Meet The Fuckers Who Rob and Mob The Poor People of Ireland and The Homeless, The Curse of God Go On Them All
Meet The Fuckers Who Rob and Mob The Poor People of Ireland and The Homeless, The Curse of God Go On Them All
Meet The Fuckers Who Rob and Mob The Poor People of Ireland and The Homeless, The Curse of God Go On Them All
2016
Housing Minister Simon
Coveney is a landlord
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
The revelation has emerged at the same time that one of the
biggest landords in the country has admitted the rental market
in this country is reaching its limit.
, he said.
The building industry has stated the cost of and regulation
of construction needs to be reduced for more homes to be
built.
IRES has spent hundreds of millions of euro buying
apartments, mostly entire apartment blocks from banks
and Nama.
Citywest in Dublin.
11: Pat Deering: 1 rental property in Rathvilly, Co
Carlow.
12: Chief whip Regina Doherty: 2 properties:
One in Ashbourne Business Park and City Campus in
Limerick.
13: Fianna Fils Timmy Dooley: 2 properties: One in
Charlotte Quay, Dublin and one in Rathfarnham, Dublin.
14: Charlie Flanagan: 1 property: He lets a holiday
house in Co Sligo part of the year.
15: Sean Fleming: Rented a former post office in County
Laois for part of last year.
16: Independent Noel Grealish: 2 properties and land:
He let out a house in Galway and a apartment in Dublin.
He also owns a 8,800 sq ft commercial unit in Briarhill,
Galway.
17: Martin Heydon: 1 rental property in Co Limerick.
18: Paul Kehoe: 2 properties: Renting a property in
Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, and an apartment on Haddington
Road, Dublin 4.
19: Fianna Fail Cork TD, Billy Kelleher: Rents out an
apartment in Glanmire, Co Cork.
20: Fianna Fils Brendan Smith: 1 rental apartment in
Dublin.
21: Robert Troy: 2 properties: 1 in Mullingar and 1
inDublin.
22: Wexfords Mick Wallace: 2 properties: Both are
rented out in Wicklow.
http://irelandtodaynews.com/index.php/housing-minister-simoncoveney-is-a-landlord/
http://irelandtodaynews.com/index.php/housing-minister-simoncoveney-is-a-landlord/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4p9BR-qmkE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKsNL5BsTlc
Landlords of Leinster
House declare interests
Shane Ross
PUBLISHED
19/04/2015
3
Leinster House
Irish Independent
Evictions of tenants
to be blocked in
reduced to five.
The 'Tyrrelstown amendment' arose after a
large number of tenants living in a
development in west Dublin were served
notices of eviction after their homes were
purchased by a so-called "vulture fund".
However, at report stage in the Seanad on
Tuesday night, the Bill was changed and the
number reduced from 20 to five.
The Bill returned to the Dil yesterday where
Mr Coveney described the section of
legislation as "significant".
"This amendment was the subject of much
debate in the Seanad and the original figure
of 20 dwellings was reduced to five on foot of
a report stage amendment tabled by the
Opposition.
"I am in the process of taking advice on this
change and may need to come back to the
House on it if it makes sense to do so," Mr
Coveney said.
"I do not believe we should try to bring small
landlords into this category because we will
disincentivise people staying in the landlord
market if we do that.
"That is why we had suggested, in the
changes proposed, that the figure should be
10 rather than five, but we can discuss that
on committee and report stages."
Sinn Fin's Eoin Broin said the threshold of
20 was too high because "it means the vast
majority of people who are currently at risk of
http://www.msn.com/enie/news/other/evictions-oftenants-to-be-blocked-incases-where-homes-sold/ar-
AAl2oBz
Sarah Bardon
Minister for Housing Simon Coveney: plans will mean developers will hold
initial informal discussions with councils, to be completed within a maximum of
nine weeks. Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/lbill/20152016/0087/16087.pdf
Background
Home Ownership
Social Housing
Local authorities are the main providers of social
housing for people who cannot afford to buy their
own homes. Local authority housing is allocated
according to eligibility and need. Rents are based
on the households ability to pay.
If you qualify for social housing you will be put on a
housing waiting list. However, there has been a
chronic shortage of social housing.
Currently there are in excess of 100,000 people on
the social housing waiting list, with some people
waiting in excess of ten years.
1) Lack of Supply
Statistics
R
R
R
Problems
2) Rising Rents
Background
R
R
R
R
next 3 months
The property is no longer suited to the needs of the
occupants
The landlord or a family member wants to move
into the property
Vacant possession is required for substantial
refurbishment of the property
The landlord intends to change the use of the
property
The 2004 Act provided that the landlord could only
increase the rent once a year, with 28 days notice,
and not more than the market level of rent for a
similar property in the area.
This legislation only covered a tenancy in the
private rented sector, and did not include renting
from an approved housing body or renting when
the landlord was also living on the property, among
others.
The Amendment Act modified the reasons for
terminating a Part IV tenancy. Where the property
is going to be refurbished the landlord must
include a copy of the planning permission, and
specify the name of the contractor and the dates
on which the works will be carried out.
If selling the property, the landlord must give a
signed statement that they intend to enter into an
enforceable agreement to transfer their whole
interest in the property for full consideration.
Where previously the maximum amount of notice
given for termination of a property any time after
four year was 112 days, the notice now increases
incrementally between 4 and 8 years. 224 days is
the new notice period for tenancies which have
existed for 8 or more years.
The Amendment Act put in place a temporary
provision to allow rent increases only once every
two years, and requires the landlord to give 90
Problems
3) Homelessness
Problems
Introduction
This integrated housing package, agreed by Government, is a
comprehensive set of measures to deal with the problems currently
being observed in the Irish housing market. Since taking office,
Government has been dealing with the fallout of the property
collapse. Now, as the recovery takes hold, a new set of problems has
arisen in the market that require Government action, particularly in
relation to the private rental sector and in relation to the lack of
supply of housing in areas where it is needed. The package also
contains important measures which will help tackle the on-going
issues in relation to the increasing numbers presenting as homeless,
and help those most vulnerable to falling into homelessness to find
accommodation.
The Government has already taken several measures to improve
outcomes, such as launching a 3.8 billion Social Housing Strategy
which will deliver 35,000 new social housing units and an additional
75,000 new social housing tenancies by 2020. Government has also
introduced other measures to stimulate the supply of housing, such
as the introduction of a Vacant Site Levy in 2019 and other
measures provided for in the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act.
The measures set out below are an integrated and appropriate set
rented sector. The report Rent Stability in the Private Rented Sector
commissioned by the PRTB and carried out by DKM Economic
Consultants found that a single person on average earnings of
36,000, paying a (lower than average) monthly rent of 957 for a 1
bed apartment in Dublin, would be allocating 41% of net income to
the cost of renting. On this basis, renting as a single person in the
Dublin market is not generally affordable and has not been so for
some time. For households earning below the average income there
is clearly an affordability issue in the main cities, most notably
Dublin, as competition from medium and high income households is
squeezing them out of the market and there is an inadequate supply
of housing at rents these lower income households can afford.
While the ultimate cause of the rapid increase in rents is the lack of
supply of suitable accommodation, and while appropriate measures
are also set out in this package to deal with the issue of supply, it will
be some time yet before that supply comes on stream. As the supply
of housing is very inelastic in the short run, measures in the rental
market are required to deal with the situation currently being
observed. A package of measures is set out below to deal with the
twin issues of rapidly rising rents and insufficient supply of housing
in the right areas. Measures are also proposed that will significantly
improve the legal protections for tenants and to substantially
increase tenants awareness their rights.
Measures are also set out below which will directly help vulnerable
families either already assessed as being homeless or at risk of
homelessness to find accommodation.
The Government is determined to tackle these issues in a forthright
and determined manner, and to take the action which is now
required to deal with the problems in the Irish rental market.
1.1 Measures That Will Benefit Tenants
A package of legislative measures is being introduced to provide for
greater rent certainty and also improved operation of the sector,
including through the role of the Private Residential Tenancies
Board, to the benefit of landlords and tenants alike. The following is
a summary of the measures involved, which will be given effect
through Committee Stage amendments to the Residential Tenancies
(Amendment) (No. 2) Bill which has completed its passage through
the Dil and is awaiting Committee Stage in the Seanad. The aim is
to have the legislation passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas as
early as possible in the current session.
Extended Period for Rent Reviews
The primary measure proposed is to amend the Residential
Tenancies Act so that from enactment of the necessary legislation,
rent reviews for all tenancies will take place every 24 months rather
than every 12 months as currently is the case, subject to a sunset
clause which will revert the period to 12 months in 4 years time.
This will involve no change to the fundamental mechanism for
determining rents under the legislation, which is by reference to
market rent, yet will provide the tenant with a longer period of
predictable rent.
Example 1: Deirdre and Anthony, a young couple with two children,
renting a 3 bed house in Dublin, signed a lease in April 2014, at a
rate of 1,200 per month. The landlord may increase the rent every
12 months, so in April 2015, the landlord increased the rent to
1,300 per month. Deirdre and Anthony are worried that the
landlord will increase the rent again in April 2016. The landlord had
planned on increasing the rent to 1,400 per month. With this
change, the landlord cannot increase the rent until April 2017.
Deirdre and Anthonys rent is frozen for 2016 at 1,300. Deirdre and
Anthony save 1,200 in rent as a result.
Example 2: Rachel, a lone parent with one child renting a 2 bed
apartment in Galway, signed a lease in December 2014, at a rate of
800 per month. Rachel is worried that the landlord will increase
their rent in December 2015. The landlord planned on increasing
the rent to 875 per month but, with the enactment of these
measures, cannot increase the rent until December 2016. The rent is
frozen until December 2016 at 800 per month. Rachel saves 900
in rent in 2016 as a result.
Example 3:
Michael and Stephen, a couple renting a 2 bed house in Cork, signed
statement by the tenant that they have been made aware of their
rights and supporting documentation in relation to market rent for 3
similar dwellings in the area.
Longer notice period for tenancy terminations
Building on the current legislative position, whereby the period of
notice of tenancy termination increases according to the length of
the tenancy, up to a maximum of 112 days notice for tenancies of 4
years or more, further graduated increases in the notice period are
to be introduced, up to a maximum of 224 days for tenancies of 8
years or more, as follows:
5 years or more but less than 6 years 140 days
6 years or more but less than 7 years 168 days
7 years or more but less than 8 years 196 days
8 or more years 224 days
Strengthen protections for tenancy terminations
In order to guard against unscrupulous landlords evicting tenants by
falsely declaring that the property is needed for a family member, or
that it is going to be sold etc., measures are being put in place to
better protect tenants from such behaviour. These measures
involve:
i) a landlord having to explain in a written statement to the tenant
why a property might no longer be suitable to their accommodation
needs having regard to the number of bed and the size and
composition of the household;
ii) a landlord having to make a statutory declaration as to their
intention to sell a property;
iii) a landlord having to make a statutory declaration that the
property is needed for his or her occupation or that of a family
member.
Confirmation of tenancy additional information to landlords and
tenants
While the PRTB currently sends an acknowledgement of a tenancy
registration to the landlord, in future, both landlords and tenants
will be notified of tenancy registration and the notice will also advise
both parties of their rights and obligations and of the dispute
resolution procedures that are available through the PRTB.
homeless families.
Affordable Rental
Affordable rental schemes operate on the premise that a provider of
housing receives some form of subsidy or concession from the State
for the provision of dedicated rental accommodation in return for
which the rent charged is pitched below market rent typically 7080% of the market rent. The overall objective of an affordable rental
programme would be to provide long-term affordable residential
accommodation for low to moderate income key-worker
households in urban areas of high demand. A model for an
affordable rental pilot project will be developed and launched in
early 2016.
2. Measures to Support Increased Housing Supply
A major contributing factor to the current rental crisis is the lack of
sufficient construction activity in the Dublin and Cork regions,
causing a lack of sufficient supply and putting pressure on rental
levels. Action is required to increase the number of new homes
under construction in Dublin and Cork, particularly in relation to
units which are required at below certain price points.
In addition, a range of factors arising from the housing downturn
are holding back the activation of existing planning permissions at
the more affordable price levels urgently required, notwithstanding
the progress made by the Government under the Urban
Regeneration and Housing Act 2015 in reducing costs arising from
Part V obligations and by local authorities in reducing their
development contributions
While the policy, funding and legislative measures being taken by
Government and local authorities under Construction 2020, such as
the Vacant Site Levy which takes effect in 2019, will begin to have
wider effects in reducing costs and improving affordability in the
housing market from 2018 onwards, a more immediate initiative is
required to encourage supply in the interim.
In particular, the Government has noted the analysis undertaken by
the Dublin Housing Supply and Co-ordination Task Force (DHTF) and
other local authorities, which confirms that there are a significant
Apples as oranges
A judgment involving Irish Life and Permanent PLC put final nail in the coffin of
the Code of Conduct on Mortgage Arrears as a consumer protection measure
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Ma0WuAAhv4k
https://www.centralbank.ie/pressarea/press-releases/Documents/FAQ%20
%20New%20regulations%20on
%20residential%20mortgage
%20lending.pdf
Problems
The alternative payment
arrangements arent
necessarily sustainable
When a borrower falls into arrears, the lender is
obliged to make every reasonable effort to agree
any alternative repayment arrangement.
In theory the lender should take into account your
personal circumstances, your overall indebtedness,
your current and future repayment capacity and
your previous repayment history. However there is
no way of knowing whether the bank undertook a
full assessment.
The bank then decides if it wants to offer you an
alternative repayment arrangement. It is not
required to offer any particular option.
The fastest growing alternative repayment
arrangements is capitalisation of arrears. This
involves a new, higher payment because there is a
greater principal amount and more interest needs
to be repaid. Obviously this is problematic as it
involves the borrower or borrowers paying a
greater amount than when the problem arose in
the first place.
mortgage.
The law surrounding repossessions of property
where a tenant is already residing is murky. Often
there is a clause in the mortgage agreement
between the lender and the borrower which allows
them to force a tenant out to get vacant
possession of the property.
So where a borrower fails to pay their mortgage
this can have the effect of making their tenant
homeless.
Conclusion
Marie O'Halloran
Minister Simon Coveney announces his plan for the rental sector.
Photo: Doug OConnor
days, he said.
The street team that we run jointly with the Peter McVerry
Trust have been out every night but there arent enough beds
for people.
The Taoiseach says the latest number of people homeless in
Dublin is "not satisfactory... you can't deny that".
"You have to do something about it - and we're doing
something about that in a very serious way, over the five
different pillars of the housing action programme."
The Minister for Housing, Simon Coveney has pledged to put
an extra 210 emergency beds in place in Dublin by December
9th and Mr Harris said the sooner those are in place the
sooner we can get people off the streets.
Minister Coveney said the Civil Defence will also provide an
extra 20 beds, bringing the nightly emergency accommodation
capacity for single adults in the city to 1,800.
The Dublin Region Cold Weather Plan commenced operation
at the start of the month and will be subject to on-going
review, he said.
It is essential that we have sufficient beds to meet any
increased demand during cold weather.
