Results 1,501-1,520 of 2,018 for speaker:Pat Casey

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2021: Second Stage (18 Jun 2021)

Pat Casey: I welcome the Minister. I fully agree with what Senator Byrne said. The Minister met with my colleagues in Wicklow and they asked if he could do anything to give them powers to extend the county development plan process. This is about restoring powers to our local authority members. I hope they use them. I will come back to the two-thirds majority required for decisions under the...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)

Pat Casey: I fully support this measure to deliver home ownership. It is one of a number of such measures. We should put it in that context, that it is a short-term measure to provide an option for people to buy their own home. It is limited to €75 million, which is less than 1% of an €11 billion mortgage market. The words "could lead" and "can lead" have been used, which are not...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (18 Jun 2021)

Pat Casey: I spoke about the vacant site levy on Committee Stage. I spoke about how it is critical that we have a functioning and proper vacant site levy or a similar mechanism. I think everybody in the House will agree that what is in place at the moment clearly is not working. Senator Mullen has identified the various differences across counties in how it is applied and other issues. However, a...

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage (Resumed) (25 Jun 2021)

Pat Casey: They could be in here and Senator Fitzpatrick is taking away from their time.

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage (Resumed) (25 Jun 2021)

Pat Casey: Senator Boyhan has six minutes.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (28 Jun 2021)

Pat Casey: Regrettably, it is a bit like Groundhog Day, as the reopening of indoor dining on 5 July looks like another false dawn for the sector. I point out that indoor dining is already happening but it is happening exclusively for residents of hotels. I am one of the few privileged to be able to use that facility but even last night I was inside and there were people sitting outside. My locals...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Covid-19 Pandemic (6 Jul 2021)

Pat Casey: I tabled this Commencement matter to bring a degree of proportionality and transparency to the debate on the true impact of the pandemic on the hospitality sector.I believe that information is sorely missing. I thank Senator Crowe for his intervention today. Every time, the industry's hopes are raised and then dashed. This has happened six times. The impact cuts deeper each time this...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Covid-19 Pandemic (6 Jul 2021)

Pat Casey: I thank the Minister of State for her answer. All I am trying to do is get an open debate around the true impact of hospitality in respect of this virus. An example was given the other day of a pub in Waterford and how it caused 200 cases. That was an outdoor event. We need to bring some clarity to this. Our industry has behaved and responded in the best way it could, so we cannot...

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Second Stage (9 Jul 2021)

Pat Casey: Before I begin to speak on the Land Development Agency, I want to say that I agree with Senator Mullen on the vacant site levy. At this stage, we all agree it is not fit for purpose. How it is applied in the various local authorities differs and there is no consistency. It does not do what it was intended to do. I welcome the opportunity to speak on Second Stage of the Bill and I welcome...

Seanad: Finance (Covid-19 and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Second Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Pat Casey: Little did we know in March 2020 that we would still be dealing with a pandemic in July 2021. It must be acknowledged that, without the support of the Government, most businesses would have collapsed. We must also acknowledge how the Government reacted when it came across things that were not working out or did not quite fit specific sectors. It rearranged supports to suit them. I would...

Seanad: Workplace Relations (Miscellaneous Provisions Bill) 2021: Second Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Pat Casey: When is it proposed to take Committee Stage?

Seanad: Workplace Relations (Miscellaneous Provisions Bill) 2021: Second Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Pat Casey: Is that agreed? Agreed.

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Pat Casey: Senator Boyhan will remember the previous time the housing committee prepared a detailed report on the complexities of applying universal design across all housing. It would not be practical at the end of the day. We always felt there was an element when designing a complex of housing where a number of units would be designed with universal design in mind so they are protected for people...

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Pat Casey: I am sure the Minister will agree that every opportunity should be availed of to provide 100% public housing on public land where it is needed and that he will support that. We should remember that, as drafted, the legislation provided for 30% and that, in fairness to the Minister, that was increased to 50%, while the Part V provision was increased by a further 10%, which brought it to 70%....

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Pat Casey: I had the privilege to grow up surrounded by a national park. I grew up beside one of our greatest heritage sites. When I saw this amendment I was unsure whether I was reading it correctly. I cannot for a moment see the LDA approaching any of these lands in respect of development. However, I understand the concerns that the Senators have raised. We have county development plans under...

Seanad: Finance (Covid-19 and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2021)

Pat Casey: The core elements of section 2 are the two key pillars that have sustained businesses and kept them going over the Covid-19 period. I refer to the employment wage subsidy scheme, EWSS, and its predecessor, the wage subsidy scheme; and to the Covid restrictions support scheme, CRSS.I have some reservations about the end date of the EWSS in the particular context of my industry, which is...

Seanad: Finance (Covid-19 and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2021)

Pat Casey: I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply but the definition of a cliff edge is it is there one day and not there the next. That is exactly what he is describing on 31 December. The EWSS will come to an end. I will speak to this from a practical point of view. When Covid hit us, the wage subsidy scheme allowed us to keep core employees on board. We believed at that time...

Seanad: Finance (Covid-19 and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2021)

Pat Casey: Senator Kyne outlined most of what is involved. Regarding the 31 August 2022 date, the Covid crisis has been rolling and none of us knows where it will end. Every time it extends, the period of recovery for the industry also needs to be extended. The hospitality needs the 9% VAT rate for a two-year recovery period. Ending this on 31 August 2022 will give it only a year because we will not...

Seanad: Finance (Covid-19 and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2021)

Pat Casey: I refer to the period 1 and period 2 described in this section. Tax warehousing was critical where businesses could not access credit from their banking institutions and it was the only way they could get cash liquidity to pull them over. Can period 1, the restricted trading phase, be extended to when businesses are actually reopening? That is when they could do with a cash injection or...

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (15 Jul 2021)

Pat Casey: It is a false statement to say that the Minister has not listened to what the Members have said on this floor. He has listened, throughout the debate, to what the Members have said.It is wrong to say the Minister has not listened to members. That is factually incorrect. He has made significant changes from the time this was entered. Even since it was introduced during the previous...