Results 5,181-5,200 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (1 Dec 2022)

Steven Matthews: 157. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the long-term plan for the location of Bray Institute of Further Education; the timeline for this project to be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59010/22]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Departmental Policies (29 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: 234. To ask the Minister for Finance his plans regarding financial supports to the Irish magazine sector in view of the fact that VAT was abolished for Irish newspapers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59310/22]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (29 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: 292. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will ensure that successful applications under the croí cónaithe scheme are categorised by each local authority (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59469/22]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services (29 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: 700. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to concerns within the ophthalmology sector regarding the viability of providing services to medical card holders; if any negotiations are ongoing with respect to the reimbursement rate under the community ophthalmic services medical treatment scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59332/22]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Public Sector Pensions (29 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: 797. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the concerns of some retired Coillte staff (details supplied) regarding the lack of increase in pension levels since 2007; if he has any plans to engage with this cohort; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59476/22]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Recent Trends in the Private Rental Sector: Residential Tenancies Board (29 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: This meeting is a continuation of a meeting we had earlier in the year looking at the recent trends in the private rental sector. We are joined by representatives from the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB, who I welcome to the committee and thank for their attendance. From the RTB we are joined by Mr. Tom Dunne, chairperson, Mr. Niall Byrne, director, Ms Lucia Crimin, deputy director, and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Recent Trends in the Private Rental Sector: Residential Tenancies Board (29 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: This is an issue that has been raised with many of us so it would be in order to spend a little time addressing the query on registration and contact.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Recent Trends in the Private Rental Sector: Residential Tenancies Board (29 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: I will stop Mr. Byrne there. I know I said I would give that a little time. It was important to do so because a lot of members had questions on that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Recent Trends in the Private Rental Sector: Residential Tenancies Board (29 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: We will give more time to that subject as it is one of the major issues that people brought to us regarding the RTB. Deputy Ó Broin had two questions prior to that. I will allow two or three minutes for those questions to be answered, and then we will move on to the next matter.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Recent Trends in the Private Rental Sector: Residential Tenancies Board (29 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: Could we come back to answer that, because the ten minutes have been reached? This is an incredibly interesting and important session.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Recent Trends in the Private Rental Sector: Residential Tenancies Board (29 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: We are running a little over but I hope to come back to mop up on some of those questions. The next slot is the Green Party, which is mine. The information gathering the RTB is doing is incredibly important. I understand when it does one bit of research that it leads to further questions and it does another bit of research and it gets a full picture. Has the RTB asked any questions along...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Recent Trends in the Private Rental Sector: Residential Tenancies Board (29 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: Yes. One of the reasons that we see tenants is that the landlord is going to sell. If there was a requirement that the landlord can or must sell with the tenant in situ, I do not know quite how we would do it, would that be another factor that landlords would see as over-regulation and loss of control over what they consider to be their property?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Recent Trends in the Private Rental Sector: Residential Tenancies Board (29 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: I think it is something that we would like more research on to get some clarity on that. We have a rent freeze, essentially, at the moment in rent pressure zones with a maximum increase of 2% but I hear many people calling for a rent freeze for periods of two or three years. Some of the reading I have done around it suggests that if you were to freeze rents at the moment, and you would...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Recent Trends in the Private Rental Sector: Residential Tenancies Board (29 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: It is helpful for the committee when we bring in various expertise and witnesses and put this range of questions to them. The witnesses are in a position to have good information about landlords' intentions or the impact of regulation on landlords and tenants. It is another area that would merit some further research with regard to the outcome in terms of availability of rental properties...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Recent Trends in the Private Rental Sector: Residential Tenancies Board (29 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: I wish to clarify that, resulting from these meetings, the committee will put a report and some recommendations together which have arisen from the contributions of our witnesses and of others.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Recent Trends in the Private Rental Sector: Residential Tenancies Board (29 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: Senator Moynihan, can consider that-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Recent Trends in the Private Rental Sector: Residential Tenancies Board (29 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: I am sorry, but I will have to cut Mr. Byrne short. We have reached the ten minutes with this slot. We have been running to this length of time with every slot, so I think it is only fair to let everybody have a ten-minute slot. I call Senator Cummins.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Recent Trends in the Private Rental Sector: Residential Tenancies Board (29 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: I note the RTB's quarter 2 improvement targets for backlogs, staff numbers and staff deployments to deal with demand. It would be helpful for the committee if we received updates on how these were progressing.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Recent Trends in the Private Rental Sector: Residential Tenancies Board (29 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: I apologise but we are over time. I call Deputy McAuliffe.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Recent Trends in the Private Rental Sector: Residential Tenancies Board (29 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: We are out of time on that but it is an interesting question so if the RTB has data on average waiting times, I ask the witnesses to get those data back to the committee.