He said the Civil Defence will also provide an extra 20 beds
and said the nightly emergency accommodation capacity for
single adults in Dublin now stands at 1,800.
While there has been progress in terms of moving families out
of homelessness - Focus Ireland supported 230 Dublin
families into secure homes this year - Mr Allen said more
people are losing their homes all the time and the numbers
keep on going up.
The charity said constantly rocketing rents and a growing
number of buy-to-let homes being either repossessed or sold
is causing a constant rise in the homelessness numbers.
Focus Ireland renewed its call for urgent action from the
Government to stem the level of evictions, particularly from
buy-to-let landlords to stem the homeless crisis.
There are over 15,000 buy-to-let landlords who are in arrears
by over 2 years, said Mr Allen.
Banks and financial institutions are repossessing these
homes and evicting the tenants at a rate of 100 a month.
We are calling on the Government to outlaw this practice and
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Minister Coveney
welcomes
opening of new
facilities
to tackle rough
sleeping in Dublin
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No wonder they find such common ground with Fine Gael. The blueshirts
never change. They still own farms, property and shares.
Jobs Minister Richard Bruton has a formidable portfolio of assets. He is no
Willie ODea risk-taker. Richard has stuck to blue-chip stocks. Like, er Bank
of Ireland, AIB and Irish Life and Permanent. He has presumably taken a
hiding in this traditional safe haven. He is on safer ground with his shares in
food star Aryzta, Smurfit Kappa, CRH, Kingspan, FBD Holdings and an AIB
Investment Fund.
His share portfolio is beefed up by joint ownership of 175 acres of land in the
plush pastures of Dunboyne and 50 acres in Drumree both in his native
Meath. Investments as dull as ditch water maybe but Richard is likely to
have fewer sleepless nights than Willie.
Richard was lucky enough to receive a gift of a watch from the Saudi Arabian
government. He very honourably gave it up to the Exchequer, as Fine Gael
people do.
Another Fine Gael cabinet minister, Simon Coveney, may not be as loaded as
Richard but it could be a close-run contest for the richest man in the
Cabinet.
Both have inherited huge wealth but Coveneys declaration reveals less
than Richards. He describes himself as a landlord with a single property, but
admits to holding shares without being specific. Coveneys more opaque filing
merely reveals that his shares are part of Irish Wealth Managers and that he
has an interest in the Coveney Family Investment Club c/o Davy
stockbrokers. Mmm.
Coveneys reluctance to reveal more detail makes it difficult to judge who is
the canniest financial punter in the Cabinet, but the investment decisions of
Minister for Finance Michael Noonan have caused a few raised eyebrows.
While Bruton has shown confidence in Irish equities, Noonan does not like
investing in Ireland.
During the worst days of the crisis he headed for Germany and sunk much of
his wealth into low-yielding German bonds. Last year he decided to go for
gold, traditionally a hedge against high-risk equities.
He has diversified further by investing in US Treasury stocks and benefited
from the strong dollar. He does not list a single Irish stock in his eight-strong
portfolio. Apart from 20 acres of mixed pasture attached to my residence he
holds no property either.
Noonans patriotic instincts and bullishness about the economy do not extend
to his choice of personal investments.
Noonans fellow Fine Gael TDs are still deep into farms and property, many
with huge portfolios. Backbenchers Frank Feighan (with 10 listed properties);
Aine Collins (with seven); and Alan Shatter (with 14 jointly owned) lead the
field of property fans.
Lucinda Creighton, leader of the recently launched Renua party, has returned
a clean sheet indicating little reserve firepower in the event of emergency
financial injections for the new party. However Creightons husband, Paul
Bradfords Seanad declaration shows that all is not lost. Bradford owns 55
acres of farmland in Mallow, Co Cork and lists shareholdings in AIB Euro
Bonds and AIB Global Bonds.
Their party colleague, Terence Flanagan, declares a half share in a house in
Blanchardstown but gratuitously volunteers (in case Lucinda comes calling?)
Fianna Fil has said it's not satisfied with that figure and
want a lower percentage, but Mr Coveney warned that the
government won't support an amendment to its legislation
that would set the cap as low as 2pc.
Put to him on RT Radio that this could mean the
government would face defeat on its plan to tackle the
crisis in the rental sector, Mr Coveney replied: "Then I
don't think the legislation will be going through before
Christmas."
He added: "And if Fianna Fil want to take that on
themselves well then so be it."
He said that "there are things we can do in relation to
some of the Fianna Fil queries" but argued that there are
increases," he said.
"Of course, that is a ceiling so if we manage to get supply up
significantly it's possible that we wont even reach 4%."
Other areas around the country could follow suit if prices
continue to rise above the national average.
The new scheme will aim to bring about greater security of
tenure and rent certainty for landlords and tenants - while also
aiming to improve the quality of rental accommodation.
Housing charity Threshold released their annual report today
warning that while the new measures could curb unexpected
hikes by landlords rental prices around the country are still
far too high.
Rents have already increased dramatically this year by an
average of 11.7% - according to the latest Daft.ie report - the
biggest 12-month increase recorded since its series started in
2002.
The latest report from the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB)
has alsoshown that rents grew by 2.3% in the third quarter of
2016. slightly slower than in the previous three months.
Under the new plan, the RTB will now be responsible for
deciding which areas of the country qualify for caps.
Minister Coveney said the strategy aims to ensure landlords
are able to make a reasonable rate of return - but not charge
whatever they want.
"We have to take account of viability for landlords as well as
viability for tenants," he said.
The idea that you would simply introduce a blunt rent cap
which essentially is what would be proposed if you were to link
it to CPI (Consumer Price Index) cause CPI this year is
actually a negative figure.
I think that would be a significant disincentive to many people
who want to enter the landlord market or the rental market on
a permanent basis.
"Major anti-climax"
Anti Austerity Alliance TD, Ruth Coppinger said the plans do
not go far enough in controlling rents and will not solve the
crisis faced by people in the rental sector.
"It has taken Minister Coveney six months to put this plan
together but it is a major anti-climax for tenants," she said.
"It guarantees landlords the ability to increase rents by 4% well above the rate of inflation or the Consumer Price Index
which is actually at -0.1% so rents should actually be falling."
She said the new rules will only apply to current tenancies
thus "leaving landlords with a huge incentive to end tenant
leases or evict tenants to leave themselves free to jack up
rents beyond this level."
The Social Democrats said the Government should be looking
at measures that reduce rents rather than maintain current
levels.
TD Catherine Murphy said: "It is telling that the language
around this issue has changed from rent certainty to rent
predictability but what we must be talking about is rent
affordability."
"It is one thing being able to predict rent rises but its entirely
different to be able to afford or sustain those raises. 4% per
annum represents nearly 4 times the average salary
increase," she said.
The Social Democrats co-leader Roisin Shortall said the
measures are a "Fine Gael-led response to a housing
emergency that priorities landlords over tenants."
Minster Coveney is hoping the new strategy can be in place
before the government breaks for the holidays - however he
will need the support of Fianna Fil to get the legislation
through the House.
said.
The current crisis in the private rented sector has been
caused by a perfect storm of unaffordable rents, shortage of
supply and a regulatory framework that simply does not
support long-term renting.
Disproportionate rent increases in particular are pushing
hundreds of families into homelessness at an accelerated
rate.
The 54 per cent spike in calls that Threshold experienced in
the past year is indicative of the huge issues that are faced by
those living in the private rented sector.
The Threshold report has also found the standard of private
rented accommodation to be a major concern affecting the
most vulnerable in society.
The most common complaints received by threshold included
poor fire safety standards and ventilation issues with other
breaches relating to heating, sanitation, damp and mould.
This issue of poor standards is, worryingly, a growing trend,
said Ms Hayden. This is being compounded by the current
availability crisis, and we are seeing increasing incidences of
overcrowding.
Also, the need for adequate standards is brought into sharp
focus with the cold weather - making standards the number
one concern for Thresholds clients at this time of year.
Threshold is calling on the government to introduce an NCT
style certificate scheme for rented accommodation.
Under the proposal a landlord would require up-to-date
certification endorsed by an approved professional to rent a
property and avail of tax credits, subsidies or housing
payments delivered in the private rented sector.
Ms Hayden said the system could make it easier for local
authorities to enforce the law and provide greater protection
for tenants.
Rents in Ireland at highest ever level
Charities call for the introduction of rent certainty and a
"housing-led solution" to address spiralling prices
NEWS
Image: Shutterstock/cunaplus
John Dolan
Source: Galway Simon
Due to rents being too high for many people, Dolan says
they are left with very little option but to access homeless
services.
Dolan says that while some aspect of the governments
housing action plan are to be welcomed, hes not sure its
a plan that can really solve the issue as it stands because
its such a crisis.
As part of the Rebuilding Ireland plan, the government
aims to build 25,000 homes a year by 2020 and provide
key reasons.
It is also deeply disappointing to see the Minister delay the
release of the September figures and then quietly post them
on the Department's website late in the evening when the
country's media is focused on the Brexit Forum. This smacks
of trying to brush this bad news under the carpet," he added.
http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/homeless_report__september_2016_0.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxCsT-pcyRA
The St Vincent de Paul (SVP) charity is drawing attention
to concerns at the housing and homeless crisis by
transforming its Dublin shop front.
For two days the window of the SVP shop on South Great
Georges Street is being transformed into a unique 'hidden
homeless' estate agency window.
This initiative is to draw attention to the SVP's concern at the
homeless crisis - and the lack of social housing in Ireland.
SVP wants to see real progress on the targets for 2016 set out
in Rebuilding Ireland, the Government's Action Plan for
Housing.
The charity says the 'hidden homeless' are people and
families in hotels and B&Bs - made homeless by hikes in
private rented sector rents - and also people making do with
cold, damp and poor quality rental units or 'sofa surfing' in the
homes of friends or extended family.
"These families and people are a key concern for SVP as its
members visit them, every week of the year, across Ireland
but particularly in and around Dublin, Cork and other cities",
the charity says.
"SVP directly assists in preventing homelessness, in an
informal way, for low income families in private rented housing
who face significant rent increases".
John-Mark McCafferty, SVP head of social justice and policy,
adds: "SVP volunteers assist with practical support including
financial assistance and referral to relevant agencies. SVP
also provides social housing and emergency accommodation
and is therefore at the heart of the housing and homelessness
issue."
This Monday and Tuesday, visitors to the shop and passers-by
will see a very different type of estate agency window - with
properties advertised in terms of what many low income
families face.
Shop visitors and members of the general public will also be
asked by younger SVP members from university branches to
sign a petition to join the call for Government to ensure that
enough social housing is built or bought to meet current and
future need.
Among the properties advertised are:
Hotel rooms with the opportunity for children to mix with a
variety of people from stag parties and business conferences:
Source: SVP
Compact flats with kitchenette with open vent for constant air
circulation and occasional hot water:
Source: SVP
Source: SVP
Z
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2015)
Number of families worked with from January to
October: 112 (up from 32 in 2015 and five in 2014)
Dolan says some of the young people they support
previously lived in the care system or may have ended up
on the streets due to a family breakdown.
He adds that youth homelessness is a huge issue, and
something Simon works very much in tandem with other
agencies to tackle.
Read: I dont want to be 40 living in a tent
waking up with a bottle of vodka beside me
In a joint initiative between a number of organisations and
the city council, a new complex that will house 18-25 year
olds is due to open by the end of November with the aim
of getting young people off the streets before the weather
worsens.
Its very hard to get your head around, in terms of how
these people have been left with so few options, Dolan
notes.
Drug use
Dolan says some of the service users Simon works with
have substance dependence and mental health issues, but
describes this as a chicken and egg scenario, with some
issues developing or worsening as a result of
homelessness.
Much of this can come as a result of homelessness or
some kind of trauma that existed in childhood and teenage
years. he notes.
Martin O'Connor
Source: COPE Galway
Void properties
OConnor says the number of void properties available to
be refurbished and used as accommodation in Galway city
is pretty much exhausted.
He notes that many of the few three-bedroom houses
available in the city cost over 1,000 a month. He says
some parents struggle to make up the difference between
the rent and their rent supplement entitlement of 875 if
they have two children or 900 for three children
especially when they are competing with the rest of the
market.
The HAP was introduced in Galway in February. OConnor
says its early days for the scheme in Galway, but it has
seen some success.
Day centre
Source: COPE Galway
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Osterley Lodge
Source: COPE Galway
IRELAND IMMIGRANT
INVESTOR PROGRAMME
NOVEMBER 8, 2016
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Benefits
required.
Simple Documentation and One-Step Approval
Process.
http://www.cppireland.org/2016/12/14/over-1000-refugees-expectedto-arrive-in-co-kildare-in-2017/
Christmas
Fianna Fil has said they "are not satisfied that the proposed
4% increase is appropriate"
NEWS
Image: RollingNews.ie
http://www.newstalk.com/En
da-Kenny-appeals-to-FiannaFil-to-pass-proposed-rentmeasures-before-Christmas
Finance Accounts 2014
Dec 8, 2015
https://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=josVLnNiRvQ
Johnathon Sugarman (Whistleblower)
With Vincent Browne
Dec 6, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUpmZV8QZiw
Hell hath no fury like a Justice scorned | Shane Ross | Irish Times |
07/12/16 |
It is important, as the chief justice has said, that politicians and judges owe
respect to the other.
And so we should. A prerequisite for such respect is that the method of judicial
appointments is transparent and democratic. Currently, it is not.
My Independent Alliance colleagues and I inserted a few paragraphs in the
Programme for Government insisting on long overdue reforms in the selection
and scrutiny of our judges.
The judges have greeted the proposals with thunder in their voices.
The dogs in the street know that party -political loyalties have played a
shameful part in the selection of Judges in Ireland. Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and
Labour barristers have often been forced to wait for regime change until they
were elevated to the bench.
I have campaigned for reform of this flawed system for years. I wrote chapters
in books on it. I even suggested that interviews might be held for the first time
ever. Being recently privileged with a place in the cabinet seemed a pretty
good perch from which to implement the changes. Fine Gael agreed to them.
At long last it seems that the appointment of judges is to be taken out of the
political arena.
And it is. Even Fianna Fail has agreed that the good old days of governments
appointing party pals to the bench are over.
A new Bill hit the Dail a few weeks ago, largely removing the selection of
judges from the political arena.
The Bill was proposed by a Fianna Fail barrister, Jim O Callaghan. It was
warmly welcomed in the Dail by all sides, as it tackled the cancer of political
patronage. A few other barrister TDs, besides Jim, joined Frances Fitzgerald
and me in our initial welcome of the breakthrough.
The Bill was far from perfect. While it largely removed political leverage, it
gave someone else legal eagles a majority on the new commission
selecting judges. The old system, a board that sent up a long, long list of likely
names to the minister for justice, would end. Under Jims Bill the judiciary and
their legal friends would control the choice. Political patrons would be
replaced by legal insiders.
Irelands judges will not have been displeased by what they call Jims Bill.
