Results 3,741-3,760 of 4,773 for speaker:Paudie Coffey

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Private Residential Tenancies Board Staff (17 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: The Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004. The primary functions of the Board are to operate a national tenancy registration system and to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants in the private rented residential sector. Section 159 of the Act provides for a Dispute Resolution Committee...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (17 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: This is a technical drafting amendment to provide for the amendment of the collective citation of the Housing Acts.

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (17 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: Amendments Nos. 2, 53, 54, 83 and 86, taken together, will bring much-needed stability to the rental sector pending the coming on stream of the supply of new housing. These amendments will extend the period between the reviews of rent, extend the minimum period of notice of new rent, and introduce new requirements for the notification of new rent and the formal provision of information as...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (17 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: I appreciate Senators' views. This is probably the most topical issue in the country at this particular time. I welcome Senators' views and opinions on the whole housing debate. I acknowledge that there is an opportunity now on the floor of the Seanad to express those views. The debate on the first group of amendments has been very wide-ranging, covering everything including rent, supply,...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (17 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: The purpose of these amendments is to clarify the relationship between local authorities and the approved housing bodies, AHBs, where dwellings are let by local authorities to AHBs and subsequently let by those bodies to social housing tenants. These provisions were included in the published Bill but amendments Nos. 4, 6, 8 and 9 redraft those provisions to make it clear that for the...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (17 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: The published Bill provides that sections 19 to 22, inclusive, and 139 of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 will not apply to approved housing body tenancies. Approved housing bodies generally use a differential rent scheme as applied by local authorities to determine the rents of their dwellings. Under this system the amount of rent to be paid by a tenant is based on the income of the...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (17 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: Amendments Nos. 16, 17, 20 and 26 are related. Under Part 4 of the 2004 Act, security of tenure is based on rolling four-year tenancy cycles. A landlord may not serve a notice of termination except in very clearly defined circumstances, such as a failure by the tenant to comply with his or her obligations in relation to the tenancy. As I am sure members are aware, many AHB tenants rely on...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (17 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: The Government will not be accepting the amendment. Essentially, it means a landlord would be responsible for managing the waste of his tenants. Considering the fundamental polluter pays policy and the responsibilities that go with it, I see no reason to accept the amendment. Essentially, tenants are responsible for their waste. I acknowledge the part of the amendment that refers to the...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (17 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: The Bill provides for the registration fees that approved housing bodies will pay to register their tenancies with the PRTB and the timeframe within which tenancies must be registered. Where the tenancy is registered within the first year after the commencement of these provisions, the fee to be paid by approved housing bodies will be €45 for a single tenancy and €187.50 for...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (17 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: While I appreciate the intention behind the amendment, I believe it is important we do not lose sight of the core functions of the PRTB. Its primary role is to register tenancies and resolve disputes between landlords and tenants. It is not the role of the PRTB to collect revenue; it is the role of the Revenue Commissioners to ensure citizens pay their tax. However, the PRTB can take and...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (17 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: The list of amendments referred to by the Acting Chairman shows the complexity of the Bill. Essentially, the section and the amendments deal with deposit protection, which has been called for by many Senators from all sides of the House for a long time. My amendments in the group concern putting in place the structural changes necessary to support the introduction of the deposit protection...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (17 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: I thank the Senator for withdrawing the amendments. The Government amendments are a significant part of the Bill and were commitments in the programme for Government. It is welcome that they are now being introduced. These measures will, in another way, aid tenancy sustainment. As public representatives we often hear that people are having difficulties getting their deposits back from one...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (17 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: This is a technical amendment to the general regulation making power in section 8 of the Act to provide for incidental and supplementary provisions, where necessary.

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (17 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: In summary, this group of amendments provides for changes to termination provisions and for improved security of tenure. Amendment No. 55 is a technical amendment which clarifies that when terminating a Part IV tenancy a landlord must comply with Parts IV and V of the Act. The 2004 Act specifies the grounds upon which the landlord may terminate a tenancy. A landlord may not serve a notice...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (17 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: I acknowledge this is a substantial group of amendments. All of these measures are enforcement related measures. The group of amendments includes a number of measures to enable the PRTB to deal effectively with tenants who do not comply with their obligations, including the obligation to pay rent. The published Bill provides for a new procedure to deal with tenants who do not comply with...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (17 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: These are technical drafting amendments to correct minor errors in the published Bill.

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (17 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: This amendment relates to anti-social behaviour. The Residential Tenancies Act prohibits a tenant in a private residential tenancy from engaging in anti-social behaviour in or, in the vicinity of, a dwelling to which the Act applies. It also provides that a landlord may terminate any tenancy where the tenant is engaging in or allowing others to engage in such behaviour. Section 77 of the...

Topical Issue Debate: Mental Health Services Staffing (18 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I am replying on behalf of the Minister for Health who is unavoidably absent and sends his apologies. In line with national policy, Waterford and Wexford mental health services implemented the recommendations of A Vision for Change on the organisation and provision of mental health services, transforming them from a largely bed-based...

Topical Issue Debate: Mental Health Services Staffing (18 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: It is acknowledged in the initial reply that HSE management has a responsibility to ensure adequate provisions in terms of staffing at each of the four units based in County Wexford, namely, the one in Wexford town, and the centres in Gorey, Enniscorthy and New Ross, which is the subject of the current debate. The recruitment of nurses in this country is proving challenging in general. I...

Topical Issue Debate: Neonatal Health Services (18 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: I apologise to the Deputy for the unavoidable absence of the Minister for Health today. I wish to respond to this Topical Issue debate on his behalf. Premature birth is the largest cause of neonatal death worldwide. In Ireland, 6% of babies are born prematurely, a rate that is increasing for a variety of reasons, including assisted reproduction, higher rates of multiple births and...