Results 4,701-4,720 of 28,162 for speaker:Catherine Murphy

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: The Minister of State talked about communication protocols and the regeneration of areas. I am interested in learning what can be done practically. Perhaps the Minister of State might revert to us with an indication as to how her Department can be helpful in having a uniform approach nationally to changing the current circumstances. There are perfectly good estates which are getting a very...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: I have spoken to the Minister of State about the procurement process, which has been part of the delay. Some of that may have been overcome at this stage because there are now lists of contractors who can be called upon. I heard about it from staff within the local authority in Kildare. They were tearing their hair out over the delay. They wanted to get work done on the 49 vacant houses...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: I move amendment No. 16:In page 37, between lines 16 and 17, to insert the following:“(4) A housing authority shall ensure that, unless otherwise directed by resolution of the elected members of the local authority to which the housing authority is subject, 100 per cent of the proceeds garnered from the sale of a house under this Part shall be retained by the local authority for the...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: I take the point made by Deputy Sean Ó Fearghaíl about the difference between amendments Nos. 16, 17 and 18 and the point about people being offered accommodation through the housing associations. This results in a dramatic change in respect of their opportunity to purchase in the future. I have heard that point several times. I refer to the point made by the Minister of State in...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: Section 37 goes to the heart of this. It was said by Deputy Cowen that this needs to be revised because it is a mistake. The problem is it is not a mistake. The Minister of State is here doing the bidding of Fine Gael and it is leaving her here. It is not a mistake. It is a very deliberate political action that is going to fundamentally change the landscape of social housing now and into...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: Deputy Ellis spoke earlier about hotels and bed and breakfast accommodation for homeless people and the costs of same. That is an approach that some local authorities take. However, others do not take that approach to homelessness but leave it up to people to find accommodation themselves, to find a couch somewhere or, in some cases, to sleep in a car. They might not say "Sleep in your...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: It was never as bad as it is now.

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: It is only a short-term measure.

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: The Minister of State said that she does not minimise the problem. I wonder whether the Government is minimising it. All we can do is try to describe what we see every day of the week. We are here as representatives of our areas and this matter is dominating our work. I am not sure the Government acknowledges the extent of the problem. The lack of supply of accommodation is bad for the...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: They are walking away from the rental accommodation scheme.

Death and Burial of Children in Mother and Baby Homes: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (11 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: I agree with Susan Lohan of the Adoption Rights Alliance who said we should have examined these issues years ago but instead, a collective head in the sand attitude was taken. It often takes a major event for us to realise that something has to be done. As somebody else said, this was hidden in plain view. This inquiry has to put an end to the issue, and it must be comprehensive. We are...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Energy Schemes Issues (12 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: 16. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the reason the development of the pay-as-you-save Retrofit scheme is moving so slowly; if he will seek moneys from the Ireland strategic investment fund to boost retrofit uptake; the measures he proposes to halt the rapid decline in energy retrofit activity; his plans to expand the scheme to cover microgeneration grants;...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (12 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: 79. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the engagement his Department is having with Kildare County Council and the management of a school (details supplied) in County Kildare on finding an appropriate site for a permanent new school building now that An Board Pleanála has upheld the decision by the planning authority to refuse permission for the proposed building; and if he...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Prescription Charges (12 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: 214. To ask the Minister for Health if, with regard to the charging of essential prescription medication to medical card customers, it is the practice that pharmacists will routinely write prescriptions for four calendar weeks 28 days instead of one month, that this creates 13 monthly charging periods in one calendar year and that where the cost of the medication is at the €25 limit,...

Other Questions: Local Authority Functions (17 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: 87. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his views on whether local authorities may be correct in refusing to take an estate in charge because there is, at present, an unclear legislative basis for the taking in charge of sewers, water mains or other water infrastructure that is owned by Irish Water; if it is his view that Circular PL21/13 sufficiently clarifies...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: I have spoken to Kildare County Council about a number of elements of this and I understand it can take up to eight months for an inspection to take place. I do not dispute that a reasonable amount of time should be made available, but there should be a proviso that it is as early as possible. Will environmental health officers be available to conduct the inspections if the number of people...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: I move amendment No. 33:In page 54, between lines 13 and 14, to insert the following:“(e) The Minister shall review the maximum amount of rent referred to in paragraph (b) every three months in each municipal district as defined under Part 3A of the Local Government Act 2001 (as amended), and, where evidence compiled indicates that less than 10 per cent of available rental...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: The fact that 33% of rental properties involve people who basically should have social housing is a scandal in its own right. I accept there is a legacy issue in this regard but it appears to me as though 18 months is extremely rigid. The difficulty is not with people who are in houses but affects those who cannot get them and cannot get a landlord to lease a house to them, even for a short...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: The Minister of State did not say if she was willing to consider a period of more than three months and whether an amendment can be tabled in the Seanad. Does she plan to continue with the legislation as it stands?

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: I will press the amendment.