Yet the prospect of legal eagles in control of the appointment of judges runs
directly contrary to the Programme for Governments commitment. We
welcome judges and lawyers on the selection board, but not in control. The
Independent Alliance agreed to an independent layperson in the chair, flanked
by a majority of lay people advised by judges and lawyers, offering their
expertise. The chief Justice would be welcome among their number. While all
the lawyers would be full members, the legal professions iron grip would be
loosened. We do not want to see judges on the inside appointing their chosen
ones. What sort of replacement would that be for political cronyism? And,
acknowledging an omission in the programme for government, I proposed that
Judges should be legally obliged to declare all their financial and other
interests. Just like TDs.
Perhaps prompted by some rather colourful rhetoric from me and by Fianna
Fail support in the form of Jims Bill, Irelands lawyers took to the media. Two
weeks ago the chief justice broke cover. The newspapers responded with
massive coverage. I came under sustained attack. Journalist Colm Keena
The interview you all have being waiting for. Finally Irish
mainstream interviews Johnathon Sugarman, author of the
book Whistleblower. Johnathon goes into great detail
surrounding the complete lack of lawful behaviour of our
banks, the regulator and of the Irish government.
My apoligies for the quality, sadly I need to upgrade all my
computing tech.
https://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=UOUVL_3eIGw
Interviews of whistleblowers to Vasileios
Katsardis 15 11 2016
https://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=c7d3Cx-9ta8
Whistleblower protection: What must be
done?
Nov 16, 2016
Below all the soundbites in English
Kouloglou
There must be laws for protecting the whistleblowers. To
facilitate people who have secrets but are afraid to talk in
order to avoid suffering what the previous whistleblowers
https://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=HMsMsi0NFyo
A Functioning
Private Rented
Sector Needs
Landlords - SF
http://www.constructionireland.ie/constructionnews/223319/a-functioning-private-rented-sector-needslandlords-sf
Mr Simon Coveney TD, Minister for Housing, Planning,
Community & ... As the landlord continues to service his
mortgage throughout the term, with all relevant
http://www.ipav.ie/sites/default/files/ipav_submission_novemb
er_2016_-_rebuilding_ireland__strategy_for_the_rental_sector.pdf
Irish landlords to be
offered five years rent for
vacant properties
European News
21 Sep 2016
Investing in Student
Accommodation - The
Common Pitfalls
Celia Berg, Partner and Sophie D'Ivangin,
Associate, in the Real Estate practice at Berwin
Leighton Paisner, comment
Student Market
4 Jul 2016
Minister
Slammed Over
Plans To Permit
Landlords To
Increase Rents
levels.
Ms Carroll said the RTB now has a total of
323,271 tenancies registered, representing
172,121 landlords and 704,332 occupants.
Speaking on RT's Morning Ireland, she
said the return of migrants is another
contributing factor to the shortage of supply,
with "more people coming into the country,
probably particularly into the cities.
"We obviously have continued under-supply
and seasonal factors, short-term lets
happening more and more and that's putting
more pressure on the market."
Ms Carroll also stated that relationships
between landlords and tenants are generally
working well.
"We have a slight increase in the disputes but
nothing significant.
"We had over 4,000 disputes last year, but
that only represents 1% or 2% of all
tenancies so that shows most relationships
are working well between landlords and
tenants."
She said the nature of disputes has
somewhat changed with more issues such as
rent arrears and over-holding - where people
stay beyond their notice of termination indicating that perhaps these people have
nowhere to go.
The chairperson of the housing charity
Threshold said many of its clients are
subjected to rent increases as high as
this.
"In fact many are not expanding but
downsizing and some are getting out of the
business altogether," he said.
A new survey carried out by the Simon
Communities has found that 80% of rental
properties are beyond the reach of people
depending on State housing benefits.
It also found that there are less than half the
number of rental properties available when
compared to May 2015.
Speaking on RT's Morning
Ireland, spokesperson Niamh Randall said the
survey was a snapshot survey carried out in
ten areas.
It found 518 homes were available to rent
during the three days the study was
undertaken in August, down 19% from 637 at
the same time last year.
102 of the 518 homes available for rent were
within Rent Supplement/Housing Assistance
Payment (HAP) limits, with just eight of these
available for single people and 11 for
couples.
"Of huge concern is the ongoing reduction in
the availability of homes to rent down by
19% from August 2015 and by a shocking
55% since May 2015 when 1,150 homes were
available to rent," Ms Randall said.
"The increase in the limits, which happened
in July has made a difference, it's made a
small difference. So 80% of properties that
were available, were beyond the reach of
providers
- Using publicly owned land for development
- Promoting a build to rent model
- Supporting credit availability for bringing vacant stock
into the private rental market.
- Exploring the potential to bring into use, for rental
purposes, vacant properties where owners move to a
nursing home under the Fair Deal scheme.
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=sFdmTb1R9wI
By Mr O Reilly
Mon , July 11, 2016 ,
Fine Gael Minister Simon Coveney has said that Ireland
14 December 2016
Thirdly, the Strategy for the Rental Sector does not sufficiently address
the other major aspect of the rental crisis that is security of tenure.
There is no change to the situation whereby landlords can evict tenants
if they intend to sell the property or want it for family use and there is
insufficient protection for tenants being evicted from buy-to-let
properties in receivership being sold on to vulture funds. Without proper
tenant security the rental sector is not a secure form of tenancy
whereby people can make a long term home as tenants are left living in
constant fear and threat of eviction and homelessness.
The rental strategy proposal actually gives landlords a potential
incentive for evicting existing tenants. Properties that are renovated or
not let for two years are exempt from the rental restrictions so a
landlord could evict lower paying tenants, engage in renovations (or
leave it idle for two years) and then get new tenants in and charge them
much higher rents - which gives the landlord a bigger return over the
long term. The Rental Strategy in fact could worsen security of tenure
and homelessness through its proposal for a fast track processto
enable landlords to regain possession quickly where the non-payment
of rent constitutes the grounds for termination.
Finally, the strategy does not address the fundamental issue of the
current unaffordability of rents. Rents are already too high. So rather
than facilitating a further increase in rents there needs to be a strategy
to reduce rents. An affordable rent is around 20% of your disposable
income. Yet tenants are paying 50% and more on their rent and as a
result are going without basic necessities in order to cover their housing
costs.
Flawed approach to achieve supply
The governments principal policy approach to achieve affordability is to
increase supply. As the strategy states:
Ultimately, the most effective way to reduce and stabilise rents in the
medium to long term, with benefits for the entire sector, is to increase
supply.
But in order to increase supply, the government argues, you have to
make the building and provision of rental property (and similarly they
make the case for property for house purchase) economically viable i.e.
sufficiently profitable to entice developers and financiers. And to do that
you have to provide them a sufficient return that is why the 4% level
is set and, more importantly, that is why new property is being excluded
from the restrictions. It is to make the Irish rental sector attractive for
global property and financial speculative investors.
http://www.progressiveeconomy.ie/2016/12/rentalstrategy-insufficient-for.html
https://www.youtube.c
om/watch?
v=HnJZ2haLPCw
A priest in Italy has caused uproar after announcing
there would be no Christmas nativity scene at the
local cemetery this year because it could offend
Muslims and atheists.
Fr Sante Braggi said there would be no crib in the cemetery in
the northern city of Cremona because it may anger people of
others faiths or none whose relatives are buried there.
A small corner of the cemetery is reserved for Muslim
graves, Fr Braggi said. A crib positioned within sight of
them could be seen as a lack of respect for followers of other
faiths, hurt the sensibilities of Muslims, as well as Indians and
even atheists.
He also cited a lack of council workers to set up the crib as
another reason for abandoning the tradition.
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2016/12/italy-priest-bansnativity-scene-for-fear-of-offending-muslims
parents.
Zappone said: Our officials have assured us that before
Christmas we will be receiving another 131 refugees, and
that we would anticipate having the full number of
refugees coming from Greece and Italy, in the resettlement
programme, by the end of 2017. Thats about 2,600 of the
4,000.
Earlier this year, Ireland pledged to take in 4,000 refugees.
Zappone is currently on a three-day visit to Greece to visit
camps where those who fled to Europe are currently
staying.
https://www.thesun.ie/news/287083/some-131-refugeesset-to-land-on-irish-shores-before-christmas/
It looks like many of these guys have skin in the game, and
maintaining a housing shortage by not building, and
unchecked immigration, results in increased demand for any
houses or apartments coming on the rental market - win, win,
for the landlord class, and of course the Revenue who get 51%
of the take.
This approach assists these landlords, who more than likely
would have invested in these properties at the top end of the
boom in house prices, and maintaining high rents at the
present level is helping them to pay off their mortgages.
Dont you love non landlords telling everyone that they know exactly
how everything works.
Landlords are paying up to 51% on profit rent and still have to pay
the mortgage.
Hard to believe that facing an extra 11% in taxes and LPT that rents
have gone up substantially.
1
Landlords claim renters can escape without paying rent for a year
and a half
2
Minister Simon Coveney announces his plan for the rental sector.
Photo: Doug OConnor
http://www.newstalk.com/Fre
e-childcare-scheme-forchildren-affected-byhomelessness
Share to LinkedIn
Wallpapers
Apple has added three new wallpapers that can be used on
the new phone models; iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Each has
its own name - Droplet Blue, Droplet Red and Droplet Yellow.
100 New Emoji
You may well wonder if there's any real need for 100 more
emjoi, but you're getting them anyway! The new emoji
additions include male and female versions of firefighters and
judges.
"Press and Hold to Speak
You'll find Press and Hold to Speak within the Settings app >
General > Accessibility > Home Button. This allows you to
activate Siri or Voice Control when you press and hold
the circular home button.
Videos Widget
Apple has added a new widget for videos to the lock screen.
This widget will show you the latest videos recorded to the
device.
Headphones Icon
You'll find a small headphones icon in the status bar, which will
indicate when the headphones are connected. This is very
helpful for those of us using Bluetooth headphones.
http://www.newstalk.com/He
res-what-you-need-to-knowabout-the-latest-iOS-update
Apple Sidesteps
Billions in Taxes,
Heres How
Apple has established subsidiaries in locations that
offer low or zero taxation rates., and have created
corporate strategies in which clearly takes
advantage of the taxation loopholes. Should we
congratulate them or not?
By IT Ninja December 14, 2016
http://anonhq.com/applesidesteps-billions-in-taxesheres-how/
Housing refugees in family
homes Positive Action in
Housing petition
We call on the British government to harness the goodwill
of those individuals and families who are willing to take
refugees into their homes and quickly resettle Syrian
refugees so that they may begin the process of rebuilding
their lives.
themselves ?
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How welcome now are refugees in Europe?
Fleur Houston, Coventry, 22 November 2016
Now is a small word, so small that it often passes unnoticed,
almost an apology for a word. Yet here it has particular weight.
For now, today, Germany, Hungary, Austria, France are facing
significant political elections. And the key issue for all four is
the extent to which they are prepared to welcome refugees.
Two days ago, Angela Merkel announced that she was going
to stand again as Chancellor of Germany. There was a
widespread sense of relief. After three terms in office she still
has high popularity ratings both within her own party and in
Germany as a whole. She is widely respected as being one of
the few political leaders in Europe to defend universal moral
values which she has summarized herself as: democracy,
freedom, as well as respect for the rule of law and the dignity
of each and every person, regardless of their origin, skin
colour and creed, gender, sexual orientation or political views.
In 2015, with Europe in disarray, she emerged as guardian of
the principle of international asylum.
Mrs Merkel has made it clear that she and her government
were hit out of the blue by the mass movements of people that
were triggered by the conflicts of the Middle East. But she has
never distanced herself from the decision to open Germanys
borders to avert a humanitarian crisis in Hungary and has
always rejected calls for an upper limit to asylum seekers. She
has also rejected a banning of people on the basis of their
religious beliefs, claiming that this was incompatible with
Germanys constitution and her own partys ethical
foundations. Following a series of violent attacks on Germany
she affirmed that a rejection of the humanitarian stance we
took could have led to even worse consequences. Assailants,
exclude.
The second point I would like to make is that while a small
number of refugees are welcomed by western democratic
states through programmes of resettlement, spontaneous
arrivals are likely to be treated harshly and induced to leave.
To arrive by unauthorized means is seen by many people as
criminality. Yet as the Refugee Convention acknowledges,
refugees may be obliged to use illicit means of entry to a safe
country. They may never have had documentation or their
papers may have been lost or destroyed in the chaotic
circumstances of their flight. In consequence, host countries
shall not impose penalties. Yet to enter the UK without
papers or with false documentation supplied by a smuggler is
consistently seen by border officials as criminal activity or a
threat to national security.
These spontaneous arrivals are perceived to carry a criminal
virus to a civilized world. Not only do they flout national
boundaries, they typically consort with criminal smuggling
gangs to do so. But they may have little choice. Many are
fleeing for their lives. They may spend their life savings on
securing the services of a people smuggler to take them and
their families to safety in Europe. This may involve a journey
across the desert in a rickety vehicle or across the
Mediterranean or Aegean seas in an unsuitable craft.
Hundreds of thousands of men, women and children die on
the way. While Italian coast-guards, Greek fishermen and
other philanthropic individuals do what they can, acting on the
basic moral instinct that when people need help, you save
them, toddlers are still being washed up on the beaches while
the nations of Europe argue over who has responsibility for
sea rescue.
As the catastrophe continues to unfold, Europe continues to
http://focusonrefugees.org/republicof-ireland/
http://justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/PQ19-01-2016-300
Day of intercession in
memory of those who have
lost their lives
at the borders of the EU
Information, Intercessions and Ideas
http://www.ccme.be/fileadmin/filer/c
cme/20_Areas_of_Work/01_Refugee
_Protection/2016-06-08Intercession_day_June_2016.pdf
No homes for 2,470 of our children UN report shames our country
Monday, December 12, 2016
Irish Examiner Editorial
By Caroline O'Doherty
Senior Reporter
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Dear Deputy,
On 22nd March 2016 the Acting Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD, will report
to the Dil on the meeting of the European Council attended by himself
and Acting Minister of State, Dara Murphy TD, in Brussels on 17 and 18
March 2016.
As a group of organisations we are seeking your commitment to the
following:
Outlining the concerns about the EU-Turkey deal and the ways in which
it will place people at risk and undermine Irelands commitment to its
international obligations
Ensuring greater participation in the relocation of asylum seekers and
resettlement of refugees
Advocating for an increase in the number of refugees allowed to settle
in Ireland
http://immigrantcouncil.ie/pages/arti
cles/2016/10
Slow intake by Ireland and human rights
fears about EU plan must be addressed in
Dil statement
Ireland said:
Our political leaders must accept that a humanitarian
crisis needs a humanitarian response and meeting needs
of men, women and children fleeing war and terror must
be central if any solution is to be found.
When the acting Taoiseach makes his Dil statement this
morning he must address concerns around the latest EU
plan and also Irelands response.
Deputy Kenny must clarify what measures are in place to
ensure the deal reached with Turkey will not lead to illegal
mass deportations or undermine the right for people in
danger to seek asylum.
An update on the progress Ireland is making on meeting
its own commitments to refugees is also required. Last
September in response to public outrage the Government
agreed to accept 4,000 refugees yet to date plans have
only been advanced to take 5% of that figure.
