Results 81-100 of 9,132 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: Please do.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: If we are talking about somebody from a member state coming to Ireland, do the same criteria apply to an Irish citizen going to France or Germany? Do they have different criteria there as well? Surely, because it is an EU state we should have standardisation of the criteria. How does that compare to going in the other direction?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: Or anyone.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: I suppose we are in a general scheme at the moment. It is not a published Bill or an enacted Bill. I presume that has been assessed and approached by the legal advisers here in the Parliament but Ms Heavey is stating it warrants further analysis.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: Ms Heavey highlighted the example of citizens of an EU state who were assessed as not being eligible but, once the lawyers got involved, that position was then reassessed. On the ground, while this may not be working, in practice such persons would be supported in that situation, although they need to go down the legal route to get that support. Does that speak to a need to have proper...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: If there was a very consistent process for those who are making decisions and very clear criteria for eligibility and processes for carrying out assessments, it would obviously assist with that. However, the approach varies from local authority to local authority. Has that been Ms Heavey's experience?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: Regarding the onus to prove eligibility for the reckonable residence or habitual residency, does Ms Heavey find that the clients who come to her have difficulty in trying to pull that information together? Is it a complex process?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: I am out of time and I want to be fair to everybody. Does Ms Heavey included examples of those categories, situations or cohorts? These are questions I would like to put to the Department afterwards.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: Yes, that would help.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: I think the Department will probably advise that when you write down a very prescriptive list, you can end up leaving people out or cases can develop and you then have to go back and change something in primary legislation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: If anybody wishes to indicate to come in on those, please do so.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: I thank the Deputy. "What changes are needed?" is always a helpful question. I have tried to write down everything the witnesses have said but I will have to go through the transcript because I missed the second last thing that Mr. Murtagh said.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: We are coming down to five-minute slots in this round to try to allow people to come in.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: Direct questions and answers would be helpful.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Allen. I have only ten minutes left and I have a number of speakers so if people will be direct and save some time it might be helpful. Senator Fitzpatrick is next.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: I will take the next slot. Next to speak will be Senator Boyhan. I will be quite brief. All our guests have stated that there should be an appeals system. Which body should deal with that appeals system? I really do not want us to have to set up another body to deal with it. Is there a ready-made body that could provide an appeals system in a quick, efficient and fair manner?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: Did Mr. Stanley say that should reside within the Department?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: Does Senator Boyhan wish to ask a further question? No.