Results 9,001-9,020 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)
Steven Matthews: Thank you, Ms O'Reilly. That is laid out very clearly, and thank you for sticking to the time limit. I move now to the Simon Communities of Ireland and Focus Ireland. They will make a joint statement. I call Mr. Dennigan and Mr. Stanely.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)
Steven Matthews: I thank Ms Wall and Ms Heavey. We will have the Department officials before the committee after this meeting. Our current guests are very welcome to stay in the Public Gallery and listen to those interactions. We also had a briefing with the Department on 9 April, which committee members attended and which was very helpful for us, as are those statements and observations the witnesses...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)
Steven Matthews: For clarity, while we received a submission from Mercy Law, we have to limit the number of witnesses to make it practical.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)
Steven Matthews: I am sorry but we are out of time in that slot.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)
Steven Matthews: I will try to allow Mr. Allen back in to clarify those two things.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)
Steven Matthews: I want to bring in Mr. Stanley too.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)
Steven Matthews: I call Ms O'Reilly, who wishes to make a short point.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)
Steven Matthews: I thank Senator Cummins. I call Senator Boyhan next.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)
Steven Matthews: Very briefly as we are over time on this slot as well.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)
Steven Matthews: I actually wanted to ask about that as well. Is it okay if I take my slot? It is next.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)
Steven Matthews: I want to ask about compatibility with EU law because often it is the final arbiter in what we may or may not do in this country. How is that tested? How can we prove this is compatible with EU law? Is that just by a test case?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)
Steven Matthews: Please do.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)
Steven Matthews: If we are talking about somebody from a member state coming to Ireland, do the same criteria apply to an Irish citizen going to France or Germany? Do they have different criteria there as well? Surely, because it is an EU state we should have standardisation of the criteria. How does that compare to going in the other direction?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)
Steven Matthews: Or anyone.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)
Steven Matthews: I suppose we are in a general scheme at the moment. It is not a published Bill or an enacted Bill. I presume that has been assessed and approached by the legal advisers here in the Parliament but Ms Heavey is stating it warrants further analysis.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)
Steven Matthews: Ms Heavey highlighted the example of citizens of an EU state who were assessed as not being eligible but, once the lawyers got involved, that position was then reassessed. On the ground, while this may not be working, in practice such persons would be supported in that situation, although they need to go down the legal route to get that support. Does that speak to a need to have proper...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)
Steven Matthews: If there was a very consistent process for those who are making decisions and very clear criteria for eligibility and processes for carrying out assessments, it would obviously assist with that. However, the approach varies from local authority to local authority. Has that been Ms Heavey's experience?