In addition the search and rescue operations of the navy
must be urgently restarted as the need for the expertise of
our officers and crews is again great.
Despite recent political spin this crisis is far from over
two children a day are drowning on the Mediterranean
while we are close to 500 lives being lost so far this year.
Even if we are a lonely voice in Europe, Ireland has a duty
to act with humanity and be an example to others. The
Taoiseach can start this process with his Dil statement
today.
ENDS
http://immigrantcouncil.ie/pages/articles/2016/10
Demetrios G. Papademetriou
Distinguished Senior Fellow, Co-Founder and President
Emeritus of the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), and
President of MPI Europe
UNHCR Ireland
Safe Passage UK
Immigration
Reform and
Law Centre
The Immigrant Council of Ireland is an Independent Law
Centre under the Solicitors Acts, 1954 to 2002
(Independent Law Centres) Regulations 2006.
The Immigrant Councils legal team can provide assistance
and legal representation to individuals regarding their
immigration status. This is a free, but limited, service for
particularly complex situations or cases that give rise to
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Sochna.
The purpose of the Immigrant Councils Specialist
Immigration Advocacy Service is to provide quick, holistic
and appropriate responses to the needs of vulnerable
clients. We are committed to ensuring confidential and
priority access to support services and legal advice. We
view our Specialist Immigration Advocacy Service as an
integral part of our overall strategy of working in
cooperation with other organisations to provide free,
confidential and reliable information, quality legal advice
and representation, as well as appropriate referrals as
necessary.
Contact can be made through the Immigrant Councils
Information and Referral Service on (01) 674
0200 between 10am and 1pm on Mondays, Tuesdays,
Thursdays and Fridays. The Information and Referral
Service is closed on Wednesdays.
The Refugee Legal Service (www.legalaidboard.ie) is
available to asylum or subsidiary protection applicants
who require a free legal advice service. The Refugee Legal
Service also provides legal aid and advice in appropriate
cases on immigration and deportation matters. Other nongovernmental organisations can also provide asylum or
subsidiary protection applicants with information and
support, for example, the Irish Refugee Council
(www.irishrefugeecouncil.ie) and The Integration
Centre (www.integrationcentre.ie).
We are grateful for the continued financial support to our
services from Pobal, the Department of the Environment,
Community and Local Government and the Programme,
the Scheme to Support National Organisations 2016-2019.
http://immigrantcouncil.ie/pages/arti
cles/2016/10
Homeless children in Ireland worse
off than those in UK
Saturday, December 10, 2016
Follow
RT News
13 13 Retweets11 11 likes
Taoiseach said.
But he added: "We've got to be realistic in
what we can contribute."
Mr Kenny suggested that under the new
scheme the overall EU relocation figure
would be "over 100,000."
"It's not realistic to set a figure on this, but
there will be a real focus following the justice
ministers' meeting, which will arise at the
[heads of government] European Council in
October.
Past experience is that countries will not
measure up if they're asked to do so
voluntarily," the Taoiseach said.
Mr Kenny described the picture of the young
boy on the beach in Turkey as "absolutely
shocking."
He said: "Any parent could see that child in
their own arms. Here was the body of a
young boy, a life lost and wasted, washed up
on a beach."
He said the image would "shock political
processes into taking action.
FF ask Kenny to recall Dil early
over crisis
Fianna Fil has tonight written to the
Taoiseach asking him to recall the Dil to
debate how Ireland can respond to the
refugee crisis.
The party said Ireland can no longer wait for
a pan European response and should instead
lead the way.
http://www.nascireland.org/parliamentary-questions/pq-refugee-resettlementprogramme-7/
http://www.nascireland.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Childrencannot-wait_7-priority-actions-to-protect-children-in-migration_78organisations_29-November-2016.pdf
protection.
I am advised that it is the intention of the Irish Refugee Protection Programme
to adopt broadly the same approach when establishing Emergency Reception
and Orientation Centres (EROCs).
NGO-Coalition-Briefing-Paper-IRP-Bill-2010_FINAL
http://www.nascireland.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/NGOCoalition-Briefing-Paper-IRP-Bill-2010_FINAL.pdf
Submission to Select Committee on Justice, Defence and
Womens Rights Immigration Residence and Protection Bill 2010
http://www.nascireland.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/NascSubmission-on-key-elements-of-the-IRP-bill-2010-11.pdf
1
Syrian refugees cross into Iraq amid continued fighting
http://www.independent.ie/irish
-news/ireland-urged-to-sheltersome-of-the-two-million-syrian-
refugees-29523249.html
THE CORK CITY INTEGRATION
STRATEGY (CCIS) 2008-2011
http://www.integration.ie/websi
te/omi/omiwebv6.nsf/page/AXB
N-85KK841540318-en/
$File/Cork%20City
%20Integration%20Strategy
%20(CCIS)%202008-2012.pdf
migration nation statement on integration strategy and diversity
management
http://www.integration.ie/websi
te/omi/omiwebv6.nsf/page/AXB
N-7SQDF91044205-en/
$File/Migration%20Nation.pdf
Laws for Legal Immigration in
the 27 EU ... PIELAMI
Cooperation on Preventing
Illegal employment of Labour ...
through the introduction of
integration-related .
http://publications.iom.int/syste
m/files/pdf/iml_16.pdf
http://trends.gmfus.org/files/arc
hived/immigration/doc/TTI2010
_English_Key.pdf
Alliance of Civilization of
multinational strategy on ...
and to pursue more efficiently
the illegal immigration
http://www.unaoc.org/repositor
y/thematic_migration.pdf
Immigration Taking Action on ... Cracking Down on Illegal
Immigration at the Border: ... read the Immigration
Blueprint
https://www.whitehouse.gov/sit
es/default/files/rss_viewer/immi
gration_blueprint.pdf
Family Unity
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Nasc has been to the fore on campaigning for the rights of Irish citizen
children with migrant parents. Following the decision of the Court of Justice of
the European Union in the case Ruiz Zambrano v Office National de LEmploi
(C 34/09) which recognised the rights to reside and work in the State of nonEEA citizen parents of dependent Irish citizen children, Nasc were
instrumental in having the right of unlimited access to the labour market for
parents of Irish citizen children extended to Romanian and Bulgarian parents
of Irish citizen children.
After their accession to the EU, Romanians and Bulgarians were given limited
access to the Irish labour market and were generally required to obtain a work
permit. This disadvantaged Romanian and Bulgarian jobseekers as only
certain types of employment with a renumeration of 30,000 p/a and above
were eligible for work permits.
Arguing that EU law prohibited the State from treating EU citizens less
favourably than their EU counterparts, Nasc referred the case of a Romanian
man with an Irish citizen child to PILA for litigation. The case was settled with
the Department of Justice removing the requirement for work permits for all
Romanian and Bulgarian parents of Irish citizen children. Subsequently the
State removed work permit restrictions for all Romanian and Bulgarian
nationals.
L
L
INIS has recently published new guidelines for family reunification. More
information about the guidelines is available on our Factsheet. Nasc has
welcomed these guidelines but we have concerns about some aspects of the
policy and on the implementation of the guidelines. You can read more about
our concerns here.
The MIPEX index assesses and compares integration policies worldwide.
Irelands family reunion policies score very low indeed on the overall ranking
table, we rank the worst of the 31 countries (EU and North America) surveyed.
Click here to download Nascs submission (pdf) to Irelands Universal Periodic
Review (UPR) at the United Nations General Assembly (including family
reunion concerns).
Watch our 3 minute Better Together video to meet Tracy, her husband
Abdullah, and their baby Malika. Abdullahs first application for permission to
come to live in Ireland with his family was denied. Tracy made a second
application with Nascs assistance, and she and her husband are now living in
Cork together with their daughter.
decision-making on family reunification both within INIS itself and the visa
offices in Irish embassies and consulates throughout the world. However, after
our initial inspection of the policy document, we have considerable concerns,
which are outlined below.
There are several aspects to the policy which we welcome, however
additional clarification on starting dates and details of administrative schemes
is required. We welcome new measures such as the introduction of
provisional entry to the State for the purposes of marriage, the introduction of
standardised application forms, the introduction of interim administrative
permissions for minors under 16, the references to the exceptional
circumstances of domestic violence victims and the commitment to the
establishment of a statutory appeals mechanism which will include family
reunification appeals. We also note that the new policy allows for family
members of sponsors to apply for residence in their own right after five years
of residence in the State.
While we are pleased that the INIS has provided clarity on the necessary
requirements to those who wish to reunite with elderly or dependent parents,
we are concerned that the income thresholds of 60,000 net for one parent
and 75,000 net for two parents for each of three years preceding the
application will bar many Irish and immigrant families from reuniting with their
parents.
We cautiously welcome the proposed introduction of a pre-clearance system
for non-visa required nationals who wish to reside in Ireland and often times
find themselves in a limbo situation while their application is being processed.
However inclusion of this proposal without indicating when this measure may
be introduced and confirming the interim current procedure may be confusing
as it appears to contradict policy contained on other parts of the INIS website.
Issues of Concern
There are several points which we consider quite negative and potentially
very harmful, including consistent reference within the document to decisions
made by family members to voluntarily separate and that the State does not
bear an obligation to reunite the family in these cases. We believe that this is
not reflective of a modern global society where immigration for work purposes
is increasingly common and where instant communication has made it
possible for families to have close links and ties while living thousands of
miles apart.
A major concern is the restrictive economic policies in places for people,
including Irish citizens who wish to reunite with spouses. Comparatively, the
income threshold is quite high and could effectively bar many people from
applying for reunification with their family. For those who are ill or unable to
work due to disability or old age there is no possibility that they will be in a
position to meet the income requirement. Furthermore, we believe that the
seven year bar on making a second spouse or de facto application is
excessive. Worryingly, the policy document refers to the ineligibility of
sponsors who are suspected of contracting a marriage of convenience
without referencing how or when it will be decided that a marriage of
convenience has, in fact, taken place.
The inclusion of the INIS policy on DNA testing is welcome however important
information regarding how long people may expect INIS to retain their biodetails provided in the DNA testing results is omitted. We would ask INIS to
confirm that this information is used only for the purposes for which it is
provided and is not shared with any other State or non State organisations.
In addition, there are a few points which suggest potential developments in
the future that we will be keeping a close eye on, including the possible
introduction of English language tests and knowledge of Irish culture and
society. It is positive that the document mentions that long term residency
should be available however no indication of when or how this might be done
is included. There is currently no permanency of residence for non-EEA
citizens.
Nasc CEO Fiona Finn comments on the new policy:
We are delighted that after years of pushing for changes to family
reunification policy, we are finally seeing some movement towards clarification
of the existing policy. However there are some very worrying aspects to this
document and several areas that require additional clarification.
We call on the Department of Justice to immediately amend the document to
rectify the issues mentioned above. We also ask for the immediate
introduction of the statutory appeals mechanism to ensure families are
reunited as quickly and efficiently as possible. And finally, we will continue to
campaign on behalf of Irish citizens, who remain in limbo without a legal right
to family reunification with their loved ones.
We welcome the states recognition that the current system is in need of
reform across a number of areas and look forward to the publication of the
Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill which is promised to bring greater
clarity to this critical area, Ms Finn adds
http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/PB13000447
EU Council Directive 2003/86/EC of 22 September 2003 on the right to family
reunification
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?
uri=CELEX:32003L0086&from=EN
http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Fa
mily%20Reunification%20Policy
%20Document.pdf/Files/Family
%20Reunification%20Policy
%20Document.pdf
FACTSHEET ON INIS POLICY DOCUMENT ON NON- EEA FAMILY
REUNIFICATION]
http://www.nascireland.org/wpcontent/uploads/2013/09/Famil
y-Reunification-Factsheet-2.pdf
Policy Document on Non-EEA Family
Reunification
http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Fa
mily%20Reunification%20Policy
%20Document.pdf/Files/Family
%20Reunification%20Policy
%20Document.pdf
Better Together With Nasc - Bringing
Families Together"
Dec 15, 2011
This is a short film we made with the help of Brian Cronin as
part of the 2011 Better Together (www.bettertogether.ie) video
Cork City.
Source: Shutterstock
Airbnb
As a result, developers are planning to build a lot more
houses, starter homes, for first-time buyers.
Major decision
Writing in TheJournal.ie, Sinn Fin housing spokesman
Eoin Broin said the measures could amount to an
average 4,500 rent hike over the next three years for
renters in Dublin city. Renters in Cork city, meanwhile,
could be hit with a bill for 3,200, he said.
Fianna Fil broadly supports the strategy, but wants the
rent-pressure zones extended to Galway, Limerick,
Waterford and parts of the commuter counties and the 4%
figure lowered.
Now whats happened here really is a procedural
nightmare, education spokesman Thomas Byrne told
RTs Morning Ireland today.
Once again, coming up to Christmas, the government is
going to make a major decision which is going to have
major consequences.
And, quite frankly, in this case, were going to have to
take action. Because its extremely market-sensitive, and if
action isnt taken this week, then the rental market could
go off
He added: This is extremely sensitive, not only in terms
of the rental market but also the stock exchange, and the
Dil cant be in that space. We must show the public that
we can actually effect change, and make a real difference
in peoples lives.
Crazy
Byrne said Fianna Fil housing spokesman Barry Cowen
has been in discussions with Minister Coveney regarding
the 4%, and the geographic areas covered by the measures.
Fine Gael junior minister Damien English last night ruled
out any change to the 4% measure on RTs Primetime.
Byrne said Fianna Fil could in theory amend the
governments measures without Fine Gael support, but
added:
We want to engage in fruitful discussions on this with the
government.
He said the ministers approach has resulted in procedural
chaos.
Our teams have been working throughout the night on
this, and government have been as well. Its not the way to
do this.
The government is tabling this not as an existing bill, but
as four-stage amendments to an existing bill thats already
Landlords
Asked whether Fianna Fil would link proposed tax breaks
for landlords with greater security for tenants, Byrne said
the Constitution precludes an opposition party from
tabling a finance bill.
Byrne said the partys proposals are somewhere in
between the 4% cap and linking rent increases to the
consumer price index.
The partys proposals are based on the average of rents
over the past five years, allowing for increases in some
areas but a ban on increases in other areas.
We think the 4% is just too high its a price increase. It
certainly should be lower, Im not going to put a figure on
it.
As of October, there were 3,486 homeless adults and
children in the State, three times what the figure was three
years ago.
There are 142 people, meanwhile, sleeping rough in
Dublin city alone.
Certainly the housing supply needs to be increased,
Byrne said.
And thats not happening fast enough, because they need
houses a lot of the single people who are homeless would
be ideal for bedsits.
TheJournal Politics
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Taoiseach says plan will work to end the use of long term
emergency accommodation
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EU rules
The question of whether Ireland is prevented by EU rules
from spending more money to build social housing was
also raised today. If we could, we would spend more,
Coveney maintained.
He said his department was speaking to agencies such as
the NTMA about funding vehicles that could finance social
housing. He pointed to a model being used by Nama in
which they pay for the building of houses and lease them
long-term to approved housing bodies, which then sublet
them to social housing tenants.
