Results 101-120 of 4,563 for speaker:Jennifer Murnane O'Connor

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Oct 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I will accept that.

Seanad: Rent Certainty (No. 2) Bill 2016: Second Stage (12 Oct 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: Fianna Fáil will not be supporting the Bill. The introduction of this highly-flawed legislation undermines attempts to provide real solutions to the housing crisis. As a party, we are on record in calling for stronger rent certainty measures and did so long before Sinn Féin. However, our measures were well thought out. Fianna Fáil published a policy document, Generation...

Seanad: Rent Certainty (No. 2) Bill 2016: Second Stage (12 Oct 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: Hear, hear. Well said.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: General Scheme of Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2016: Discussion (12 Oct 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I thought there was confusion about the fees payable. It was stated half of the fees would go back to local authorities. Where exactly do they go? They should stay with the local authorities as there is a lot of extra work to be done. There is preplanning and all of the planning stages to be gone through. There is a staffing issue in most local authorities as staff have not been...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: General Scheme of Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2016: Discussion (12 Oct 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I want to make a clarification. I am aware of the great work Threshold does. It is not easy, particularly when dealing with people who will become homeless. Carlow is my area and we are a big IT town. We have St. Patrick's, Carlow College and the Institute of Technology, Carlow so we are very lucky. We find that sometimes landlords will not accept certain tenants into rented...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: General Scheme of Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2016: Discussion (12 Oct 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: It is relevant to the issue of homelessness.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: General Scheme of Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2016: Discussion (12 Oct 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: In terms of the regulation of tenancies, what regulations are there? I constantly have people coming into my clinic because they are being evicted. They are told they could be out within two weeks. What can we do to make sure that a tenant in rented accommodation has at least three to six months' notice? If the tenancy has lasted for five years, I was told that normally the notice period...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: General Scheme of Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2016: Discussion (12 Oct 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: Why are fees paid to the board?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: General Scheme of Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2016: Discussion (12 Oct 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: General Scheme of Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2016: Discussion (12 Oct 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: Mr. Walsh is correct, but the local authority will have the bulk of the work done before it goes to the board, apart from getting a decision on the application. In fairness, this applies to 80% of local authorities. I am saying that in these times when some local authorities are finding it harder, the bulk of the fees paid, not half, should be left with them. We all know that there are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: General Scheme of Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2016: Discussion (12 Oct 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: That is good.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: General Scheme of Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2016: Discussion (12 Oct 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: Can it be changed? As Mr. Walsh will be aware, within a local authority there is a four-stage plan. I have seen it take three years. I have seen a small one take three or four years. Given that there is a housing crisis, until 2019 there should be just one stage. Local authorities and the Department are both capable of making good decisions. Rather than move back and forth repeatedly,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: General Scheme of Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2016: Discussion (12 Oct 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: It should be included in it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: General Scheme of Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2016: Discussion (12 Oct 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: Absolutely. I accept and respect that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: General Scheme of Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2016: Discussion (12 Oct 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: On a point of clarification, many good landlords have come to see me in my clinic. They work well with their tenants. It is important that we say this does not happen to everybody, but it does happen to some. I reiterate that there are good landlords who are very helpful to their tenants and it is good to give them a compliment. However, we have to sort out the ones who are not.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Legal Aid Service (13 Oct 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I will speak about free legal aid, which is something very close to my own heart. There is no such thing as free legal aid, and that should be clarified and addressed. The cost of legal aid for family law matters of domestic violence, guardian access and maintenance is a minimum of €130. There is no free legal aid for family law matters aside from child care and child abduction....

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Legal Aid Service (13 Oct 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I thank the Minister of State. It is good that the Tánaiste is considering mediation because that is appropriate. It is just a perception but people on social welfare or stay-at-home mothers have to get their entitlements. My biggest concern is there are many waiver schemes that are not being addressed. I would like the Minister of State to address this and give people who are...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Oct 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: An issue raised in my clinic during the week causes great concern. A man in his late 70s left Carlow 50 years ago to work in England. He has come home every year since to visit his family and friends, but this is the first time in 50 years that two of the main banks have refused to change sterling for him. He went to the main post office, but it also refused to accept sterling. He was...

Seanad: Fire Safety in Traveller Accommodation: Statements (19 Oct 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I too give my sympathies to the families of that tragic fire for their loss. It was devastating. The whole country was devastated about it. However, who is responsible for fire safety in Traveller accommodation? There are about 10,000 Traveller families resident in Ireland. We have learned through bitter experience that self-regulation of fire regulations does not work. In 1998 the...

Seanad: Recognition of Irish Sign Language for the Deaf Community Bill 2016: Second Stage (19 Oct 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: Like previous speakers, I congratulate Senator Mark Daly on bringing forward this Bill. I received many letters and e-mails also. This Bill is a great achievement and I am delighted to support it. This is all about equal rights for the members of the deaf community. In particular, I want to mention their families. These families have been there through thick and thin and fought for...