Results 3,601-3,620 of 4,884 for speaker:Jennifer Murnane O'Connor

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2018)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: There are 643,131 people with a disability in Ireland, which is 13.5% of the population. In his work Senator Dolan has discovered that people with disabilities are more than twice as likely to report discrimination in relation to housing. They are 1.6 times more likely to live in poor conditions, such as living in damp housing with a lack of central heating, or to live in areas with...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2018)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: -----and highlighting the needs of people with disabilities who should have an entitlement already.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2018)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: The Leader should go back to the carers. It is 68 months. He might look at that for me.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Financing of Social Housing: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: The Chairman has covered a lot of the areas about which I am concerned. A culture change is needed in the Department. Having read through the information provided on PPPs and AHBs, it is quite clear that the Government is not encouraging direct building by the local authorities but is relying heavily on the HAP scheme to house those on local authority waiting lists. However, there are not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Financing of Social Housing: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I got these figures myself. We were looking at the housing strategy recently and these are tables I got in the past few days after I requested them.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Financing of Social Housing: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I know that but the problem is although we are talking about housing, we cannot deliver that housing when so much money is being put into an area of rent. It is the biggest issue. The purpose is being defeated. To rent a house in my area the average is now €1,200 because of all the increases. We will not be able to build if we do not set aside money for construction or for use in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Financing of Social Housing: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: The new housing schemes for people to buy their own homes are non-existent; nobody is able to buy a house because there must be 50% income and somebody must be working. If I won money in the morning and applied to the local authority to buy out my house, I could not do so. Every barrier has been put in the way of local authorities. This must be examined. We are changing our culture and it...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Financing of Social Housing: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I know it is not.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Financing of Social Housing: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I thank the witnesses for their report. One third of 50,000 social homes to be provided under Rebuilding Ireland are to be delivered by 2021. My main concern is the lack of joined up thinking among all the agencies concerned with housing. The agencies are falling down in that area. Saying that housing assistance payments, HAP, do not fall within the remit of one or other of the agencies...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Financing of Social Housing: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I have no problem with Part V. I am just giving my opinion.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Financing of Social Housing: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: We are dealing with Part V locally.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Financing of Social Housing: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I thank Dr. Hearne. He has hit the nail on the head. The lack of building by local authorities is the biggest issue with which we must deal. All local authorities have landbanks. They built houses 100 years ago and never experienced problems such as those we face today. We are relying on the private market. I note that Dr. Hearne mentioned leasing three or four times in his address....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Financing of Social Housing: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: Yes, core housing.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Impact of Brexit on Ireland's Housing Market: Discussion (13 Nov 2018)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I will keep it very short. I thank the Chair. I think everything has been said. I want to thank our guests for their reports. There is uncertainty. We are really no further on than we were this time last year. I think we are nearly looking at a backstop. We are getting very good reports. The uncertainty is caused by the lack of evidence of what will happen in the long term. People...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Oct 2018)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: The Safe World Summit 2018 took place in Dublin this week. The organisers, contributors and speakers all deserve our applause. One of the main challenges facing the world is the extent and impact of violence against women and children. Ireland has come an incredibly long way. We have criminalised domestic violence in the Domestic Violence Act 2018. Now, domestic violence is treated as a...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Oct 2018)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: Yes. It is important, given the figures, and it needs to be highlighted. It is close to all our hearts. I see it in my area daily with people coming to my clinics. I am calling for a debate with the Minister. This is all about information and letting people know of their entitlements. It is an awareness campaign.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Assisted Human Reproduction (18 Oct 2018)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I thank the Minister of State for coming in. In October last year, the Government approved the drafting of a Bill on assisted human reproduction and associated areas of research. A commitment was given that to support the commencement of the legislation, officials in the Department would work during 2018 with the HSE to develop a model of care for infertility to ensure the provision of...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Assisted Human Reproduction (18 Oct 2018)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I apologise.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Assisted Human Reproduction (18 Oct 2018)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I am nearly finished. Children born through fertility treatment or preservation are children who are wanted, loved and longed for before they are born and will grow up to contribute to society. What are the Government's plans to assist families seeking fertility treatment or preservation? Is there some timescale for those plans? I thank the Minister of State. This is a very serious issue...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Assisted Human Reproduction (18 Oct 2018)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: It is disappointing that the only annual funding for the scheme, which has been in place since 2003, is €259,000. Many cancer patients now live longer than they did in the past and fertility and preservation is a serious issue for them. I want the Minister of State to look into this because it is an area we need to address. I hope he will return soon with good information. It all...