Coveney said this ensures the matter is off-balance sheet.
We do need to get clarity from Eurostat on what works and
what doesnt.
He said there were cases in the UK where social housing
had been built and deemed off-balance sheet, only to be
told by Eurostat, the EUs statistics agency, that it is in fact
on-balance sheet.
It has caused huge problems there, so we want to avoid
that problem, he said, adding that it would take time to
clarify.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rAPWcpUE3E
Tight lending
McCartney said that although these large companies
aimed to buy at the lowest price possible, their presence
had the effect of pushing prices up for everyone else.
Dn Laoghaire-Rathdown
Overall, the new CSO data showed that the national
average house price in 2015 was 225,783, although there
were huge variations across the country.
The most expensive area was Dn Laoghaire-Rathdown,
where households paid an average of 568,980 to buy a
house.
Second and third most expensive in 2015 were the Dublin
city and Fingal administrative areas, where the average
house price was 389,022 and 336,310 respectively.
The least expensive place to buy a house in 2015 was
Longford, where the average price paid was just under
80,000. The second and third least expensive places
were Roscommon and Leitrim, with average prices of
94,105 and 94,572 respectively.
The data also shows that Irelands property crash was
more severe than previously thought. According to the
CSO house prices fell by 54.4% after the property bubble
burst in 2007, more than the previous estimate of 51%,
before beginning to recover in Dublin in 2012.
Cork city and is due to come into effect in the new year.
Mr Coveney has already had to overcome worries in his
own Fine Gael party about the plan, with Taoiseach
Enda Kenny, Minister for Finance Michael Noonan,
Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe and
Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar among
those concerned about its potential effect on the rental
market and investment in the sector.
The rent predictability plan sets out proposals for socalled rent pressure zones and imposing limitations
on the level of rent increases allowable on residential
properties in these zones. The designation will apply
for three years and would mean landlords can only
increase rents by 4 per cent a year in that period.
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Rent cap
Fianna Fil has objected to the 4 per cent rent cap,
saying it favours a 2 per cent threshold, but it is open
to compromise on the matter.
It is also concerned that the scheme will initially be
confined to just Dublin and Cork city, although Mr
https://soundcloud.com/irishtimes-politics/coveneysrental-plan-enda-kennys-leadership-six-months-of-newpolitics
https://soundcloud.com/irishtimes-politics/simoncoveney-and-paul-murphy-on-water
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The new plan will also strengthen of the role and powers of
the Residential Tenancies Board the agency set up in
2004 to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants.
The measures include boosted dispute resolution
timeframes (time for appeals will be cut from 21 to ten
days and one person tribunals will be held in some cases
allowing for more tribunals to take place). The law in the
area would also be simplified, according to the plan
announced this afternoon.
Todays measures follow changes introduced last year by
then-housing minister Alan Kelly, which included longer
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Rent cap
Fianna Fil has objected to the 4 per cent rent cap,
saying it favours a 2 per cent threshold, but it is open
to compromise on the matter.
It is also concerned that the scheme will initially be
confined to just Dublin and Cork city, although Mr
Coveney has said other areas may be included from
next March.
Fianna Fils housing spokesman, Barry Cowen, will
meet his Sinn Fin counterpart, Eoin Broin, to
consider joint amendments to the legislation.
Mr Varadkar raised concerns at Tuesdays Cabinet
meeting over the effect the plan will have on rents in
FG & FF No Closer To
Agreement On
Proposed Rent
Increase Limits.
Fine Gael and Fianna Fil appear no closer to agreement on
Ms Zappone said that to every living child in some inner Dublin city,
their responses would be the opposite of what she expects to hear
CHILD MIGRANT
TURNS OUT TO BE
ADULT VIOLENT
RAPIST
December 14, 2016
JAYDA FRANSEN
A Muslim taxi driver who claimed he was the son of a
Taliban leader has been jailed for 18 years for violent
rapes.
Ghairat Khan, 26, claimed to be from Afghanistan and only
15 when he arrived in the UK to qualify him for asylum
but the authorities now believe that he is from Pakistan
and was lying about his age.
After he was threatened with deportation in an immigration
age row, Khan went to Teesside where he violently raped
two women.
Khan, formerly of Bowesfield Lane, Stockton, was jailed
for 18 years, ordered to register as a sex offender for life,
and given an indefinite Sexual Offences Prevention Order
after the court learnt he raped his victims a number of
times then subsequently threatened them over the phone.
http://www.jaydafransen.com/child-migrant-turns-out-to-be-adultviolent-rapist/
employment income.
It is essential that the income of an applicant under the
scheme is of a long-term and sustainable nature, to
ensure that the tenant purchasing the house is in a
financial position, as the owner, to maintain and insure the
property for the duration of the charged period, in
compliance with the conditions of the order transferring
ownership of and responsibility for the house from the
local authority to the tenant.
Consequently, a number of social welfare payments,
including Carers Allowance, are disregarded for the
purposes of determining the reckonable income. A list of
these payments can be viewed on my Departments
website at the following link:
http://www.environ.ie/search/category/housing/subtopic/incremental-purchasescheme/topic/activity/topic/guidelines.
In line with the commitment given in the Programme for
a Partnership Government, and reaffirmed in Rebuilding
Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, I
intend to undertake a review of the scheme following the
first 12 months of operation and to bring forward any
changes to the terms and conditions of the scheme which
are considered necessary based on the evidence gathered
at that stage. I expect this review to be completed during
the first quarter of 2017.
Electoral Commission Administration
197. Deputy Bobby Aylward Information on Bobby Aylward
Zoom on Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Housing,
Planning, Community and Local Government Information
on Simon Coveney Zoom on Simon Coveney further to
Parliamentary Question No. 286 of 18 October 2016, if he
will provide a further update as to when the Boundary
Review Commission, established to examine the boundary
between counties Kilkenny and Waterford, is expected to
publish its concluding report in view of the fact that the
results of the Roscommon-Westmeath border have been
, he said.
The building industry has stated the cost of and regulation
of construction needs to be reduced for more homes to be
built.
IRES has spent hundreds of millions of euro buying
apartments, mostly entire apartment blocks from banks
and Nama.
Trade.
The Commission has reviewed the calculations used to set
the taxable basis in those rulings and, based on a
preliminary analysis, has concerns that they could
underestimate the taxable profit and thereby grant an
advantage to the respective companies by allowing them
to pay less tax. The Commission notes that the three
rulings concern only arrangements about the taxable
basis; they do not relate to the applicable tax rate itself.
In parallel to these three formal investigations, the
Commission will continue its wider inquiry into tax rulings,
which covers more Member States.
Luxembourg, contrary to The Netherlands and Ireland,
only provided the Commission with a limited sample of the
information requested (see IP/14/309), which included the
ruling for Fiat Finance and Trade, but not the complete
information demanded by the Commission. The
Commission has therefore initiated infringement
proceedings against Luxembourg by issuing letters of
formal notice.
Background
The Commission is looking at the compliance with EU state
aid rules of certain tax practices in some Member States in
the context of aggressive tax planning by multinationals,
with a view to ensure a level playing field. A number of
multinational companies are using tax planning strategies
to reduce their global tax burden, by taking advantage of
the technicalities of tax systems, and substantially
reducing their tax liabilities. This aggressive tax planning
practice erodes the tax bases of Member States, which are
already financially constrained.
Regarding tax rulings specifically, the preliminary
enquiries have shown that the quality and the consistency
of the scrutiny by the tax authorities differ substantively
across Member States. In particular, the Commission notes
that The Netherlands seem to generally proceed with a
Fine Gael always put the people second ... and this will
continue, because the next generation of Blueshirt is just
as subservient - on TV during the week, Noel Rock, Fine
Gael's youngest TD (age 28) expressed some doubts
about CETA but was still prepared to back it. With morons
like Rock who will put their party before the interests of
the people in the hope that his loyalty to Kenny will get
him promotion there is no hope for real democracy in this
country any time soon
looked after and got richer. Much richer. Like Denis O'Brien
who under Joan's watch added more millions to his
BILLIONS. Joan destroyed the Labour Party of Connolly and
Larkin and made it more right wing than even the
Blueshirts. When the people deserted Joan & the
Charlatans in the General Election herself and the hated
Alan Kelly who both scraped back into Dil ireann,
decided to re-invent themselves so that they could
continue pocketing massive salaries and live a life of
luxury. And that is why Joan came on the radio and
pleaded for Noonan to look after the little people, And why
Alan Kelly was on the same programme last week voicing
support for striking workers.
They have no shame.
noonanshares2
On 6 May, the total value of state-owned shares in the two
banks fell by 2.88%, from 1.97 billion to 1.92 billion
On 9 May, it fell by 4.22%, from 1.92 billion to 1.84
billion
On 12 May, it fell by 3.27%, from 1.8 billion to 1.75
billion
As you can see, there is no calculation method for any of
the three dates in question which shows a drop in the
value of state-owned bank shares by anywhere close to
10%.
Minister Noonans claim, as articulated in the Dil on
Thursday, is therefore entirely FALSE.
What did he mean to say?
We asked Michael Noonans spokesperson whether he
accepted that his claim in the Dil last Tuesday was false,
and if he would be retracting it.
We did not receive a substantive response to that
question, but our attention was drawn to remarks the
Minister made to reporters two days later, on Thursday,
when he re-articulated his position:
When Michael McGrath first began to publicise his intent
to publish the bill on the 9th of May, between that and the
17th of May, the average decline in Bank of Ireland and
PTSB was about 10.5%. And thats what I referred to in my
speech.
That 11-day time frame is very different to what the
Minister claimed in the Dil, but if youre interested in
seeing it evaluated, read on.
Between those two points in time, the total did indeed fall
by 10.5%, from 1.92 billion to 1.72 billion.
Aye sure its happening again, I was called offered a brand new Volvo
S40. Approved from the bank via the dealers just come down and
sign the papers and we will do the rest. The auto finance loan is the
new 100% mortgage. We should have fucked them into jail like
Iceland did and told Germany to get to fuck. Absolute psychos
pushing buttons behind computers approving people they know full
well to be high risk and likely to fall into arrears so they can
repossess the property and make a killing while destroying peoples
Michel Martin and Fianna Fil are waiting for the right
moment to pull the plug on Kenny and his puppet
government. When Fianna Fil think the time is right they
will ditch Kenny and a General election will follow. Martin
and his advisers know that they must be seen to oppose
water charges to win enough marginal seats to get them
back into power - with the Labour Party and the Greens.
Once in office Martin and his new friend Alan Kelly will
move quickly to re-introduce water charges and they'll
offer some lame excuse like 'the EU/European Commission
INSIST that we charge for water usage'. Once the charges
are up and running the EU will also decide that Irish Water
must be sold. Competition law, etc. etc. Alan Kelly's
brother Declan and his Teneo will want to snap up Ireland's
Quiet Avoided.
.
As Saturday's water charge protest nears, its VERY
important that people notice that political parties are
being sly and clever in avoiding mentioning eradication of
(a) Irish Water itself and (b) the water meters.
.
Most parties except FG, Renua and Labour (who are
deliberate keeping their heads down, hoping their don't
get any flak) are looking to come out of the water situation
as if they are on the side of the protesters - for eventual
votes.
.
The few GENUINE ones will state absolute clear that that
they want:
(a) water charges gone
(b) Irish Water, the expensive private registered company
gone
(c) the end to meters being bullied in so to eventually
charge
.
Sadly, too many political parties are being sly about
stating ALL three. They mention (a) to try garnish public
support but duck (b) and (c).
.
Look at recent past statements and look at ones coming
soon. Listen to what's being said - but more importantly,
find what's actually NOT being stated!
.
Irish Water, the company and meter usage (ability to
specific bill) is being avoided by some. You are not meant
to notice this though!
Irish citizens evicted from their homes this past weekend it make
you sick to your stomach how corrupt this business ( i mean
country) is. Run by money men psychos and liars that put no value
on human life only in turning a euro for profits. CUNTS!!
He`s being doing more than sticking it with the EU. She
was also investigated for corruption.
Useless tossers could not run a raffle. Ireland one of the most fertile
lands on earth with vast resources intelligent people incredible
history and culture. Run into the ground by gobshites corruption and
cronyism we need a whole new system of government and we
cannot have the corrupt Gardai minding the ballot boxes it is a joke.
I still cannot believe that Kenny got Thirteen and a half thousand
votes in Mayo a county devastated by emigration evictions suicides
and unemployment what a complete moron the man is. he lost the
election but is still in power.
Micheal Martin and Fianna Fail like to talk about crisis but
they ignore the fact that they CREATED it
This marks the first time a Fine Gael Taoiseach has ever
been re-elected and represents a partial return to power
for Fianna Fil, the party in charge during the devastating
financial collapse and subsequent austerity.
Fine Gael has consistently blamed Fianna Fil for
destroying the economy, and the other parties have
blamed both of them for their stifling austerity measures
which have increased homelessness, privatization, and
emigration.
If Michel Martin got off his arse and did a day's work he
wouldn't feel the cold. The people sleeping on freezing
streets tonight Michel because of yours and Fianna Fil's
mistakes could tell you what 'cold and chilly' really feels
like?
Big Mick does not want any light to shine on the strange
goings on in NAMA. Big fat Mick gets very annoyed if
anybody questions him about the flogging of state assets
to vulture funds at knockdown prices... or about the
developers who ruined our country and who are back in
business (and laughing all the way to the bank) thanks to
NAMA... But Big Mick gets really, really upset and visibly
annoyed if anybody - especially the "man in the pink
shirt", mentions the shenanigans up North. Something to
hide Big Mick?
They along with Kenny are trying to make the people think that the
row is about 12.5% cooperate tax, but it is not, We have been the
row is about Apple having an office in Ireland that was deemed as
its main office ,Apple were putting the biggest bulk of its world wide
trade through that ghost office so they could avoid taxes, now it is
the business that passed through that ghost office that is the
problem. And it is not Apples problem it is the Irish revenues
problem they have helped so many companies to avoid paying their
fair share of tax, but they will jail us for fifty euro. We have been
screwed. and it is time we stood up against revenue and the
government, they are very quick to accept EU rulings on water taxes
and household taxes, the government don't tell them to go away we
will deal with taxes in our own way and say we are a sovereign
nation and won't take interference from others, bullshit always
catches up with people who use it on a daily basis.
: 6 RESULTS /react-text
9 1259 Votes
R
R
R
Dec 6, 2016
This is a must watch & share.
The interview you all have being waiting for. Finally Irish
mainstream interviews Johnathon Sugarman, author of the
book Whistleblower. Johnathon goes into great detail
surrounding the complete lack of lawful behaviour of our
banks, the regulator and of the Irish government.
My apoligies for the quality, sadly I need to upgrade all my
computing tech.
Find Truthful Irish @
https://www.facebook.com/truthful.irish/
Contents used under the Fair Use acts.
