Results 17,601-17,620 of 26,924 for speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Somebody asked why the Government would want to reduce the requirement for developers to reduce from 20% to 10% the level of development given over to social and affordable housing. I found part of the answer in the latest document from the European Commission, the post-programme surveillance report. It comments on the shocking rise in rents and so on and states: "Policies should aim to...

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I asked a very direct question and, yet again, got a very indirect answer or none at all. The question is: are local authorities required to spend the money on social housing or can they spend it on other things? That is what we want to know. As I understand the amendment, it states that we need to spend the money on social housing. I think the Minister of State has told us they can spend...

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: The Minister of State did not.

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: He should answer the question. Are the local authorities required to spend the money on social housing? "Yes" or "No."

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I was. The Minister of State said they were allowed to-----

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: It is allowed. So they are not required to do so.

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: So they are not required to spend the money on social housing. The Minister of State could just say that.

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: On the same issue, the fear is that moneys that flow into the coffers of local authorities from the levy will be frittered away for other purposes. There is no guarantee this money will be used to contribute to the provision of additional social housing. The Minister of State was studied in his vagueness in answering the question. I ask him to provide a direct "Yes" or "No" answer to the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Quantitative Easing: Discussion (8 Jul 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Could Deputy Fleming repeat that question?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Quantitative Easing: Discussion (8 Jul 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I thank the Acting Chairman and all the guest contributors for a very interesting run through quantitative easing. Having listened to all the contributions, which were all very informative, one is left with the conclusion that what we are describing is the intractable contradiction that is now facing the European economy and arguably the entire global economy. While quantitative easing was...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Quantitative Easing: Discussion (8 Jul 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: The thrust of what I am saying is this is the fundamental problem. We end up with an economy totally geared around debt.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Quantitative Easing: Discussion (8 Jul 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: It is great to meet a kindred spirit.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Quantitative Easing: Discussion (8 Jul 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I am interested to hear whether people agree with this, given that Dr. Kinsella seems to be endorsing it. As many others have said, it is the essential problem we face. When it is compared, which is very technical and it is important Dr. Kinsella has done this, and when one cuts through it all, at the bottom, this is the problem we are trying to deal with and unless we address this core...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Quantitative Easing: Discussion (8 Jul 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I am conscious of time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Quantitative Easing: Discussion (8 Jul 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I was surprised to hear reference to a crisis in leadership on the Greek side. To my mind, given what we have been told, namely, that the Greek debt is unsustainable and the people in Greece cannot take any more, the Greek side has made too many concessions. The people cannot take any more but Europe is insisting that they do. It seems to me, in so far as the Greek Government believes this...

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I would be interested to hear more from the Deputies who tabled these amendments about the logic of them. Setting aside the debate we just had about the imposition of this levy on local authorities, with which we disagree with for all of the reasons already discussed, the levy is not a bad idea. The conditions the Minister has attached to it are reasonable, although open to interpretation....

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I move amendment No. 3:In page 6, line 29, after "land" where it secondly occurs to insert "other than land owned by a housing authority".

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Yes.

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Let us hear from the Minister of State.

Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Let me assure the Minister of State that we are not in any way being cynical for the sake of it. It is because the crisis we face is so serious and is set to get worse unless radical action is taken. The point I made and, as far as I am concerned, the point of this amendment is that if the local authorities are forced to levy themselves because they have not developed a particular site...