Results 4,361-4,380 of 7,404 for speaker:Mick Wallace

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2015)

Mick Wallace: I move amendment No. 11:In page 8, between lines 21 and 22, to insert the following: "7. (1) Owners of sites greater than 0.05 hectares that are vacant or idle have a responsibility to register their interests with the local authority before 1 January 2016 or face a fine of 3 per cent of the site market value, for the year 2016.".Under the provisions of the Bill, all the so-called vacant...

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2015)

Mick Wallace: We have previously discussed the principle of this amendment, at which time I made the argument that any land purchased for the purpose of landbanking should be taxed. I was taken aback by the Minister of State's response on the last occasion when he said that the objective of this Bill is not to put levies on sites but to stimulate activity. In terms of the housing market in Ireland over...

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2015)

Mick Wallace: I understand that the wheels of bureaucracy move slowly and everything takes time but we all know we are able to make things happen more quickly when we really want to do so. The Minister of State might explain why it would take so long to put this provision in operation. The timeframe for bringing it forward seems very long.

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2015)

Mick Wallace: In this context, the Minister of State might consider the timeframe he allowed for people to register their properties for the property tax. I acknowledge that one element of his argument has merit, namely that it would take a certain amount of time to offload a site if one wanted to sell it rather than pay a levy. The Minister of State spoke about giving people a fair opportunity to deal...

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2015)

Mick Wallace: I know, but we are talking about time limits-----

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2015)

Mick Wallace: ----fairness and giving people time to deal with something. I would insist, a Cheann Comhairle, that there is a relationship between both issues but I am just making the point that sometimes we seem to be able to give people plenty of time in terms of fairness but not quite so much at other times.

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2015)

Mick Wallace: Can I come back in?

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2015)

Mick Wallace: 3 o’clock I move amendment No. 7:In page 7, to delete line 3 and substitute the following: "(i) an area of the site greater than 0.05 hectares is vacant or idle, and".

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2015)

Mick Wallace: I move amendment No. 8:In page 7, to delete lines 4 to 7.

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2015)

Mick Wallace: I move amendment No. 6:In page 6, to delete line 35 and substitute the following:“(iii) an area of the site greater than 0.05 hectares is vacant or idle,”.

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2015)

Mick Wallace: I move amendment No. 5:In page 6, to delete line 34.

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2015)

Mick Wallace: Regarding the size of a site, one could put 20 apartments on a 0.05 hectare site without a problem. I am sorry I do not have 20 minutes on this. I could not tell what the issues were with the repeated use of the word "delete" in the amendments. My points were dealt with in amendment No. 5. One is the provision that the site be suitable for the provision of housing. If this land has been...

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2015)

Mick Wallace: I know the Government has accepted the point that has been made about 0.05 ha. It has reduced it from 0.1 ha to 0.05 ha. This is a positive move because it is going to catch many in-fill sites that could have fallen out of the net. I am afraid I have left my notes on these amendments behind me. I am at a bit of a loss. I will leave it for the moment.

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2015)

Mick Wallace: Most staff in local authorities are closer to the problems on the ground than we are and they are probably more susceptible to the pressures coming from those looking for housing. Therefore, the idea that local authorities would not want to build on land that they might have available for housing seems a strange one. I would have imagined that the only reason local authorities would not be...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Regulation (8 Jul 2015)

Mick Wallace: 16. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his plans to take measures to reform or regulate the guardian ad litem system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27368/15]

Written Answers — Department of Health: HIQA Reports (8 Jul 2015)

Mick Wallace: 178. To ask the Minister for Health the measures he is taking in response to the Health Information and Quality Authority's compliance monitoring inspection report on a designated centre for persons with disabilities operated by the Health Service Executive in County Wexford, carried out on the basis of an inspection on 28 January 2015, which found significant non-compliance with some...

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (7 Jul 2015)

Mick Wallace: I am not sure where the idea to levy the local authority is coming from. Putting a levy on a land-banker who sits on his land and refuses to develop it is obviously a great idea, but I do not see why the Government wants to do the same to local authorities, except that it thinks the local authority will sit on it as well. If a private investor has a site that is zoned for development and he...

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (7 Jul 2015)

Mick Wallace: We will not be able to sleep tonight waiting for that. The Minister of State referred to the private sector. As he might understand, I would not cut it out. Rather, I would consult with it. The private sector has a few different parts. The construction sector alone comprises land bankers, developers and builders. Most of the units currently being built will be rented rather than...

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (7 Jul 2015)

Mick Wallace: I also commend Deputy Mulherin, which is not something that happens too often, for raising the serious underperformance of NAMA. Aside from what seem to be a lot of spurious deals where it appears the taxpayer could have fared a great deal better, NAMA is actually boasting that it will make approximately €1 billion in profit over the six to eight year period. That still leaves the...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Code (7 Jul 2015)

Mick Wallace: 110. To ask the Minister for Finance his plans to remove the 23% value added tax rate on school uniforms, which represents an additional burden on already financially pressed parents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27397/15]