Show is edited, all ads and newspaper reviews have been
removed. Watch the full uninterrupted video here.
http://www.tv3.ie/3player/show/41/0/T...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUpmZV8QZiw
HERE IS REAL TRUTHFUL NEWS NOT FLAWED NEWS
ABOUT THE NIGHT OF THE BANK BAILOUT, THAT FG, FF,
AND LB, GP, PD, MEDIA ARE BLOCKING OUT USING SF AS A
POLITICAL POLITICS FOR THEIR OWN GAIN IN VOTES
ment/334243711/HousingMinister-Simon-Coveney-isa-Landlord
CV - Simon Coveney TD
Title
Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local
Government
Personal details
Full name: Simon Coveney
Place and date of birth: Cork, 16th June 1972
Place of residence: The Rock, Carrigaline, County Cork
Civil status: Married to Ruth, with three daughters
Education
Mr. Coveney holds a B.Sc. in Agriculture and Land
Management from The Royal Agriculture College,
Gloucestershire. He was also educated at Clongowes
Wood College, County Kildare; University College Cork
and Gurteen Agricultural College, County Tipperary.
Other activities
A keen fan of all competitive sport, he played rugby for
Garryowen, Cork Constitution and Crosshaven Rugby
Club. In 1997/8 he led the "Sail Chernobyl Project" which
involved sailing 30,000 miles around the world for charity.
Mr. Coveney continues to be involved in the running of a
family farm in County Cork.
http://www.housing.gov.ie/cor
porate/ministers/cv-simoncoveney-td
oad%2C31535%2Cen.pdf
https://www.kildarenow.com/news/ministercoveney-says-there-is-no-direct-link-betweenbegging-and-homelessness-in-kildare/133188
Coveney Allocates
25million for the first phase
of Dolphin House
Regeneration Project
Published on Wednesday, 20 Jul 2016
http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/socialhousing/regeneration-scheme/coveneyallocates-eu25million-first-phase-dolphinhouse
Cllrs Paul McAuliffe (FF) and Noeleen Reilly (SF) with Director of
Axis which benefits from the Social Regeneration Fund, Mark
OBrien (centre).
MINISTER for Housing, Planning, Community and Local
Government, Simon Coveney, paid a visit to Ballymun last
week to hear concerns over plans to end the areas Social
Regeneration Fund.
Last month Northside People reported how the future financing of
several local programmes in Ballymun is unclear following a
http://www.eveningecho.ie/cork-news/e30kgrants-landlords-scheme-house-homeless-
vulnerable/2532782/
3
Minister for Housing, Planning, Community & Local Government
Simon Coveney TD during the announcement of the Government's
new Rental Strategy under Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for
Housing & Homelessness at the Government Press Centre,
Dublin. Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins
"We are pleased that Fine Gael have abandoned their long
held view that there should be no interference in the rental
sector and that the market alone should decide on rental
levels," he said.
He said he also wanted "to acknowledge" that Fine Gael
have included recommendations made by Fianna Fil in
its recent submission on rent reviews.
"However, we have genuine concerns with elements of the
current model as outlined and with its limited
geographical scope," he said.
"We are anxious that other cities be added immediately
and will be asking that Galway, Limerick, Waterford and
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http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/ff-to-tryblock-rent-pressure-zones-being-limited-todublin-and-cork-35289605.html
Minister Coveney please don't do this. Consider what happened in
California where a long history of similar rent controls contributed to
disastrous fire in Oakland and the deaths of Irish students in Berkeley.
Attempts to punish landlords are always passed to tenants. Rent
subsidies only transfer wealth to property owners and push prices
beyond what non-subsidised renters can afford.
First do no harm! Next, stop seeing the landlord-tenant relationship as a
class war. Instead, reward those who form a mutually beneficial
business relationship. Decrease a landlord's income tax for each year he
maintains the same tenants. Put a 10% tax on vacant property, followed
by a tax break for renovation and tax breaks for raising the BER
efficiency. You'll put builders to work within weeks and reduce
homelessness by January. Less money will leave the Irish economy to
pay for heating BER D and F rentals.
The current plan is a non-starter and will do much more harm than
good.
So the decent landlords who did not increase their tenants rent for a
number of years are being penalised as their next increase will be 4%of
the lower rent.The greedy landlords who increased their rents by
exorbitant levels will get 4% increase on a higher rent.you will have two
houses beside each other one with a rent of 1,000 and the other with a
rent of 2,000 I guess it pays to be greedy.What are this goverment
playing at, they did the same with the water charges, those that do the
right thing get penalised and those that don't pay get rewarded.i think
its time to get out of this renting game
Rent has twice been found unconstitutional. In the case of Blake v
Ireland. It was also found to be unconstitutional in an Article 26
reference by the president to the Supreme Court. Far better to remove
the 300 a month direct rent increase introduced by FG/Labour in the
2013 Budget by adding property tax, PRSI and USC to rent. That caused
about 20% of rentals to be taken off the market. It is one cock up after
another
The Settled Land Act, 1882, with explanation, notes, and
precedents, also with the rules and forms for proceedings in court,
and an appendix containing the Settled Estates Act, 1877, the
Conveyancing and Married Women's Property Acts, 1882, and the
rules and forms under the conveyancing acts
https://ia902708.us.archive.org/8/items/settledlandact1800dodduoft/
settledlandact1800dodduoft.pdf
UnderEUDelegationandseparationof
powers
Separation_of_Powers The Judicial Power and the Legislature
https://s3.amazonaws.com/oxbridgenotes/samples/5406/original/Sep
aration_of_Powers_sample.pdf
Ireland has strong tenant protection laws. ... In Blake v
Attorney General ... hi just found out that our tenants have
been subletting our house for the last 2 years.
http://www.francisbennion.com
/pdfs/fb/2006/2006-015separation-of-powers.pdf
European Union, ... should only be cast by the leader of the
delegation in a unitary way. ... separation of powers into a
system that has always ignored it
http://www.epc.eu/documents/u
ploads/602431467_EPC
%20Working%20Paper
%202%20The%20future%20of
%20EU%20decision
%20making.pdf
https://www.kingsinns.ie/cmsfil
es/entranceexamination/ConstitutionalSyllabus-2014.pdf
This text of the Constitution is a copy of the text enrolled on 27
... the Treaty on European Union ... between Ireland and
another state.]
https://www.constitution.ie/Doc
uments/Bhunreacht_na_hEirea
nn_web.pdf
DEFERENCE UNDER THE SEPARATION OF POWERSAN INCREASINGLY ACCEPTABLE TRAIT AMONGST
THE IRISH JUDICIARY?
http://arrow.dit.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1044&context=aaschssldis
THE LEGAL REVIEW OF ADMINISTRATIVE DECISIONS: ... of the
Irish Delegation to the ... on the doctrine of the separation
of powers and provides that justice ...
http://www.juradmin.eu/colloqu
ia/1998/ireland.pdf
Politico-Administrative Relations under Coalition Government : The
Case of Ireland
http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/g
roups/public/documents/nispac
ee/unpan003676.pdf
Ireland has strong tenant protection laws. The parties are free to
negotiate rents, but the amount must not exceed the open market
rate. The rent may be reviewed and can only be adjusted once a
year. Rent disputes go to the Private Residential Tenancy Board
(PRTB). Security of tenure is effective for four years; during the
first six months, the landlord can terminate the leasing contract
without specifying grounds but once a tenancy has lasted six
months, the landlord can only terminate the tenancy for the next
3 ? years citing just causes. Irish law is pro-tenant.
Rents: Can landlord and tenant freely agree rents in Ireland?
The parties to the contract are free to agree rents, however rents
may not be charged above the market rent. Rent may be reviewed
(upward or downward) once a year only.
Tenants are to be given 28 days notice of any new rents. A tenants?
right to request a rent review annually cannot be contracted out of.
Disputes about rents go to The Private Residential Tenancies
Board (PRTB).
http://www.rtb.ie/docs/default-source/default-documentlibrary/foi-publication-scheme-13-04-2016-msw.doc?sfvrsn=2
1.
Additional proofs required by Landlord in
certain instances to terminate tenancy
Amendments have been made to Sections 34 and 35
(reasons to terminate a part 4 tenancy) of the 2004
Act, as detailed below:
(i)
Accommodation needs reason a written
statement must accompany the Notice of Termination
specifying the bed spaces in the dwelling and setting
out grounds as to why the dwelling is no longer
suitable having regard to the bed spaces and the size
and composition of the occupying household.
(ii) Intending to sell within 3 months of the
termination of the tenancy the three month period
must be set out in the Notice and the Notice must be
accompanied by a Statutory Declaration confirming
this intention. The Statutory Declaration must contain
a declaration that the landlord intends to enter into an
enforceable agreement to transfer to another, for full
consideration, of the whole of his or her interest in the
dwelling or the property containing the dwelling.
(iii) Dwelling intended for own or family use the
Notice must contain or be accompanied by a Statutory
Declaration confirming the intended occupants
identity and (if not the landlord) their relationship to
the landlord and the expected duration of that
Rent Reviews
R
R
1
2
3
4
5
3.
Anti-Social Behaviour
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
OF DETERMINATION ORDERS
by R.C. | Dec 06, 2016
http://www.rtb.ie/docs/default-source/legislative-changes/rentalstrategy.pdf?sfvrsn=2
Strategy for the Rental Sector, Having TD Landlords like Simon
Coveney Laws owner as a Landlord Verses Tenant
http://www.rtb.ie/docs/default-source/legislativechanges/strategy-for-the-rental-sector.pdf?sfvrsn=2
Deposits
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At the end of the 4 years, a new tenancy will commence and the
cycle begins again unless otherwise agreed upon, i.e., the landlord
can give notice without stating a reason within the first six months.
Tenants may give notice at any time without giving a reason,
subject to any fixed term lease or agreement contained in the
contract; the periods of notice are indicated below.
Regardless of why the termination is occurring, the periods of
notice to be given by the landlord and tenant depend on the length
of the tenancy, as follows:
NOTICE PERIOD FOR TERMINATION
Duration of Tenancy Landlord Tenant
Less than 6 months 28 days 28 days
6 months - 1 year 35 days 35 days
1 - 2 years
42 days 42 days
2 - 3 years
56 days 56 days
3 - 4 years
84 days 84 days
More than 4 years 112 days 112 days
Source: Global Property Guide
The Act allows leases to provide greater security of tenure for
tenants, and allows leases to specify longer notice periods.
Landlords have to register details of their tenancies within a month
with the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB), with
registration fees of ?70 per unit.
Despite anything to the contrary in a lease or tenancy, where a
landlord withholds consent to assignment or sub-letting, the
tenant may terminate the tenancy. Leases for more than one year
(now rare) must be in writing.
EVICTION FOR NON-PAYMENT OF RENT
Duration until completion of service of process
11
Duration of trial
50
Duration of enforcement 60
Total Days to Evict Tenant
121
Courts: The Lex Mundi Project
How effective is the Irish legal system?
Recent changes in Irish landlord and tenant law Irish landlord and
tenant law comprises a mix of the common law (judge-made law),
and statute law, including (distantly) the Landlord and Tenant Law
Amendment Act, Ireland, 1960; the Conveyancing Act, 1882; and
more recently, the Rent Restrictions Act, 1960 and 1967; the
Housing (Private Rented Dwellings) Acts 1982-1983; and the
Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1992. But undoubtedly
the most important legislation is The Private Residential Tenancies
Act, 2004.
http://www.oireachtas.ie/documents/bills28/acts/2004/a2704.pd
f
Housing (Private Rented Dwellings) Act, 1982
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1982/act/6/enacted/en/print.
html?printonload=true
Housing Private (Private Rented Dwellings) Act 19821983 ... HOUSING (PRIVATE RENTED DWELLINGS) .
http://photosa.propertyimages.ie/media/2/9/8/3182892/e464d42d-98ca403a-9eee-1b314a1ed220.pdf
http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/JELR/LongOccupation.pdf/Files/Long
Occupation.pdf
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1892/act/13/enacted/en/print.
html?printonload=true
Mike Allen
Thousands facing homelessness don't need this! We need
national consensus on measures to keep families etc in
their homes
https://
twitter.com/mikeallenfi/st
atus/809308327993835520
13 13 Retweets6 6 likes
The talks broke off last night between the two parties
without agreement at about 11.30pm.
The disagreement is the biggest issue to face the minority
government and its confidence and supply arrangement
with Fianna Fil since the Government was finally
confirmed in May.
Fianna Fil has accused the government of intransigence
regarding the negotiations.
Highly critical
housing supply.
Note of caution
The ESRI has, meanwhile, sounded a note of caution
on the rental strategy, suggesting greater rent
certainty could negatively affect supply, especially
from small investors.
We need rental supply across the board, and the
danger of bringing in measures like rent certainty is
that it can have a negative impact on supply, the
institutes Kieran McQuinn said.
Fianna Fil has objected to the 4 per cent rent cap,
saying it favours a 2 per cent threshold. It is also
concerned that the scheme will initially be confined to
just Dublin and Cork city and wants it extended to
Galway, Limerick, Waterford and commuter areas
outside the capital. Under Mr Coveneys plan, all local
electoral areas in the country will be assessed from
next March to see if they qualify for rent caps. He has
offered to bring this forward to February as a
compromise to Fianna Fil and it is understood this
was under consideration.
The Dil is scheduled to take the legislation giving
effect to the rental plan today and Mr Coveney wants it
passed by tonight. Fianna Fil sources accused Fine
Gael of banging the table at their party meeting,
while Fine Gael accused Fianna Fil of playing politics
with the rental issue.
If we said 6 per cent, they would have asked for 4,
said a Government source.
Image: Shutterstock/altanaka
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The woman also says theres damp in the home and also
slugs etc coming through an air vent.
In another complaint, a social worker writes to the DRHE
pleading on behalf of a vulnerable mother with a toddler.
The social worker states that the mother has no supports,
no cooking facilities and has a history of self-harm and
mental health issues.
In yet another complaint, a mother states that the room
she was given was in terrible condition, stating:
Ive decided to stay at my friends with my child because I
dont feel safe and I cant sleep and cant stop crying.
At one point a Project Estate Officer (who inspects
accommodation and follows up on complaints on behalf of
the DRHE) visits accommodation following a complaint
of:
Accommodation infected with bed bugs bed when they
took off the cover was covered in blood and urine marks.
The Housing Action Plan states that hotels will no longer used by next
year, but is that possible?
Jul 24th 2016,
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The Plan
The Housing Action Plan aims to all but end the use of
hotels by next year through a number of measures
involving building and acquiring new houses and
increased rental support schemes.
In terms of housing, the plan has two approaches to
bringing more units on-stream:
An expanded rapid-build housing programme (which aims
to deliver 1,500 units).
A Housing Agency initiative to acquire vacant houses
(which aims to deliver 1,600 units).
Rapid-Build Housing was first floated last year as a quick
Despite this, the Action Plan states that 200 units will be
built by the end of the year, 800 by the end of 2017 and
another 500 in 2018.
They have a credibility problem in terms of delivering
rapid-build housing, said Mike Allen.
We dont have any evidence to believe that they can deliver
it this time.
There is no mention in the plan of how any of the issues
that face the previous rapid-build housing programme will
be addressed in the next build.
