Results 981-1,000 of 4,773 for speaker:Paudie Coffey

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (25 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: -----it is a body to proffer advice; it is not intended to be a decision making authority. It is not intended to replace the Government's role in this regard. The presumption in the amendment is that everything that the advisory council states should be agreed with and implemented.

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (25 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: That is not and cannot be the case. The Government of the day is democratically responsible and mandated to respond to such reports. It will be expected to respond to the advisory council's reports.It will also have to explain where its actions and analysis-----

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (25 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: The Government of the day will have to explain where its actions and analysis diverge from the council's advises. What better Chamber than this or the Lower House to analyse those responses? In effect that is where the robust debate, analysis and holding to account should take place. That will be open to this House.

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (25 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: That will be open to this House and the Lower House and we feel that is appropriate. Therefore, we cannot support the amendment.

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Report and Final Stages (24 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: Before commencing, I ask for a clerk's correction. I would be obliged if, in accordance with Standing Order 140, the Acting Chairman would direct the Clerk to make the following minor drafting correction to the text of the Bill: in amendment No. 56, made on Committee Stage in the Seanad, inserting section 16, in paragraph (f), to insert “and” between subparagraph (i) and...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Report and Final Stages (24 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: The purpose of amendments Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, is to clarify that the 24-month period between rent reviews will run from the date of the last rent review and not the date of service of the notice of new rent.

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Report and Final Stages (24 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: These are technical amendments to provide for the deletion of sections that were replaced on Committee Stage in this House.

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Report and Final Stages (24 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: These are technical amendments to correct minor omissions to Committee Stage amendments Nos. 83, 87 and 91.

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Report and Final Stages (24 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: As I indicated on Committee Stage, amendments Nos. 10 to 12, inclusive, provide that a landlord may update or give additional particulars in respect of the Private Residential Tenancies Board, PRTB, tenancy, at any time and the board will update the register to reflect the additional or updated particulars.

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Report and Final Stages (24 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: The purpose of this group of amendments is to clarify for the avoidance of doubt that the PRTB may withdraw interest accrued on a tenancy deposit account.

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Report and Final Stages (24 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: I thank Senators for their contributions on this important Bill which represents another important step in the development of the residential landlord-tenant regulatory environment. We all agree a well-balanced housing sector requires a strong, vibrant and well-regulated rented sector. This Bill represents a significant further evolutionary step in the development of the rented sector and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Review of Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 34 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: For the HAP scheme, it is important that I clarify that we have a target of approximately 8,000 units to be delivered this year. We expect the the figure to be slightly lower this year, but we will reach the target in the first six or seven weeks of 2016. We are putting HAP scheme funds into the voids programme, as the Minister outlined. We have far exceeded the targets set, for which...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Review of Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 34 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: I will give some further information on HAP which will be of interest to the committee members. Of the 31 local authorities, 18 are now administering the housing assistance payment scheme. We are extending that by taking three or four local authorities at a time. Obviously, training and resourcing are needed. At the current rate, between 150 and 200 housing applicants are transferring...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Review of Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 34 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: I will be brief. To return to the €30,000 cap question on voids on which the Deputy seeks clarification-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Review of Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 34 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: We can get the figures for the Deputy. There is a variance in cost per unit of turning around vacant houses right across the various local authorities ranging from €15,000 per unit to €40,000. We have to be very careful not to reward local authorities who are neglecting to maintain stock. If the cap of €30,000 is lifted the danger is that we will reward those local...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Review of Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 34 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: I agree with Deputy Helen McEntee, as I think we all do, that we need to have a strong and robust building control and regulatory system to guard against past mistakes in terms of shoddy building practice, an issue which has been examined and debated by the committee. We have all seen people who have been affected by the matter. A sum of €10 million was allocated to the pyrite...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Private Rented Accommodation Costs and Controls (24 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: Section 19 of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 provides that the rent of a dwelling may not be greater than the amount of market rent for that tenancy at that time. Market rent is defined in section 24 of the Act as the amount of rent which a willing tenant would give and a willing landlord would take for the dwelling, having regard to the other terms of the tenancy and the letting values...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Private Residential Tenancies Board Data (24 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: The Residential Tenancies Act 2004 regulates the landlord-tenant relationship in the private rented residential sector and sets out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants. The Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Act to operate a national tenancy registration system and to resolve disputes between landlords and...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Private Rented Accommodation Standards (24 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: New standards for rented dwellings were provided for in Regulations made in 2008, which came into effect generally on 1 February 2009 but allowed a generous four year phasing-in period to facilitate any improvement works that needed to be carried out in respect of Articles 6, 7 and 8. Landlords affected by these changes should have engaged with their tenants during this time to discuss the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Functions (24 Nov 2015)

Paudie Coffey: My Department issued approval to Dublin City Council on 13 August 2015 to proceed to tender stage for phase 1 of Labre Park Redevelopment, involving the reconstruction of three Traveller-Specific houses in Kylemore Grove, Labre Park. Funding in the amount of €499,400 in respect of the work has been approved. I understand from the Council that the closing date for receipt of tenders...