Results 9,681-9,700 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: The Deputy is like Columbo coming back with just one more thing.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: I thank the witnesses for their time and for engaging with the committee on this. We are obviously supportive of this legislation and we understand the time constraints that apply. We hope to see it passed in the next couple of days. It will assist AHBs. Mr. Colgan wishes to make a final point.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (9 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: 98. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the plans to undertake upgrades or building works for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40553/24]

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Arts Policy (9 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: 102. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the actions she will take to implement the recommendations of the report titled 'The Development of Local and Community Arts' published by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40554/24]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (9 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: 110. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the position regarding the report on deposit protection systems, produced in line with the commitment to examine the creation of a system of holding rental deposits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40507/24]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (10 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: 162. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding a review of the salaries of bus escorts for schools; the last time their salaries were reviewed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40719/24]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: We are meeting with the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB, and the Central Statistics Office, CSO. I thank the witnesses for their attendance today, for the written submissions they sent us in advance and for the annual report of the RTB, which we have just been presented with. This follows on from a meeting we had some time ago following the discrepancy in figures about rental accommodation...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: I thank Ms Steen. The first member to speak is Deputy Ó Broin.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: I am taking the next slot. That is an interesting line of questioning that I wish to pursue. We all know from canvassing houses and knocking on doors that we often do not get an answer. I presume the CSO field workers also have the same experience. The scenario Deputy Ó Broin painted is that somebody renting a room within a property is a slightly different scenario from a lot of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: It is a really difficult task to try to identify all of this because the CSO is dependent on somebody voluntarily filling out the CSO form. Many people comply with that and are quite happy to do so. That is one aspect to collecting the data. The other aspect then is to register with the RTB, which is obviously a legal requirement for the landlord. We know some landlords do not do that,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: What is generally the response rate for filling in the CSO form? What would be the return?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: That is pretty good all right. This is a question for the RTB. If it receives a complaint from a tenant and, in investigating that complaint, realises it is not registered tenancy, what steps or measures are taken? Does it follow that process of two contacts to the landlord that Ms Steen outlined in the opening statement?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: I am thinking of a particular scenario. Tenants have come to me in the past about issues with the property they are renting and they would not know the address of the landlord and might only have a phone number for the landlord. It sounds like a very informal type of arrangement. What is available to the RTB to track the owner of the property on the assumption that the owner is likely to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: Therefore, in every situation where the RTB becomes aware that this is most likely a rental situation that needs to be registered and does not appear to be registered, they all follow the same investigation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: I have a couple of questions to follow up on as well. To follow the line of questioning from Deputy Ó Broin, the RTB might engage with a landlord where a report is made that there should be a registered tenancy, and if the landlord does not respond, it sends a second notice. If we look at the figures, the option available to the landlord is to register and become compliant with the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: I referenced knocking on doors for years, and we come across all sorts of different living arrangements and various set-ups. I have often gone to what looked like one house at point and found there were two doors and two letterboxes. We do not know whether that is just a family member and they have segregated that off. I do not underestimate how difficult it is.