Housing Agency
The second part of the plan to end the use of commercial
hotels involves housing agencies acquiring vacant
properties to be used as social housing.
The Housing Agency is a government body set up to
support housing functions in local authorities and the
Environment Department.
The Action Plan states that the agency will immediately
begin acquiring vacant homes from the investment or loan
portfolios of banks and other financial institutions to be
used as social housing.
This will deliver 1,600 new housing units by 2020, the
plan states, and alleviate the need to use hotels forms of
accommodation for families.
Its very clear in the report that they will only be buying
these housing units if theyre empty, said Mike Allen.
In our experience, when weve looked at buildings which
are owned by financial institutions they are not empty,
they have leased them out.
Allen said that problems could arise out of the houses
being occupied, but that the plan to acquire the units had
been thought out.
Its not just made up, there is a definite plan there, he
said.
However, while he commends parts of the plan, Allen
questions the timeline of getting the families out of hotel
accommodation by next year.
Another aspect of it is the use of the Housing Assistance
Payment (HAP), which is paid on behalf on tenants to
landlords.
The plan states that this will be used to move families out
of homeless accommodation and into private rental
accommodation.
However, while Allen states that this has helped get
homeless for people, the success of the measure relies on
the supply of houses being there. If there arent enough
houses available, it will be impossible to move people.
Its not just a question of price, its also a question of
1
The new Minister for Housing has an opportunity to end the
homeless crisis and start to fix our broken housing system. This will
only be achieved if he abandons the failed policy consensus that has
dominated government thinking for the last three decades.
Simon Coveney is a serious politician. He has a reputation for
knowing his brief. He has also demonstrated an ability to build
alliances with disparate interests.
He will need all of these skills if he is to undo the damage of
decades of bad housing policy.
The new Minister is also clearly ambitious, considered by many as a
future party leader and even Taoiseach. His political future now
hinges on his success or failure in his new department.
That future is now dependent on the Minister making a simply
choice. Will he remain within the framework set out by his
predecessor in Social Housing Strategy 2020? Or will he be bold and
chart his own policy course?
The signals from Government buildings are conflicting.
The housing section of the Programme for Government is deeply
disappointing. The targets and timeframes for social housing
delivery remain unchanged. So too does the excessive reliance on
the private sector to deliver 80% of the social units over the next
five years.
Where new ideas have made it into the Programme they are
couched in works like explore, examine and consider rather than
definite commitments for action.
But there are signs that change may be afoot.
Minister Coveney has described the crisis as a national emergency.
He is the first Minister to do so. He has also said that the crisis
1970s they build almost 70,000. Under Alan Kellys plan the total
number will be somewhere in the region of 12,000 over 6 years.
And here is the fatal flaw. Almost 80% of the social housing units
contained in Social Housing 2020 are not social houses at all. They
are private rental properties subsidised by the state under schemes
such as Rent Supplement, Rental Accommodation Scheme, Housing
Assistance Payment or the Leasing Initiative.
More than any other policy, this overreliance on the private rental
sector first introduced by Fianna Fil in the 1980s and continued by
every Government since- is at the heart of our housing system
failure.
Investing in real social housing development, on the scale of the
1950s and 1970s will not only tackle the homeless and social
housing crisis. It will benefit the private renter and first time buyer
by reducing demand and with it rents and property prices.
If Minister Coveney is serious about social housing he will also need
to shake up the cumbersome procurement process with slows the
development process down. And he will need to change the way we
think about public housing to focus on greater income mix and
better estate management.
Simon Coveneys political mettle is about to be tested like never
before. As Minister he can change the direction of housing policy in
the state. Whether he does will be revealed in August when he
publishes his Housing Action Plan.
0
Emily is nine years old. She will soon have spent a full year of her
young life living in a hotel. She is one of almost 2000 children across
the state who will sleep in emergency accommodation tonight.
It will cost 36,000 to keep Emily and her mother in that hotel for 12
months. 100 for every night they spend cooped up in a small room,
living out of suitcases.
Emilys mother is unable to cook for her daughter. Emily has to do
her homework stretched out on a hotel bed. When she is done she
cant go out to play, the corridors are off limits on health and safety
grounds.
Her mother is left feeling ashamed. She thinks that she is letting her
daughter down. Emily is confused, tired and sad.
Elsewhere in the hotel, staff and guests are asking why it is taking
so long to form a government. Surely after 50 days a deal can be
done.
Back in her small room Emily asks her mother why it is taking so
long to get a home. Surely after 270 nights a house can be found.
But Emilys mother cant find a landlord that will accept the Housing
Assistance Payment. The Council has no houses, there are 20,000
families on the list and the wait is 10 years long.
So every morning Emilys mother leaves the hotel, drops her
daughter to school, travels to work, collects her daughter from
school and returns to that small cramped hotel room.
She is exhausted, at her wits end, wondering if she will ever be
housed.
It should be a national scandal that so many children are living like
Emily. Tragically it is becoming normalised.
Next week it is likely that a new Fine Gael minority government will
be formed. The indications are that that government will include a
new stand alone Department and Minister for Housing.
On taking office the new Minister should take a moment and reflect
on Emilys story. The conditions of her daily life are not just a
scandal, they are a screaming alarm bell telling us all that our
housing system is broken.
The growing number of homeless families is not some quirk of the
housing market. It is the direct result of decades of failed housing
policy pursued by successive governments.
Homeless service providers have been shouting this fact for years.
They have been warning that a failure by the state to invest in large
scale social housing by local authorities would result in a social
emergency.
Previous Ministers refused to listen. A failing policy consensus
prevailed. As a result Emily and hundreds of other homeless children
are paying the price. The social emergency that was warned of is all
around us.
The new Minister for Housing has a very simply choice. Will she
continue on the well worn path of her predecessors or will she
accept that the system in broken and fundamental policy change is
needed.
If she is open to change then I would respectfully suggest the
following steps.
Step 1: Declare a State of Emergency. If we dont admit the scale of
the problem then how can we hope to solve it.
Step 2: Tear up everything in Alan Kellys Social Housing Strategy
2020 except the multi annual housing targets. A social housing plan
that depends on the private sector to deliver 80% of its 100,000
units is doomed to fail.
Step 3: Double capital investment in local authority and housing
association social housing. Use whatever is the most efficient
funding source revenue, borrowing, SPVs. If necessary negotiate
an exemption for social housing investment from EU spending rules
with the European Commission for the duration of the emergency.
Step 4: Prioritise the immediate purchase of properties to meet
housing targets in year one. Use Compulsory Purchase Orders if
necessary to get vacant units back into stock or keep housing list
http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/
files/publications/files/homeless_report_-
_may.pdf
Homelessness Report April 2016
http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/
files/publications/files/homelessness_rep
ort_april_2016.pdf
Homelessness Report March 2016
http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/
files/publications/files/homeless_report__march.pdf
Homelessness Report February 2016
http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/
files/publications/files/homeless_report__february_2016_0.pdf
Homelessness Report January 2016
http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publica
tions/files/homelessness_report_january_2016_0.pdf
http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/
files/publications/files/performance_repo
rt_q2_2016_-_dublin.pdf
Social Housing Strategy 2020
http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/
files/publications/files/social_strategy_d
ocument_20141126.pdf
TDs to tell them their rent strategy just won't do. Get your
TDs number here
target="_blank"target="_blank"><img
src="https://secserv.adtech.de/adserv|3.0|826.0|6282544|0|
170|ADTECH;loc=300;alias=;cookie=info;kvinline=1"
border="0"></a>
Under the plan, a household paying a monthly rent of
1,300 in Dublin or Cork city now could only see it rise
to some 1,470 by 2019.
Not rushed
Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Coveney said the rent
proposals had not been rushed as there was a threemonth consultation process.
We will now have to work with all responsible parties
because there are many families under huge strain. We
need to take proactive action, he said.
The Minister said it would be politically popular for
him to only focus on the plight of tenants in the
strategy, but without landlords there would not be a
functioning market.
In order to have balance, the Government has to try to
take into account the maintenance of both sides of the
market.
There were lots of things [Fianna Fil] looked for that
theyre getting in this legislation.
The Minister said the time to look at incentives for
landlords was at budget time.
Mr Coveney said he would work with the Minister for
Finance to put in place a working group to examine the
possibility of tax incentives for landlords.
He said he wanted to stabilise the rental market and
pointed out that 88 per cent of landlords own only one
property.
If we cut off supply we will be having this same
conversation next year, if Im still in this job.
He said among the issues of concern to Fianna Fil was
the inclusion of other parts of the country in the rent
cap.
We will work to make that happen, he said.
Cumbersome
Earlier, Mr Cowen said his party had genuine
concerns about several aspects about the
Governments rental strategy.
He said the methodology of the Ministers strategy was
cumbersome.
The current model is limited in where it applies to. We
want Galway and Limerick and other large population
centres around Dublin to be included, he said.
The Offaly TD also said he was not satisfied with the 4
per cent rent cap.
He said that the current rent levels were abnormal and
an increase of 4 per cent was too much.
He told Newstalk Breakfast that Fianna Fil had
proposed a 1 to 2 per cent cap.
There is no doubt that these proposals are a step in
the right direction, when the opportunity presents
itself, we will seek to make amendments, he said.
Mr Cowen said tax incentives should have been
included in the strategy.
December 15, 16
To take a look back at a six month period of "new politics"
that is now ending with ambitious Minister Coveney's new
rental reform package, and with Taoiseach Enda Kenny still
https://soundcloud.com/irishtimespolitics/coveneys-rental-plan-enda-kennysleadership-six-months-of-new-politics
Fianna Fil has accused the Government of
intransigence.
The issue is the most significant
disagreement between the Government and
Fianna Fil.
After the talks both sides agreed that the
working group to look at tax incentives for
landlords should begin its work in the New
Year, however differences remained on other
key issues
Throughout the negotiations Mr Coveney said
the proposed 4% limit on rent increases in
the rent pressure zones of Dublin and Cork
city was not negotiable.
The limits are being introduced in these cities
because they meet two designated criteria:
that annual rents have risen by at least 7% in
four of the last six quarters; and that the
average rent is above the national average in
the past quarter.
However, it is understood the main issue in
the dispute was the criteria for other areas to
qualify for a rent limit to be imposed.
Fianna Fil wants Galway, Limerick, Waterford
and large population centres surrounding
Dublin and Cork city also included from the
outset.
The party also believes the proposal to speed
up the process to assess these areas from
mid-January does not go far enough.
It wants new criteria put in place but the
minister believes that the proposal was
fundamentally flawed
Last night he said it seemed political
considerations were more important to
Fianna Fil.
This morning, Mr Coveney said the parties
have now moved beyond the issue of the 4%
rent limit
Speaking on RT's Morning Ireland, the
minister said: "What Fianna Fil focused on
last night is that they said they could live
with the 4% as long as we got more areas
into rent pressure zones.
"What I have said is that we are going to
bring more areas in but we have to do that
on an independent assessment as opposed to
the basis of politics. I am a minister here who
has to implement this legislation and to make
it work for the years ahead."
He said he would not make decisions for
political convenience "knowing it is the wrong
thing to do".
Mr Coveney said he has offered a
compromise; to look at cities like Galway and
Limerick and other local areas to make
decisions in the new year about having other
rent pressure zones. He said it is not legally
issues.
However, he said Fianna Fil had "genuine
concerns" with elements of the strategy.
He said Fianna Fil was anxious that a limit
on rent increases would apply to other cities
apart from Dublin and Cork.
The party wants Galway, Limerick, Waterford
and large population centres surrounding
Dublin and Cork city also included from the
outset.
Mr Cowen also stated tax incentives for
landlords should be in the package and he
added they were not satisfied that the
proposed 4% annual limit on rent increases in
designated rent pressure zones was
appropriate.
It is understood members raised the prospect
of introducing a 2% limit.
At the launch of the strategy, Mr Coveney
said he was not able to be flexible if
fundamental changes were required.
Minister of State for Housing and Urban
Renewal Damien English tonight ruled out
any change to,the proposed 4% cap on rent
increases.
Speaking on RT's Prime Time, he said the
cap had been decided by Cabinet and would
not be altered despite demands from Fianna
Fil.
Mr Coveney outlined his plans for rent
pressure zones to Cabinet this morning.
The limits will first be introduced in the socalled rent pressure zones of Dublin and Cork
city.
The areas meet two designated
criteria: that annual rents have risen by at
least 7% in four of the past six quarters; and
that the average rent is above the national
average in the past quarter.
The measure will come into effect when
tenants in the designated areas have their
rents reviewed or new tenancies begin.
In other areas, rents can only be increased
every two years under a provision to expire in
2019.
Properties that are new to the rental market
and those that have been substantially
refurbished will be exempt from the 4% rent
increase limit to ensure supply
Mr Coveney said the Residential Tenancies
Board would be in a position to come back to
him next March on the possibility of other
areas being designated as rent pressure
zones.
Where the rental market has stabilised, some
areas will be removed from the list of special
designated rent-free zones.
Mr Coveney said that he was trying to get a
balance and respond in a sensible and
proportionate way that would also incentivise
supply.
He said linking rent rises to inflation would
have a negative impact and disincentivise
people to enter the rental market.
Other measures announced in the strategy
situ.
"That is why 80% fewer properties are
advertised for rent now than they would be in
a normally functioning market. It is harder to
get accommodation."
Mr McNamara said that when rents are rising
you would expect that landlords would come
in and expand their properties to benefit from
this.
"In fact many are not expanding but
downsizing and some are getting out of the
business altogether," he said.
A new survey carried out by the Simon
Communities has found that 80% of rental
properties are beyond the reach of people
depending on State housing benefits.
It also found that there are less than half the
number of rental properties available when
compared to May 2015.
Speaking on RT's Morning
Ireland, spokesperson Niamh Randall said the
survey was a snapshot survey carried out in
ten areas.
It found 518 homes were available to rent
during the three days the study was
undertaken in August, down 19% from 637 at
the same time last year.
102 of the 518 homes available for rent were
within Rent Supplement/Housing Assistance
Payment (HAP) limits, with just eight of these
available for single people and 11 for
couples.
"Of huge concern is the ongoing reduction in
Simon Coveney
The party had tried to push the Fine Gael-led Government
into a corner over its plans to tackle spiralling rents that
are fuelling the housing crisis.
Coveneys long-awaited strategy for the rental sector was
launched on Tuesday and included lengthy explanations
about rent predictability.
It seemed he had managed to haul his rent plan across the
line by getting his Cabinet colleagues on board despite
Fine Gaels history of opposing rent-control measures and
strong hesitations from Finance Minister Michael Noonan.
Except there was one matter: Fianna Fil.
How quickly things change in politics. By Tuesday night,
Fianna Fil was determined to get its mark on the plans.
But it went further. Michel Martins party wanted the rent
cap limited to 2% as opposed to the Governments
proposed 4% annual increase limit. It said areas beyond
Dublin and Cork City must be included, such as Limerick
and Meath. And some type of tax incentive for landlords
must be assessed, the party declared.
