James Browne

I move amendment No. 1: In page 5, line 10, to delete “Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009” and substitute the following: “Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009; to provide for additional eligibility criteria for access to certain services provided to homeless persons under section 10 of the Housing Act 1988; to provide for withdrawal of such services in certain cases; to provide f…

I move: That the Bill be recommitted in respect of amendments Nos. 1 and 8 to 11, inclusive.

A lot of issues were raised. I will try to address as many as I can. In relation to the time and the use of the word "night", the definition of night time differs greatly between 21 June and 21 December. That would have created an extraordinary level of uncertainty as to when somebody can go in or not. That is why a time was chosen. The Deputy can argue about the time, but certainly using the word…

In relation to being able to reapply versus make an appeal, any appeal takes time. These people are in a crisis at that point in time - we agree on that - so the quickest method is to reapply rather than going through a complicated appeals process. In relation to the two nights for the initial situation, if that person cannot make other arrangements and is at risk of rough sleeping, such as over …

On Deputy Gould's point, the woman in that very traumatic situation has been provided emergency accommodation in the past and there is no reason she would not be provided it again in the future. If there is any way the Deputy wants me to help with that woman, who is in a very difficult situation, he should please provide the details. It is the same for that Palestinian family. We are always happy …

This is too often what we get, unfortunately-----

It is very easy to come in here with your personal invective but you have to engage with policy. That is what we need to be doing rather than your usual commentary in relation to it-----

I let you speak and as usual-----

I let you speak but you will not let me speak.

It is a democracy. I know you do not really believe in this type of democracy but it is a democracy. What we are doing here is putting in very important legislation to bring consistency to social housing qualification and homelessness in this country. I believe it will help to bring clarity right across the country and will help people, in some cases, who are not getting their rights met by having…

This refers to reasonable offers of accommodation, so it is not any offer. It is about turning down a reasonable offer of accommodation. It is up to the local authority to ensure that appropriate and safe emergency accommodation is provided, and for people like that woman in particular. I know the Deputy likes to absolve the local authority of any responsibility whatsoever for anything but it is u…

I move amendment No. 2: In page 5, line 11, after “hearings” to insert “, and the determination of disputes,”. Amendments Nos. 2 to 4, inclusive, are technical drafting amendments to ensure that the Long Title of the Bill more accurately describes the content and purpose of the Bill, taking account of the Government amendments since publication. The Bill provides for procedures for the determina…

I move amendment No. 3: In page 5, line 12, after “Board” to insert “, and the enforcement of such determinations”.

I move amendment No. 4: In page 5, lines 12 and 13, to delete “to increase the penalties for certain offences under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004” and substitute the following: “to increase the penalties for summary offences and to provide for the service of fixed payment notices in respect of certain offences under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004”.

I move: "That the Bill be recommitted in respect of amendments Nos. 5 and 25."

I move amendment No. 5: In page 5, line 13, after “2004;” to insert “to provide that the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 shall not apply to certain dwellings;”. Amendment No. 5 is a technical drafting amendment to ensure the Long Title of the Bill more accurately describes the content and purpose of the Bill, taking account of amendment No. 25, which proposes to insert a new section into the Bill…

We are not talking about stand-alone properties. These properties are on the land and the curtilage of the homeowner. The renter shares all the services with the homeowner, including the driveway and the water and electricity facilities coming in. We already do this with the rent-a-room scheme. People can rent a room under licence in a homeowner's property. The residences we are discussing will li…

I move amendment No. 8: In page 6, between lines 3 and 4, to insert the following: “PART 2 AMENDMENTS TO HOUSING ACT 1988 Interpretation ( Part 2 ) 4.In this Part, "Act of 1988" means the Housing Act 1988.".

I move amendment No. 9: In page 6, between lines 3 and 4, to insert the following: “Amendment of section 1 of Act of 1988 Section 1 of the Act of 1988 is amended by the insertion of the following definition: “ 'Act of 2009' means the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009,".".[]

I move amendment No. 10: In page 6, between lines 3 and 4, to insert the following: “Amendment of section 10 of Act of 1988 6. Section 10 of the Act of 1988 is amended— (a) in subsection (1), by the substitution of “A housing authority may, subject to section 10A and to such regulations” for “A housing authority may, subject to such regulations”, (b) in subsection (8)— (i) in paragraph (a)(i…

I move amendment No. 11: In page 6, between lines 3 and 4, to insert the following: “Insertion of new sections 10A and 10B in Act of 1988 7.The Act of 1988 is amended by the insertion of the following new sections after section 10: “Residency requirements 10A.(1) A person shall not be eligible to access arrangements, assistance or accommodation provided by a housing authority by virtue of se…

I move amendment No. 21: In page 14, line 14, to delete “shall” and substitute “shall be in writing and shall”.

Supporting individuals and families experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness is an absolute priority for me, my Department and Government. I welcome the committee's focus on this important area. Indeed, many of the recommendations put forward are addressed in our new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, and are being progressed by my Department in collaboration with ot…

We take the report very seriously and are giving it very serious consideration. Many of the recommendations in it are already in place or are being put in place. We are treating this as an emergency. I have already outlined many of the measures we are taking to make sure we address the situation where we have a very high level of homelessness. One person in homelessness is one too many. We have a …

We are dealing with it as an emergency response. Last year, we saw a 20% increase in housing delivery overall and the highest number of social houses built in a single year in the history of the State. We are putting in record funding to address the housing crisis. Many of the measures highlighted in the report are already in the process of being implemented. I would remind the Deputy that, in hi…