Results 561-580 of 2,386 for speaker:Michael Finneran

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: The proposed amendments would raise issues concerning the exercise of any discretion in respect of eligibility.

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: I will refer it to the Chief Parliamentary Counsel.

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: I do not see any problem with that. It is only appropriate that the Chief Parliamentary Counsel would acknowledge the broad-ranging debate. I am prepared to examine the issues. While I cannot give guarantees, I will seek further advice from the Chief Parliamentary Counsel.

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: This amendment is not necessary. Section 20(6) provides that the Minister will make regulations providing for the description and classification of household need. It is intended that these regulations would include a revised classification system for housing needs centred on the severity and persistence of need. It is proposed to base the revised classification system as much as possible...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: This amendment is not necessary. Subsection (7) empowers the Minister to make regulations to set out how an individual assessment of housing needs must be carried out on a household.

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: While it is the intention to introduce such regulations as quickly as possible, as discussed regarding other amendments which seek to place an obligation on the Minister to make regulations, this section follows the normal drafting convention to provide the necessary powers. In that circumstance I ask the Senator to withdraw the amendment.

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: I assure the Senator that Minister Margaret Ritchie and I have a good working relationship. She has been in the Customs House with me and I have visited the Bogside and Creggan areas with her.

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: This amendment is not appropriate to this provision. Subsection 7 empowers the Minister to make regulations to set out how an assessment of housing needs will be carried out on an individual household including the form of that assessment and the period within which the housing authority should carry out the assessment after receiving an application. Paragraph (d) of this subsection already...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: The proposed amendment is not appropriate to the subsection.

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: Subsection (7) empowers the Minister to make regulations to set out how an assessment of housing need will be carried out on an individual household. The aim of housing policy is to provide accommodation for households not in a position to provide it for themselves. In this context, the particular goals have been set in the new homelessness strategy, The Way Home, relating to the...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: There is a commitment to introduce statutory-based local homeless action plans. The way to give legislative effect to this goal is to put those plans in place. We are working on the legislation.

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: The amendment proposes an additional subsection in this section providing that tenants in receipt of social housing support from the voluntary sector prior to the enactment of the Bill are deemed to be qualified for social housing support under this section. The amendment is required to copperfasten the existing exclusion from the terms of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 of dwellings let...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: These amendments delete subsections that provide for a matter to be prescribed in situations where the section already provides for that matter to be prescribed. Thus, section 21(2) provides for the Minister to prescribe the form of a summary of social housing assessment when section 21(1) refers to the prescribed form of the summary. Similarly, section 43(1)(i) provides for the Minister to...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: The amendment is not necessary. Section 22(4) empowers the Minister to make regulations governing the matters that housing authorities must include in their allocation scheme, which is a mechanism for them to allocate dwellings fairly and transparently to individual households. Section 22(5) provides sufficient scope for housing authorities, as appropriate, to reserve a portion of dwellings...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: This amendment is not necessary. Section 3(3) provides that every regulation under this Act shall be laid before the Oireachtas and resolutions may be passed to annul the regulation.

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran:

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: This amendment is unnecessary. The principle upon which housing authority schemes are founded is allocation on the basis of need, as provided for by section 22 as a whole. Subsection (5) provides a mechanism whereby, within a general allocation on the basis of need, housing authorities may reserve a portion of dwellings within the stock to cater for particular groups with particular types...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: It is open to any member of the public to present concerns on issues such as this to the Office of the Ombudsman.

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: Section 22 provides that housing authorities put in place an allocation scheme for the provision of social housing supports to eligible households. It replaces section 11 of the Housing Act 1988. The section will allow the Minister to make regulations governing the making of an allocation scheme, the method by which households are prioritised and how the scheme will operate. It re-states...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Michael Finneran: The existing subparagraph (i) specifies that in order to benefit under the rental accommodation scheme, RAS, a rental accommodation provider must furnish to the housing authority either his or her PPS number, as defined in social welfare legislation, or, in the case of a company, its registered number and address. The purpose of this amendment is to replace this provision with a single...