Results 141-160 of 221 for speaker:Aubrey McCarthy

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Key Challenges to Tackling Homelessness: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: Mr. Mulhern for the tough ones.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Key Challenges to Tackling Homelessness: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: Mr. Mulhern means as alternatives to emergency accommodation.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (19 Jun 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: I reiterate my support for my colleague Senator Crowe regarding cocaine addiction. It is something I know a lot about from my work with Tiglin. I raise another concern regarding addiction, namely, the shocking rise of youth gambling in Ireland. I was recently interviewed by RTÉ about a European report that revealed that more than 29% of young people in Ireland from the age of 15 to...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage (19 Jun 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: I thank the Minister for being in the House to address this important legislation. I have been a tenant myself, and also an accommodation provider for many years. I set up an approved housing body called Tiglin, which the Minister is aware of. We have accommodated hundreds of people over the years, including most recently many Ukrainian refugees. I deal with the human element behind the...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2025: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jun 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: I had an amendment to this section and my question is why it was ruled out of order. I will say into the record that my amendment-----

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2025: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jun 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: I will sit back down.

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2025: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jun 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: I had proposed an amendment to section 3. Why has it been ruled out of order? I would like to say on the record that my intention with the amendment was simply to empower the Minister to introduce regulation. It was not necessarily the case that I wanted it to result in a higher cost to the Exchequer. When the Minister for housing, Deputy Browne, said there would no special protection for...

Seanad: Enterprise Matters and Business Supports for SMEs: Motion (18 Jun 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: I move amendment No. 1: After the last paragraph under "calls on the Government to:" to insert the following paragraph: “ - apply the SME test outlined in the Programme for Government to relevant legislation and give special consideration to the role of the Seanad in applying this test.”

Seanad: Enterprise Matters and Business Supports for SMEs: Motion (18 Jun 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: I welcome today's Fianna Fáil motion. It is a very topical one. It is very important given the current climate we face in this country and the challenges we face in the international environment. As Senator Crowe said, Irish SMEs face many challenges. I am involved in SMEs myself. We should be supporting Irish industry and not just putting all of our focus on multinational...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Jun 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: I studied economics and, as a child, I was always fascinated about investments and stocks worked on the Stock Exchange, etc. I remember reading about Warren Buffet and he was asked about what stocks ordinary people should invest in. He said to make sure they were low cost, indexed funds. Yet, I notice in Ireland we penalise such investments with an excessive 41% tax rate and then there is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Challenges Relating to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: I thank the witnesses for their opening statements. This committee is hearing that the biggest issue is the availability of serviceable land. In Mr. Coleman's opening statement he identified the availability of residential zoned land as one the key challenges facing the delivery of housing in Ireland. He also said that the LDA is actively assisting in the response to this challenge in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Challenges Relating to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: Do the local authorities have the updated numbers?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Challenges Relating to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: Mr. Coleman's statement assumes that they have, but what I am hearing is that they do not. Therefore, they cannot zone until they have those updated numbers. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Challenges Relating to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: I fully understand that, but if they do not have the numbers how can they do anything?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Challenges Relating to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: I thank Ms Lawson, but I go back to the numbers. From the statement it seems they have the numbers but talking to the local authorities they do not. It seems to be a clear blockage and I wonder if that is maybe holding us back. That is one thing I want to put out there. Mr. Whelan mentioned the reality of numbers and rents, etc. In this committee over recent weeks, we heard different...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Challenges Relating to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: Where would Mr. Whelan see the numbers?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Challenges Relating to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: Briefly, the remit of the LDA was never to go into private development. It seems it is starting to compete with private developers. Is it expanding into private development? Will the LDA become the Government builder?

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (12 Jun 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: I have in my hand the recommendations from the report by the Housing Commission, which was recently published. The commission was established in December 2021. At that stage, there were 8,900 homeless people, including approximately 2,450 children. Today, nearly three and a half years on - that is, two and a half years of work and a year of a delay - the number of homeless has nearly...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Jun 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: I mentioned in this House recently that one in four people experience some form of mental health problem during their lifetime, which is a significant proportion of the population. I am writing today to urge the Government and, importantly, South Dublin County Council, to address an urgent need in the Dublin Mid-West area for a dedicated Solace Café. These cafés have been put in...