Results 17,661-17,680 of 25,999 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (11 Apr 2019)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Minister.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (11 Apr 2019)

Darragh O'Brien: I fully support this amendment as it is very significant, particularly for the thousands of students throughout the country who have engaged with all members of this committee and the Department. I put on record my thanks to those student unions throughout the country, as well as the Union of Students in Ireland and others, for their input into this. The committee worked in unison on this...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (11 Apr 2019)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Minister for listening and paying attention. It is early in the day; I wonder how he will be at 7 p.m.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (11 Apr 2019)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputy will find that the Fianna Fáil draft of the Bill was far superior to that of Sinn Féin. At least we included a definition in respect of student accommodation.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (11 Apr 2019)

Darragh O'Brien: I knew the Minister would get there in the end.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (11 Apr 2019)

Darragh O'Brien: This is pretty simple. Given we are applying extra annual registrations, it seeks to allow a facility whereby a reminder notification would be sent to the landlord one month before the expiration of the annual registration. It does what it says on the tin.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (11 Apr 2019)

Darragh O'Brien: I would like to have the Minister's response to amendment No. 71 first.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (11 Apr 2019)

Darragh O'Brien: The Minister is saying that the RTB will, as a matter of course, issue reminders to all registered tenancies and licences to reside, effectively, which is something we will get to later in regard to the onerous nature of doing that with AHBs in the context of the annual registration, although that is separate to this issue. I do not intend to push the amendment and I just ask that this issue...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (11 Apr 2019)

Darragh O'Brien: In that case, I will withdraw it and that is the end of that.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (11 Apr 2019)

Darragh O'Brien: This is related, so I will also withdraw amendment No. 72.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (11 Apr 2019)

Darragh O'Brien: Will the Minister repeat his response to amendment No. 74?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (11 Apr 2019)

Darragh O'Brien: It is related to the previous amendments, which were withdrawn. It related to the fact that if there are to be annual reminders before renewal of the registration, I believed there was a necessity to remove that. In that context, I will withdraw amendment No. 74 as well.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (11 Apr 2019)

Darragh O'Brien: No.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (11 Apr 2019)

Darragh O'Brien: Is this a new section?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (11 Apr 2019)

Darragh O'Brien: So I can still comment on the section because-----

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (11 Apr 2019)

Darragh O'Brien: So the AHB piece is-----

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (11 Apr 2019)

Darragh O'Brien: That is fine. We will leave that till later. One of my amendments was ruled out of order. The Minister has been moving on from the section related to-----

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (11 Apr 2019)

Darragh O'Brien: Okay, I will do it then.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (11 Apr 2019)

Darragh O'Brien: The Minister has heard the concerns of many of the AHBs in regard to the onerous nature of an annual registration for them and, particularly, for many of their tenants. All members hope that tenants will remain in the properties in the long term, for 25 or 30 years. This issue was previously discussed by the committee. If I did not table an amendment to this section on this Stage, I will...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (11 Apr 2019)

Darragh O'Brien: That is why we have Report Stage - to resubmit all of the amendments.