseach the number of freedom of information requests his Department has received to date in 2018. [23582/18]

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Agreements with Members (30 May 2018)

Brendan Howlin: 13. To ask the Taoiseach if he has specific deals or arrangements with Independent Deputies. [23584/18]

Residential Tenancies (Greater Security of Tenure and Rent Certainty) Bill 2018: Second Stage [Private Members] (30 May 2018)

Brendan Howlin: Print the money.

Residential Tenancies (Greater Security of Tenure and Rent Certainty) Bill 2018: Second Stage [Private Members] (30 May 2018)

Brendan Howlin: First thing.

Residential Tenancies (Greater Security of Tenure and Rent Certainty) Bill 2018: Second Stage [Private Members] (30 May 2018)

Brendan Howlin: I thank everyone who has contributed to the debate. In particular, I thank Deputy Healy for acknowledging that every Labour Party Minister has always prioritised housing and produced thousands of houses, as he said.

Residential Tenancies (Greater Security of Tenure and Rent Certainty) Bill 2018: Second Stage [Private Members] (30 May 2018)

Brendan Howlin: I am very glad that was acknowledged. Deputy Murphy said we could have built houses in 2011. In 2011, the country was on its knees. Our indebtedness was 30% of GDP, which was higher than that of Zimbabwe. That was a nominal figure. The actual figure, even taking out the bank debt, was 11% of GDP. We had no money to spend. Deputy Murphy thinks we could borrow the money from the European...

Residential Tenancies (Greater Security of Tenure and Rent Certainty) Bill 2018: Second Stage [Private Members] (30 May 2018)

Brendan Howlin: They are not.

Residential Tenancies (Greater Security of Tenure and Rent Certainty) Bill 2018: Second Stage [Private Members] (30 May 2018)

Brendan Howlin: I can show the Minister of State an estate in my constituency which a developer built and where eight houses were bought by the local authority.

Residential Tenancies (Greater Security of Tenure and Rent Certainty) Bill 2018: Second Stage [Private Members] (30 May 2018)

Brendan Howlin: They were not built to order. These were private developments.

Residential Tenancies (Greater Security of Tenure and Rent Certainty) Bill 2018: Second Stage [Private Members] (30 May 2018)

Brendan Howlin: I am sure there are others but the Minister of State must accept the point. Half of the so-called "council builds" were actually purchased. That is instead of having two streams to bring homes onto the market, one involving houses built by local authorities as they used to do when we had housing departments buying land years in advance, servicing it and building according to need, and a...

Residential Tenancies (Greater Security of Tenure and Rent Certainty) Bill 2018: Second Stage [Private Members] (30 May 2018)

Brendan Howlin: They know that is nonsense. It is a lovely soundbite but unconstitutional and unfeasible. It is not real. People need real solutions. If we embrace the measures we have here to give security of tenure to tenants and to give security to landlords too in a balanced way in order that they can invest in properties and bring unused properties back into use and at the same time invest heavily...