Results 9,001-9,020 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I move amendment No. 52: In page 65, after line 7, to insert the following:“Amendment of Local Government Reform Act 2014 52. Schedule 4 to the Local Government Reform Act 2014 is amended in paragraph 14(4) by substituting “30 June 2015” for “31 December 2014”.”.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I move amendment No. 53: In page 65, after line 7, to insert the following:“Amendment of Housing Finance Agency Act 1981 53. The Housing Finance Agency Act 1981 is amended—(a) in section 4(2)(c) by inserting the following subparagraph after subparagraph (ii):“(iii) to the Local Government Management Agency, to be used by it for the purpose of the performance of its...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: We removed a proposed provision whereby with the person's consent the Department could go over 15%. We have, therefore, recognised that we do not want to put people into poverty. Under the social welfare code, the Department of Social Protection can take 15% to recover money that it is owed. We are mirroring that in the Bill. To clarify for Deputy Murphy, it is 15% of the personal rate,...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: We must have a clear system whereby a person is either in receipt of the HAP or rent supplement. The Department of Social Protection will retain discretionary powers to provide for exceptional cases. If for some reason a person appears to be falling through the cracks, it will still be able to provide a supplementary welfare type support which will be adequate to meet his or her housing...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Under the previous system account should have been taken of them in some way, but if it is the case-----

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I will raise it with one of the local authorities. The people concerned should be included in the system.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: This issue is not within the scope of the Bill, but I will make inquiries.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: To respond to Deputy Catherine Murphy, the rent unit of the Department of Social Protection is still there.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I move amendment No 32: In page 59, to delete line 7.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I move amendment No. 33: In page 59, to delete lines 8 to 16 and substitute the following:“ “net scheme payments” means the amount payable weekly under a scheme to a relevant recipient by the Minister for Social Protection after—(a) any deductions for the purposes referred to in section 341(7) of the Act of 2005, and (b) the deduction of any amounts required to be...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: We will be addressing that at a later stage but-----

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: We are working with the County and City Management Agency with regard to the business case and I presume issues of staffing will arise in that context. We will learn from the roll-out this year in terms of those operational issues. We will come back to the Deputy on that.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: It depends on where there is an adequate number of staff in various places but I will revert to the committee and we can discuss it at year end when we have a better picture.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I move amendment No. 31: In page 59, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following: “Definition (Part 5) 49. In this Part “Act of 2005” means the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005.”.These are four linked amendments with amendment No. 48 being the substantive amendment. That amendment inserts a new section 50 into the Bill making a range of amendments to the...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Subsection (3H) proposed to be inserted into section 198 of the 2005 Social Welfare Act provides for the circumstances in which a rent supplement recipient who is a member of a household now deemed qualified for social housing support will cease to have an entitlement to rent supplement. Subsection (3H)(a) states that a member of a household already in receipt of social housing support will...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I move amendment No. 29: In page 58, to delete lines 3 to 6 and substitute the following:“ “(2) (a) In this section references to rent include a rent contribution payable by a tenant under a Chapter 4 tenancy agreement. (b) In this section, other than subsection (6)(h), references to rent include a rent contribution payable under section 42 of the Housing (Miscellaneous...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: No. It is purely to provide for transitional arrangements in respect of the proposed new rent schemes that will gradually be put in place. There will be a three-year period - up to 2017 - during which those schemes must be introduced. The change in respect of HAP recipients will happen immediately. Regardless of the local authority areas in which they reside, in future, one-person...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The purpose of the amendment is to make provision for a transitional period during which the new rent schemes will be gradually introduced. In some instances, people are paying below what is going to be the standard for particular types of household while, in others, they are paying above that amount.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: There are governance structures in place which detail how the housing assistance payment project is to be managed, including in the context of development, implementation and monitoring. Detailed business processes within which the roll-out of the scheme must operate have been developed. It is intended to review the pilot phase by the end of 2014. Said review will involve consideration of...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: We would never exclude the Deputy from anything.