Results 4,761-4,780 of 5,587 for speaker:Kevin Humphreys

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Feb 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: According to a report on "Morning Ireland" today, rents have increased by up to 15% across the country. I have raised on numerous occasions the effects that short-term lettings such as those facilitated by Airbnb are having on the rental sector. Up to 3,500 units in the Dublin region that should be available for rental by ordinary working people have been moved into the hospitality sector.I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (13 Feb 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: I thank the witnesses for the comprehensive note which was circulated on the topic of consumer protection. Mr. Grace mentioned in his contributions that the power to summons will be provided. Is there a need for supporting legislation to provide that? The power to do that is not there at the moment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (13 Feb 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: The powers to investigate will be strengthened. Can the witness explain that to me? Obviously resources will be required in order to carry out a proper investigation and to track and enforce the competition rules. Can the witness remind me about the independence of the budgets? If the CCPC does not have the budget to carry out the investigations they cannot be carried out properly. Are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (13 Feb 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: The witness has mentioned investigations into the waste industry and car insurance companies. What resources does the CCPC have to deal with those issues? Is there anything within the COM that would guarantee the resources necessary to investigate to the level required?

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: Many of these amendments are worthwhile. Amendment No. 14, which relates to the air quality directive, is especially important because of the need to protect air quality in our towns and villages. A high proportion of cars and lorries in Dublin city have diesel engines. Such engines affect air quality in city areas and have an extremely detrimental effect on the development of young...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: I support Senator O'Sullivan. I suggest it is common sense to mention the water framework, air quality and floods directives. Many Senators were councillors before they entered this House and have experience of how An Bord Pleanála interprets the phrase "shall have regard to". I think the Bill is strengthened by specifically mentioning the floods, air quality and water framework...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: On a point of clarification, the Senator will be able to reintroduce these amendments on Report Stage if she so desires.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: I have great sympathy for what Senator Reilly is trying to achieve here. I must own up to a certain amount of hesitancy, however. I am not quite certain all planners should be required to be members of the Irish Planning Institute.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: I am trying to be honest here, not trying to score points. I accept what the Senator is trying to achieve. I would like to see an element of consultation on the measure. What we need is good planning but what we have been through for a number of decades, certainly in the greater Dublin area, is a period of very poor planning. We also at one time tried to regulate architects, which is why...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: I am pretty much in agreement with Senator Boyhan. This is about strengthening local democracy and I support this amendment. Local councillors take great pride in the development plan. Certainly on many occasions in Dublin City Council, local councillors had to go to An Bord Pleanála to keep the integrity of the development plan when the executive failed to it. The prime example was...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: I am quite encouraged by the response of the Minister of State. This issue must be addressed. However, one must consider how a development plan is dealt with in practice. I was first elected to a city council in 1999 and, as a new councillor, had to try to deal with a complicated development plan that was a foot thick for a city. That plan was revised several times at each election. New...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: I cannot endorse the plan as Senator Boyhan has, because I have not seen the plan. I have seen a draft plan.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: I look forward to seeing the plan. I hope it is not a case of "one for everyone in the audience". I hope the Government is not going to repeat the "Late Late Show", or repeat the many mistakes of previous Governments. I can name them individually, but I will not embarrass anybody.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: The last Government brought this country out of bankruptcy.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: Fianna Fáil Members will probably remember what they did. If they want to talk about the last Government-----

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: There is no problem about rewriting history, because-----

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: I am quite proud of the role I played in government. I am proud of going into Government when there was 15% unemployment and leaving with the country heading for 6% and below. I refer to the collapse of the banks and the bailout, when Fianna Fáil Ministers said the troika was not in the country while its representatives were quietly going in the back door of Government Buildings. I...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: -----what was done in the last Government. I will talk about the future now. Senator Wilson got up here and in many ways he threatened the Minister of State. He is a little bit like the boy who cried wolf. He will probably cause an election at some stage, because he will have to bring the Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael coalition down. Fianna Fáil is in coalition with Fine Gael. This is...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: Can I continue without interruption? I certainly do not want statements in this House in the coming weeks about the expenditure of hundreds of billions of euro in investment across the country. We want real decision-making. We talk enough about new politics, but we are not seeing it. We see a PR event in Sligo. We are not having a conversation about legislation and a vote in both of...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: No one criticised the consultation.