Results 1,441-1,460 of 2,156 for speaker:John Cummins

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

John Cummins: I can see the thrust of what Senator Moynihan is proposing. I am more minded towards respecting county boundaries apart from where a particular urban area is bordered by another county and people in that area look towards the urban area. This could be captured in a boundary. I am not as concerned about the removal of three-seat constituencies as I am about the addition of six-seat...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Right to Housing: Discussion (5 Jul 2022)

John Cummins: I think the witnesses for their time. It is much appreciated. Following on from what my colleague Deputy O'Callaghan said, I would like to tease out the wording of the amendment. The witnesses have proposed the insertion of a new Article 43A on housing into the Constitution, to read as follows: The State recognises, and shall vindicate, the right of all persons to have access to adequate...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Right to Housing: Discussion (5 Jul 2022)

John Cummins: I appreciate that. However, the Constitution is a rigid document. It is not so much a living document like a policy document or a statement would be. It requires a vote of all citizens of the country to change it. It is not like a policy statement or document, which can be a living document that can change as times change. That is where I come up against the difficulty of that wording...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Right to Housing: Discussion (5 Jul 2022)

John Cummins: I have a concluding comment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Right to Housing: Discussion (5 Jul 2022)

John Cummins: Yes. I thank both guests for their responses. There are different types of housing support in place, including social housing and HAP. We now have cost rental and we are introducing a shared equity scheme this week. We also have the affordable purchase scheme and we have private housing. There is emergency accommodation as well. It comes down to the debate about whether the State is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Right to Housing: Discussion (5 Jul 2022)

John Cummins: It would not be the first time that that has happened. You may continue, Mr. Stanley.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Right to Housing: Discussion (5 Jul 2022)

John Cummins: Professor O'Cinneide, do you wish to comment on this before I move on to the next-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Right to Housing: Discussion (5 Jul 2022)

John Cummins: I do not think there is a Green Party or Fianna Fáil slot left. Next is a Fine Gael slot, which I will take, and then we are on to the free round. I know you have indicated, Deputy Ó Broin. I will focus a little on the perceived impact of this. The Home for Good statement refers to the number of notices to quit this year. It is no secret that there is a large number of landlords...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Right to Housing: Discussion (5 Jul 2022)

John Cummins: I understand what Mr. Stanley is saying but the question is whether he fears that such a debate will worsen the situation when it comes to landlords leaving the market due to the fear that this balancing will negatively affect them as landlords. When a landlord leaves the market, it takes another property out of circulation, which can worsen the housing crisis, so it is a circular effect....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Right to Housing: Discussion (5 Jul 2022)

John Cummins: Regarding the knock-on effects of policy instruments, and I know we are deviating slightly, and evidence of negative intervention in the market, I have done some reading about Berlin, where they looked at intervening with regard to the rental market. I am not sure if Professor O'Cinneide is familiar with that. Would he like to comment on it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Right to Housing: Discussion (5 Jul 2022)

John Cummins: If Professor O'Cinneide forward it to the committee, it will go into formal correspondence for Tuesday's meeting.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Right to Housing: Discussion (5 Jul 2022)

John Cummins: As there are no other members indicating it gives me great pleasure to thank our witnesses, Mr. Stanley, Ms Kelly-Desmond, Mr. Elliott and Professor O'Cinneide. We appreciate their presence this afternoon and their sharing of their insights on this important topic. We look forward to continuing our work with them as a committee in the future.

Seanad: Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Building Control (Amendment) Bill 2022: Motion to Recommit (23 Jun 2022)

John Cummins: I move: That the Bill be recommitted in respect of amendments Nos. 3, 4, 9 and 10.

Seanad: Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Building Control (Amendment) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (23 Jun 2022)

John Cummins: This is a welcome amendment on the notice periods for tenants. There are significant increases in the notice period protections for tenants: from less than six months up to 90 days; not less than six months but less than a year up to 152 days; not less than one year but less than seven years up to 180 days; not less than seven years but less than eight years up to 196 days; and not less than...

Seanad: Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Building Control (Amendment) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (23 Jun 2022)

John Cummins: I will not get into a big back and forth debate with Senator Warfield but I must make some important points in response to what he has outlined, particularly on banning rent increases. We all want lower rents and that is why the Government is introducing cost rental and why we have moved to a situation where we have indexed rent increases to the consumer price index, or 2%, whichever is...

Seanad: Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Building Control (Amendment) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (23 Jun 2022)

John Cummins: Now.

Seanad: Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Building Control (Amendment) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (23 Jun 2022)

John Cummins: Now.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022: Discussion (23 Jun 2022)

John Cummins: I will not take all the time because I am conscious there are Oireachtas Members present from other affected counties who have questions and I want to allow them time. I wish to ask a question about the point Professor Doherty made in his previous contribution on downsizing and to tease it out a little bit in terms of his thinking. I understand where he is coming from in that respect but...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022: Discussion (23 Jun 2022)

John Cummins: I thank Professor Doherty for his response, which I fully understand. I come from that perspective myself, but what he suggests in terms of the creativity piece is fraught with danger due to potential legal challenges on planning. I am not saying that as a block; I am just saying it as a reality. We could end up in a scenario where a homeowner wants to downsize because they want to get that...