Results 761-780 of 1,760 for speaker:Aideen Hayden

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (17 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: Is Ms Loughnane referring to ring-fencing any moneys that would be gained from the imposition of a tax in respect of sugary drinks and, for example, using them to provide schools meals, particularly in disadvantaged areas?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (17 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: On one level this is not necessarily an issue in respect of the budget but what is Ms Loughnane's view on the fact that State schools and sports facilities are littered with vending machines which contain products with a high sugar content?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (17 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: Is there anything we can do about that in a fiscal sense? People are being sent mixed messages here. Children in school are taught about the food pyramid but they can walk down the corridor and buy Coke, crisps or whatever from a vending machine. It is a case of do not do it, on one hand, and there is a machine in the corridor to allow them to do it, on the other. The position is the same...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (17 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: I believe in the continuum of care approach. One of the difficulties that exists in society at present is that it is a case of either pretty poor care in the community versus full-time nursing home or residential care. It is clear that we need to develop some kind of continuum policy which falls somewhere between care being provided in the home and full-time residential care. Have our...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (17 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: I thank all of our guests for their excellent presentations.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (17 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: The position on alcohol and tobacco is almost self-evident and it is hard to argue against it. One problem is that increasing taxes on cigarettes and alcohol hits poorer people harder; that is a fact. I am very interested in the concept of the sugar tax. On the face of it, the argument about sugar also seems self-evident, except for the fact that, as acknowledged, a tax on sugar would be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (17 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: Does Ms Loughnane accept that there are different views on this?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: Can I ask a question?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: My point relates to what county councils can and cannot do. If we lived in an ideal world, county councils would buy when properties were cheap and release them on to the markets when they were expensive. The difficulty is that because county councils' borrowing is on the State books and the State is limited in what it can borrow, it is not in a position to do that. I do not think we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: May I ask a final question regarding approved housing bodies? Were the remit of such bodies to be expanded, might there be a role for them in cross-subsidising their activities? In other words, they could have their social remit while at the same time being able to provide housing into the private sector or in other words, cross-subsidising their social housing provision with private rented...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: I do not want to focus on social housing supply because it is a longer-term measure that will not deliver in less than 12 to 18 months. I am more interested in focusing on exactly what measure are necessary today to assist in this crisis.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: Given that we have a shortage of supply and an excess of demand, if we increase the rent supplement budget the State will end up paying more for housing. How would Ms Randall respond?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: How does Ms Randall feel about rent control?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: To my mind, it goes without saying.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: Mr. Allen seems to be saying it is important to stay with the housing first approach and not allow the crisis to deflect from it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: It is difficult. We could talk about it all night. I note the comments on tax reform and I agree it is important. We gave tax incentives for people to build multi-storey car parks down in the ass end of Killarney or wherever. No disrespect to Killarney.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: I apologise to Senator Paul Coghlan. I will have to explain myself. I love the area. My point is that in 2003, Threshold produced a report that stated that only one third of landlords were willing to take rent supplement tenants. This is not a short-term problem but has been with us for a long time. If we are going to depend on the market to supply housing to people in need - which I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: I wish to put on the record that I am the chair of Threshold. With regard to the housing market generally, the National Economic and Social Council, NESC, stated in its 2004 report that up to one third of all Irish people would require assistance with their housing in the future, either through the provision of social housing, assisted purchase or another format. In its most recent report...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (16 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: I expressed my support for the general thrust of these amendments on Committee Stage. There is no doubt that there is a major issue here, particularly for women who experience domestic violence and who are disqualified from access to social housing because they may already be the joint owner of a property, although this may be in substantial negative equity. The Minister of State's...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (16 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: I wish to highlight three issues in respect of this legislation. The first of these relates to the various orders which will be put in place in the context of tenancy warnings, etc., and which will replace the summary procedures for which provision is made under section 62 of the Housing Act 1966. The measures contained in the Bill are definitely a considerable improvement on what is...