John Cummins

I did not-----

Deputy Murphy had an opportunity to make his comments. I am responding to him. He is determining the outcome of the review. I am saying that a review is under way and that proposals will be brought to the Minister in the second half of this year. There are varying discrepancies between some local authorities. I am not determining what the outcome will be. Some local authorities have a higher perce…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 154, 156, 169, 191, 198, 207 and 255 together. Tackling vacancy and dereliction is a key objective of this Government as reflected in the new housing plan, delivering homes and building communities. The vacant property refurbishment grant, which is funded under the croí cónaithe towns fund, provides a grant of up to €50,000 for the refurbishment of vacant properti…

From a Department perspective we are monitoring processing times by local authorities. There is a significant discrepancy between the lowest and highest. I have outlined that the average processing time is eight weeks but I acknowledge that some local authorities are significantly above that. We are working with them to ensure we can get that down to the average. I understand the complexities and …

Every local authority is engaging with the scheme and has paid out grants but, as I said, processing times at both the front end and back end of the process vary from local authority to local authority. That is a challenge. We are working with local authorities to ensure all of them come within a much shorter range than is the case at the moment. We will continue to work with the local authority s…

Respect the Standing Orders.

No.

It is not being opposed on First Stage.

No.

I thank Deputy Ellis for tabling this Topical Issue matter. The Housing Act 1966 provides for the charging of rent by local authorities on social housing tenancies. Rents are based on household income levels, with those on lower incomes paying lower rents and those on higher incomes paying higher rents. This system is known as the differential rents system. It is a critical piece of the State's we…

I do not agree with the Deputy's hypothesis. He knows well that under residential tenancy legislation, any existing tenant is unaffected by the changes that were passed by this Oireachtas-----

Sorry, but I did not interrupt the Deputy.

If the Deputy will allow me to respond, he gave an example of a tenant with two or three years of a contract. That does not exist. Part 4 tenancies are created after six months, and tenants have protections under the residential tenancies legislation. The new legislation that was passed applies to new tenancies created after 1 March. On the Deputy’s broader point in respect of the rent scheme, wh…

The Deputy has a job to do to represent his constituents when he comes in this Chamber. No one will ever challenge him on that, least of all me. The response I have here paints a somewhat different picture from that painted by the Deputy. It is important that I reflect it on the record of the House, but I am happy to engage further in my follow-up reply. The works in the Clontarf area commenced o…

I will take his request back to the Minister, Deputy Browne, and I am sure Deputy Heneghan will speak to him in the context of the Deputy's request. As the Deputy will appreciate, any works of this nature are very significant and will be disruptive. Obviously, only management and mitigation measures can be put in place. That will change depending on the circumstances that exist at any given time,…

Absolutely.

Object, object, object. Object all the time.

The Deputy does not like the truth.

I thank the Deputy for his comments. He will know I moved on the agricultural exemptions prior to Christmas. The next phase is domestic exemptions, which will include modular to the rear. We are finalising those. It does not require legislation. It is regulation and has to go before the Oireachtas joint committee, which I expect to be able to do after Easter. We will get there as soon as we can. A…

That is the aim.

I reassert the Government's commitment and determination to tackle the challenges that exist in our housing sector. We understand the need to ensure that sufficient numbers of homes are delivered, be they social, affordable or private, and that is why we are working tirelessly to address the blockages that exist and to implement policies that make a positive difference to supply. While there is s…

The Opposition does not like the truth.

I thank all Deputies for the opportunity to speak on what is an important matter. At the outset, I acknowledge the upset that has been experienced by communities across the country, including mine, County Waterford, in recent weeks as a result of Storm Chandra. The Government will not oppose the motion because we recognise the importance of the issue. We want to ensure that we can continue to pro…

I cannot accept amendments Nos. 9, 31 and 38. The Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020 provided for an emergency period during which a landlord is prohibited, under section 5 of the Act, from serving a notice of termination. Section 4 of the Act provided that the emergency period could only be extended from its initial three months, under very specific circumstances in th…

Nobody in this Chamber has a monopoly on understanding and compassion for families and individuals-----