Results 3,781-3,800 of 8,212 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The amendment had been spoken to by most Members. Was I due to respond?

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: No. I will reply to the contributions. I do not know if I will withdraw the amendment because Senators have expressed concern about ensuring that each quintile would be represented. There was concern, for example, about only having the bottom two quintiles represented. My amendment addresses all quintiles. The amendment means the Government would think of affordability for each quintile...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 10: In page 13, after line 38, to insert the following: “12. Where a dwelling is being made available for affordable purchase under a Part V agreement under section (5)(b), that dwelling shall be made available for affordable purchase according to such criteria of affordability as may be set out by the Minister in regulation or by the relevant housing authority,...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 11: In page 14, line 7, to delete “or (b)”.

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 12: In page 14, between lines 22 and 23, to insert the following: “(5) For the avoidance of doubt, the affordable dwelling contributions from a local authority or any other State body in respect of an affordable dwelling made available for sale under a Part V agreement as specified in section 5(b) or section 7(2) shall not be a financial contribution.”.

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I accept 40 years is better than 50 years. I still believe the State should aim for cathedral thinking, in which we look to long-term thinking. It is one of the great prerogatives and opportunities we have as a State and it makes many things possible. I regret to see the amendment previously put by Senator Moynihan, which related to this issue, is not resubmitted at this point. I hope it...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: First, I thank the Government, as Senator Cummins said, for accepting the principle of and using the exact wording of my amendment on Committee Stage. It is an appropriate caveat to add because it is an area in which we have seen some abuse. It has been exploited as a loophole at times. In recent editions of the Dublin Inquirer, for example, we have seen cases where service fees etc. are...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 16: In page 32, line 26, after “dwelling” to insert the following: “as is necessary and appropriate and which will be subject to appropriate maximum threshold as may be set out by the Minister in regulation”.

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 17: In page 32, line 26, after “dwelling” to insert “as is necessary and appropriate and which will be subject to regulation by the Minister”.

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 18: In page 32, line 27, after “maintenance” to insert “or adaptation and retrofitting”.

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: If the Leas-Chathaoirleach could bear with me for one moment, I forgot to speak to this amendment, so I will say one sentence, which is to indicate why I am looking to-----

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I accept the Minister of State's bona fides regarding the concerns, but perhaps the issue of a universal design for cost rental needs to be considered. He mentioned sinking funds or planning, but we need to plan for 18% of the population having a disability.

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: As such, at least 18% of any cost rental development should be designed to accommodate those persons. I am happy to work on this with the Minister of State through other means that the amendment.

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am happy to withdraw the amendment with a view to future engagement.

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Senator Moynihan has put it very well. There is a point I should have made earlier when we were discussing the previous amendment from Senator Boyhan that referenced the bottom 40%. The Minister of State might note that given we are only reserving 10% for affordable housing under Part V, it would be very reasonable to have 10% of developments affordable to the bottom 40% of earners in this...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 20: In page 35, between lines 24 and 25, to insert the following: “(4) Without prejudice to subsection (5), no rent shall be defined as “cost rental rent” whereby the total amount of such rent would exceed 33 per cent of the applicant’s net income as determined by a housing authority.”.

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 21: In page 35, line 27, after “plus” to insert “or minus”.

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The amendments address the mechanisms whereby rent may be changed over a period. It is in that context that I note that there is provision in the Bill for rent to change over a period. Rent is not set and does not remain the same. There are provisions for the changing of rent. For this to work consideration must be given to the previous points made about affordability, which we have...