Results 181-200 of 4,521 for speaker:Jennifer Murnane O'Connor

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Second Stage (29 Nov 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I welcome the Minister for Social Protection to the House. My main concern is the telephone allowance, an issue raised by other Members. It is urgent because it affects every elderly person. I know many elderly people who had to have their telephone taken out because they could not afford it. These are the most vulnerable in our society and the Minister needs to examine this. Up to 59%...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (29 Nov 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I welcome the ministerial amendment but there is a slight difference between amendments Nos. 6 and 7. We want a report to be prepared for the Oireachtas but that has to do with all the different housing agencies. I and other Senators are members of the joint committee that deals with housing. Our view is that it is crucial to have the input of all the various housing agencies and then for...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (29 Nov 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: Local authorities play a massive role because they deal with this on a constant basis. Will the Minister of State clarify whether the report, which will involve Members of the Oireachtas, will also involve local authorities and the expert housing agencies, which are the leading bodies?

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (29 Nov 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: That clarifies the situation.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (29 Nov 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: While I welcome the amendment and agree with it in principle, I believe the Fianna Fáil amendment is slightly stronger. The Bill does not address the issues raised by the Tyrellstown case, namely, that receivers and lenders are not considered landlords under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004. Lenders or receivers may seek to evict a tenant without giving the notice required under law....

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (29 Nov 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: We understand her.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (29 Nov 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: We need to clarify something. Fianna Fáil proposes an overall reform package to deal with rental inflation and increase the supply of affordable rental properties. The package proposes regulations to reduce excessive rent inflation and increase security of occupancy for tenants coupled with a range of incentives to expand the supply of rental properties. Incentives to increase supply...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (29 Nov 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: We have and we are working on it. We will have a submission going into the Dáil for some of the incentives here relating to tax treatment and all the different things we will work on. It is not as easy as Sinn Féin makes out. One cannot compare different areas. I deal with homelessness every day in clinics. I hear what Sinn Féin is saying but I know that a balance can be...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (29 Nov 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I would like to speak on amendment No. 25.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (29 Nov 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: Yes.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (29 Nov 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: It is.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (29 Nov 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I am speaking on amendment No. 25 which states: "In page 35, line 8, to delete “20 or more” and substitute “5 or more”". We welcome the so-called Tyrrelstown amendment in the Bill, which provides that where a landlord proposes to sell 20 or more units in a development within a six-month period, the sales will be conditional on existing tenants remaining other than...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (29 Nov 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I move amendment No. 25:In page 35, line 8, to delete “20 or more” and substitute “5 or more”.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (29 Nov 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I move amendment No. 33:In page 35, between lines 35 and 36, to insert the following: “31. (1) Receivers appointed to mortgaged properties and lenders who have initiated repossession proceedings are regarded as the landlord in relation to existing tenancies. (2) Where appointed, the receiver of the property shall be under the same tenancy obligations as landlords as specified in Part...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (29 Nov 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I move amendment No. 36:In page 38, between lines 22 and 23, to insert the following: “Amendment of section 151 of Residential Tenancies Act 2004 38. The Residential Tenancies Act 2004 is amended in section 151(2) by the insertion of the following new paragraph: “(b) The Board shall publish performance statistics to include average waiting times and other user statistics that...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Ambulance Service Accommodation (13 Dec 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: This is my second time addressing the Minister of State on this issue so I will just go over why I have called her back for some answers today. Following the health and safety audit of the building in which Carlow ambulance and paramedic services were located, the building was condemned as it was deemed to be not fit for purpose. In light of this, I asked the Minister for Health for an...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Ambulance Service Accommodation (13 Dec 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I thank the Minister of State for her reply, which is the same as the one I received more than a month ago. My real anger is with the HSE and the lack of information I receive from the Minister, Deputy Harris. I am constantly e-mailing but I am still none the wiser. Is the new prefab temporary? The Minister of State has said a different area of the St. Dympna's Hospital campus is being...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Ambulance Service Accommodation (13 Dec 2016)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I would appreciate that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Quarterly Progress Report Strategy for Rented Sector: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (18 Jan 2017)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I think many of the questions I was going to ask have already been mentioned. I would like more clarification on the pillars themselves. As I understand it, the figures and statistics are not available. That is crucial. I spent my whole Christmas trying to get people I represent into hotels and trying to get funding in my own area, and it was a massive issue for me. I will address that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Quarterly Progress Report Strategy for Rented Sector: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (18 Jan 2017)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: To clarify, the Department has brought forward the new tenant purchase scheme under which local authority tenants can purchase their home. A lot of people have come to tell me that they are going to the banks but that they are not getting the money from them. Because the new scheme has been brought forward recently after years without it, the Department needs to put a system in place...