Results 4,221-4,240 of 4,700 for speaker:Noel Ahern

Seanad: Residential Tenancies Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (6 Jul 2004)

Noel Ahern: These regulations are enforced through local authorities, not directly by the Department. Having been a member of a local authority for some years, however, I do not wish to be overly critical of them. The issue fundamentally is one of supply and we have gone through a few years during which there was a shortage of accommodation. The issue of students seeking proper accommodation was raised...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies Bill 2003: Second Stage. (2 Jul 2004)

Noel Ahern: No. I will come to that point. We are talking about the private rented sector at present. If a tenant is unruly or guilty of anti-social behaviour, the complaint will go to the board. If the board finds the tenant guilty, it can ask him or her to leave. Senator Hayes will be aware that very often the problem in local authority estates was that local authorities had the power to follow up and...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies Bill 2003: Second Stage. (2 Jul 2004)

Noel Ahern: The answer is yes in the context of private rental. A neighbour could make a complaint about a landlord or tenant even if there was no complaint from the landlord or tenant. The complaint might be about the tenant but would suggest that the landlord is not enforcing the regulations by controlling his or her tenant. Third parties can complain to the board, which might apply most in regard to...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies Bill 2003: Second Stage. (2 Jul 2004)

Noel Ahern: Upkeep comes under standards which are still the responsibility of the local authority. Following the passage of the Bill, I will reconsider the issue of standards regulations. However, to be fair, different aspects of the housing market have been under huge pressure in recent years. The census completed just before the general election in 2002 showed that the population had increased by 8%...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies Bill 2003: Second Stage. (2 Jul 2004)

Noel Ahern: I will leave such comments to the Labour Party. However, on the same programme accommodation officers stated there was absolutely no problem and thousands of accommodation places were on their lists. They admitted they could not house everyone on the same morning but asked people to calm down. While representatives of the Union of Students in Ireland sometimes lock themselves to gates or...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies Bill 2003: Second Stage. (2 Jul 2004)

Noel Ahern: Other authorities have not performed so well and have not reached 50% of what they said they would produce. This was not because we would not give them the money. Some local authority members are very good at criticising the Government and the Minister in the Custom House. However, the results of the four year programmes of some local authorities do not cover them with glory. Some interesting...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies Bill 2003: Second Stage. (2 Jul 2004)

Noel Ahern: If they want to sell the house, that right is always there even during the four years, for certain stated reasons. We tightened the regulations to stop the landlord who claims he wants to sell the house or allow his daughter to rent it, but does neither.

Seanad: Residential Tenancies Bill 2003: Second Stage. (2 Jul 2004)

Noel Ahern: They receive security of tenure on a four year basis. At the end of that four years, they will start again. Each four year period is a cycle in itself. One does not have any rights at the end of the four years. That is the balance. If we mature as a society and do something better in five or ten years' time, then so be it. Right now, one has no property rights at the end of the four year...

Seanad: Pension Provisions. (2 Jul 2004)

Noel Ahern: I am not familiar with the company to which the Senator referred, but it seems a very serious situation. Occupational pension arrangements are an important part of our overall pensions system. As the Senator will be aware, the Government is encouraging workers to participate in occupational and private pension schemes as they can make an important contribution in ensuring that people maintain...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies Bill 2003: Second Stage. (2 Jul 2004)

Noel Ahern: They are not evictions but exclusion orders.

Seanad: Residential Tenancies Bill 2003: Second Stage. (2 Jul 2004)

Noel Ahern: I thank the speakers for their comments and general support for the measures. It is clear that most people support the general thrust of the Bill and its general objectives. People will naturally take different points of view on the issues involved in this legislation. We have tried to achieve an agreed balance, which is difficult. I do not know if the Bill is perfect — there is probably no...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies Bill 2003: Second Stage. (2 Jul 2004)

Noel Ahern: Yes, and there are many new landlords, of whom Senator Brian Hayes spoke. The Senator said there has been a shrinkage in supply and inflation of rents. However, figures from the Central Statistics Office and the auctioneering profession indicate that the opposite is the case. Senator Dardis asked where do we get our information. Much of our information has been received voluntarily from...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies Bill 2003: Second Stage. (2 Jul 2004)

Noel Ahern: I thank the House for taking this debate today. When I was here on 10 December last, I referred to the Bill, which I had hoped to bring to this House before now. It has had a very lengthy passage through the Dáil and while it has been substantially amended in that process, it is the better for it. The reforms it will bring to the private rented sector remain true to the report of the...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies Bill 2003: Second Stage. (2 Jul 2004)

Noel Ahern: It might have been 2001.

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (29 Jun 2004)

Noel Ahern: It is important that spending from the fund is linked with the Government policy priorities and——

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (29 Jun 2004)

Noel Ahern: A proper accounting system exists for all Secretaries General and it is important to use that structure. This fund is a large one and not just confined to €1 million or €2 million. The Government could have established a new empire to tie everything down. However, it would then be accused of creating a duplicate Civil Service with jobs for the boys. There are serious difficulties ahead...

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (29 Jun 2004)

Noel Ahern: It will be transparent. Public policy and proper governance demand that the system is properly controlled. ADM Limited, referred to by Senator McHugh, is not a God Almighty organisation but a body which is used by the board to process applications in accordance with criteria already laid down.

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (29 Jun 2004)

Noel Ahern: It is given procedures and practices and does a job like the rest of us. In future, it may be used——

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (29 Jun 2004)

Noel Ahern: In my speech I stated that applications will be processed by or on behalf of public bodies. ADM Limited may not be specifically mentioned but——

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (29 Jun 2004)

Noel Ahern: ADM Limited is not mentioned in the existing legislation. It is employed to do a job and assess matters. However, in the future it may or may not be employed. That is not relevant to this debate. The community and voluntary sector receives much time and attention from the Government. A Department was established, formally recognising the link between the community and voluntary sector and...