By yesterday afternoon, Coveney was fuming, his plan
unravelling. Fianna Fils Barry Cowen was privately giving
out that Coveney had kept him and Fianna Fil in the dark
about the 4% rent cap. The minister made no secret of the
fact he thought Fianna Fil, whose support the
Government relies on, was playing politics with the
strategy.
Mr Kenny came under fire in the Dil from both Fianna Fil
and Sinn Fin after the Government announced it would
still allow landlords increase rents by 4% per year in areas
where rents have been spiralling out of control.
Mr Kenny said a decision to set the cap at 4% one of the
main elements Fianna Fil have major difficulties with
was made for a number of specific reasons.
The Taoiseach claimed a lower limit could have resulted in
a spike in rents when the controls are lifted.
He said that landlords needed a reasonable rate of return
on investment to avoid storing up a sudden upward
correction for tenants after three years.
He pointed out that the Government had previously
backed a 4% per annum cap on a rolling five-year basis.
Mr Kenny added: The level we have chosen is 20% lower
than this countrys long-run annual rent increases over
seven decades.
and scale.
Mr Martin said the proposal to only impose the caps in the
rent pressure zones of Dublin and Cork was too
restrictive and too limited.
The boundaries of the cities do not take account of the
suburban conurbations contiguous to the cities of Cork,
Dublin, Limerick and Galway.
Mr Kenny said that an assessment would be carried out by
the Residential Tenancies Board before February and he
was confident that these areas could be extended.
But Mr Martin said his party is not satisfied with the
capacity of the Residential Tenancies Board to deal with all
of this.
He added that the more action we take in the legislation
over these two days, the better in terms of bringing
certainty, clarity and timeliness to the interventions that
are being proposed.
Sinn Fin president Gerry Adams described the rental
measures as ill-thought-out.
I appeal to the Taoiseach to do the right thing, the proper
thing: introduce rent certainty, not rent punishment, and
link rent increases to the consumer price index. That is the
only solution that will adequately tackle this crisis, he
said.
surrounding Dublin and Cork city are included from day one.
"We are not satisfied that the proposed 4% increase is
appropriate and we also believe that tax incentives for
landlords should be part of the package.
"I am open to further discussions with Minister Coveney to
address these outstanding issues."
In introducing the plan earlier, Mr Coveney rejected calls from
homeless charities - including Focus Ireland and the Simon
Community - to link rents to the consumer price index.
He said linking rent to inflation would "cut off supply" and
insisted a 4% increase is a fair balance.
"We are talking about steady, stable, predictable, potential rent
increases," he said.
"Of course, that is a ceiling so if we manage to get supply up
significantly it's possible that we wont even reach 4%."
Other areas around the country could follow suit if prices
continue to rise above the national average.
The new scheme will aim to bring about greater security of
tenure and rent certainty for landlords and tenants - while also
aiming to improve the quality of rental accommodation.
Housing charity Threshold released their annual report today
warning that while the new measures could curb unexpected
hikes by landlords rental prices around the country are still
far too high.
Rents have already increased dramatically this year by an
average of 11.7% - according to the latest Daft.ie report - the
biggest 12-month increase recorded since its series started in
2002.
The latest report from the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB)
has alsoshown that rents grew by 2.3% in the third quarter of
2016. slightly slower than in the previous three months.
Under the new plan, the RTB will now be responsible for
deciding which areas of the country qualify for caps.
Minister Coveney said the strategy aims to ensure landlords
are able to make a reasonable rate of return - but not charge
whatever they want.
"We have to take account of viability for landlords as well as
viability for tenants," he said.
The idea that you would simply introduce a blunt rent cap
"Major anti-climax"
Anti Austerity Alliance TD, Ruth Coppinger said the plans do
not go far enough in controlling rents and will not solve the
crisis faced by people in the rental sector.
"It has taken Minister Coveney six months to put this plan
together but it is a major anti-climax for tenants," she said.
"It guarantees landlords the ability to increase rents by 4% well above the rate of inflation or the Consumer Price Index
which is actually at -0.1% so rents should actually be falling."
She said the new rules will only apply to current tenancies
thus "leaving landlords with a huge incentive to end tenant
leases or evict tenants to leave themselves free to jack up
rents beyond this level."
The Social Democrats said the Government should be looking
at measures that reduce rents rather than maintain current
levels.
TD Catherine Murphy said: "It is telling that the language
around this issue has changed from rent certainty to rent
predictability but what we must be talking about is rent
affordability."
"It is one thing being able to predict rent rises but its entirely
different to be able to afford or sustain those raises. 4% per
annum represents nearly 4 times the average salary
increase," she said.
The Social Democrats co-leader Roisin Shortall said the
measures are a "Fine Gael-led response to a housing
emergency that priorities landlords over tenants."
Minster Coveney is hoping the new strategy can be in place
before the government breaks for the holidays - however he
will need the support of Fianna Fil to get the legislation
through the House.
http://www.newstalk.com/Rent-increase-limits-to-be-introduced-inpressure-zones-Dublin-and-Cork
Trust have been out every night but there arent enough beds
for people.
"The Taoiseach says the latest number of people homeless in
Dublin is "not satisfactory... you can't deny that".
Focus Ireland Director of Advocacy, Mike Allen
o LinkedIn
Lorcan Sirr
The latest figures from Focus Ireland show that 736 families
with 1389 children have become homeless in Dublin in the first
9 months of 2016.
The charity has called on the government to ensure the new
housing strategy includes measures to help stabilise rents in
the short-term.
Focus Ireland Director of Advocacy Mike Allen said the new
strategy must include measures to stabilise rents in the shortterm while also protecting tenants when banks step in to
repossess properties.
Focus Ireland is committed to working with the Government
to tackle this crisis but we do not shy away from saying more
can be done and more must be done now on this serious
issue, he said.
We need clear targets and timelines for delivery of homes if
we are to end the nightmare of homelessness for all the
families and children around the country who are living
through this trauma every single day.
http://www.newstalk.com/Minister-says-new-housingstrategy-will-learn-from-mistakes-of-the-past
Eoin Broin
Source: Shutterstock/GongTo
'It will be a trial and error situation no matter who wins the game
of brinkmanship.' Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins
For renters:
Over 700,000 renters have been left in limbo by the row
between Fine Gael and Fianna Fil. Already Threshold has
received calls from tenants whose landlords have tried to
hike rents in advance of a rent cap being introduced. The
advice is to hold tight and see what happens over the next
24 hours.
crisis
Simon Coveney says Fianna Fail is
'messing with lives'
Kevin Doyle Twitter
EMAIL
PUBLISHED
15/12/2016
1
Minister Simon Coveney
plan-will-hit-investment-and-new-home-supply35294507.html
1
Housing Minister Simon Coveneys approach to calming the rental
market is not without its merit. However, the lack of New Politics
contained means it will be watered down. Photo: Gareth Chaney
FG can cap rent increases ... but Noonan would not dream of restricting
interest rates on banks. I suppose it's easier to bully the little guy again ..
FG has form on this after all.
do you seriously think that a 4% increase is a handicap to landlords. its
400% more than they would get if they put money on deposits in banks .
its possibly more than investors could get buying govt bonds in most of
Europe.
I actually agree with fianna fail on this
4% seems too generous
especially coming after the large hikes over the past 2/3 years
ECB interest rates at 0.25%. vast majority of rental properties bought
from banks at 60% discounts . 2 to 4% increases per annum will fall on
taxpayers to increase rental supplements from welfare . this govt is
operating a pyramid scheme of housing where the taxpayers and citizens
are the victims and the corporate vulture funds and the new developers
are the winners.
Minister Simon Coveney presents his Action Plan for Housing and
Homelessness. Photo: Doug O'Connor
Only markets can dictate rents. Landlords will always find a way to avail
themselves of the highest rents that the market can offer. Legislation is a
waste of time and taxpayers' money.
Supply could be immediately be improved by providing large, barrackstyle, on-campus, accommodation for third level students. Demand
could be tempered by increasing interest rates to give a better return on
savings and making it less economical to indulge in "buy-to-let". I'm
sure that there are many more tweaks that could be made to improve
'It will be a trial and error situation no matter who wins the game
of brinkmanship.' Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins
"One lady said she had been hit with a 40pc increase.
We're dealing with 20pc, 30pc and 40pc rent increases
every day."
Tom Dunne, head of the School of Surveying and
Construction Management at DIT, said he was not
surprised that some landlords were imposing price hikes
in advance of the introduction of the new controls.
"Normally, in the Budget, the date [when a measure
applies] is made clear... there is a lack of clarity," he
added.
The Irish Property Owners Association, which represents
5,000 landlords, said it had sought legal advice amid
concerns that property rights were being breached.
1
Institutional landlords
1
Simon Coveney. Photo: Douglas OConnor
1
Housing Minister Simon Coveney's proposed introduction of rent
controls didnt deter bidders at Allsops auction last Tuesday
Tiger" years.
Average rents rose by 11.7 percent year-on-year in the third quarter, a survey
showed last month, marking the fastest rate of annual inflation in over a
decade with rents in some areas of Dublin now 10 percent above their 2007
peak.
"We're putting a bridle on the horse that has almost been out of control for the
last two years," Housing Minister Simon Coveney told a news conference.
"This is a really tricky area to get the balance right."
Under the plan, Dublin and Cork city fall under the category of "rent pressure
zones", or areas where annual rents have risen by 7 percent or more in four of
the last six quarters. They will be the first areas where the three-year caps
kick in.
To encourage supply, which Coveney said was beginning to gain momentum,
new housing units and renovated vacant units are excluded with rents instead
determined by the market rate.
However the minority government does not have enough seats in parliament
to enact legislation on its own and requires the cooperation of the main
opposition party, Fianna Fail, which will meet later on Tuesday to finalise its
position.
"The 4 percent is extremely high... It's off the table. The other issue is that it is
not acceptable that this is restricted to Dublin and Cork," Thomas Byrne, a
member of the Fianna Fail frontbench, told Newstalk radio.
The lack of supply and resulting price rises have been identified by the
government as a risk to its attractiveness to foreign investment, particularly as
it tries to win business from firms considering leaving Britain as a result of
Brexit.
The proposals will impact Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITS) with
exposure in the main residential markets. Shares in Irish Residential
Properties (I-RES), Ireland's largest private landlord, closed 2.5 percent lower
at 1.16 euros.
"This strategy will provide headwinds for the development of the much needed
'build-to-rent' sector in Ireland and is unlikely to encourage fresh investors into
the market," Goodbody analyst Colm Lauder wrote in a note. (Editing by Tom
Heneghan and Adrian Croft)
survey showed last month, marking the fastest rate of annual inflation in
over a decade with rents in some areas of Dublin now 10 percent above
their 2007 peak.
"We're putting a bridle on the horse that has almost been out of control
for the last two years," Housing Minister Simon Coveney told a news
conference. "This is a really tricky area to get the balance right."
Under the plan, Dublin and Cork city fall under the category of "rent
pressure zones", or areas where annual rents have risen by 7 percent
or more in four of the last six quarters. They will be the first areas where
the three-year caps kick in.
To encourage supply, which Coveney said was beginning to gain
momentum, new housing units and renovated vacant units are excluded
with rents instead determined by the market rate.
However the minority government does not have enough seats in
parliament to enact legislation on its own and requires the cooperation
of the main opposition party, Fianna Fail, which will meet later on
Tuesday to finalise its position.
"The 4 percent is extremely high... It's off the table. The other issue is
that it is not acceptable that this is restricted to Dublin and Cork,"
Thomas Byrne, a member of the Fianna Fail frontbench, told Newstalk
radio.
The lack of supply and resulting price rises have been identified by the
government as a risk to its attractiveness to foreign investment,
particularly as it tries to win business from firms considering leaving
Britain as a result of Brexit.
The proposals will impact Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITS) with
exposure in the main residential markets. Shares in Irish Residential
Properties (I-RES), Ireland's largest private landlord, closed 2.5 percent
lower at 1.16 euros.
"This strategy will provide headwinds for the development of the much
needed 'build-to-rent' sector in Ireland and is unlikely to encourage fresh
investors into the market," Goodbody analyst Colm Lauder wrote in a
note. (Editing by Tom Heneghan and Adrian Croft)
Sarah Bardon
Sinn Fin TD Eoin Broin said the proposals would see the average rent
increase to 2,314 in Dublin and 1,628 in Cork over the next three years
Broin
8 December, 2016 - by Eoin Broin TD
Fiach Kelly
Minster for Housing Simon Coveney is expected to launch his strategy on the
rental sector within the next fortnight. Photograph: Bryan OBrien
Market
Tenants rights
key issues
Throughout the negotiations Mr Coveney said
the proposed 4% limit on rent increases in
the rent pressure zones of Dublin and Cork
city was not negotiable.
The limits are being introduced in these cities
because they meet two designated criteria:
that annual rents have risen by at least 7% in
four of the last six quarters; and that the
average rent is above the national average in
the past quarter.
However, it is understood the main issue in
the dispute was the criteria for other areas to
qualify for a rent limit to be imposed.
Fianna Fil wants Galway, Limerick, Waterford
and large population centres surrounding
Dublin and Cork city also included from the
outset.
The party also believes the proposal to speed
up the process to assess these areas from
mid-January does not go far enough.
It wants new criteria put in place but the
minister believes that the proposal was
fundamentally flawed
Last night he said it seemed political
considerations were more important to
Fianna Fil.
This morning, Mr Coveney said the parties
have now moved beyond the issue of the 4%
rent limit
Speaking on RT's Morning Ireland, the
worse."
"entrepreneurs".
Delaney is an author and journalist with Independent
News & Media (hence his OTT attack on Gerry Adams in
last Saturday's Dindo) and is the first cousin of Richie
Boucher, chief executive of the Bank of Ireland. In 2011, in
a column in the Sunday Independent Delaney argued that
the gay rights movement is "overreaching" in seeking the
"right to marry, to adopt children, and to intimidate
opponents into silence.Redmond is a dentist and Fine Gael
councillor for Howth-Malahide. He describes himself as a
libertarian.Lucey is a lecturer - not to be confused with
Brian - and commentator who served as an advisor for
former Tnaiste, Minister for Justice, and Progressive
Democrats leader Michael McDowell.
Interestingly, former UCD economics lecturer Moore
McDowell (brother of Michael) is on the group's academic
board. Also on this board is Sam Bowman of the U.K.
libertarian group the Adam Smith Institute.
Other individuals associated with the group include
businessman and commentator Aaron McKenna, Fine Gael
members Joe Lawlor and Conor McWade (ex-PDs), and
former Fianna Fil members Aidan Brophy and Sarah Ryan.
Last night Enda Kenny told Fine Gael TDs that the scheme
would be withdrawn unless Fianna Fil gave its backing to a
4% annual cap.
A spokeswoman for Minister Coveney had said the door
remained open for talks, but the Dil debate on the plan has
But Fianna Fil says 4% is too high - and has arranged a Dil
vote for this afternoon, on lowering it to 2%.
And last night Enda Kenny - told Fine Gael TDs that unless
the cap stays at 4%, the plan will be scrapped entirely.
One possible compromise is that the 4% limit could remain - in
exchange for an agreement to extend the rent caps to Galway,
Limerick and Waterford straight away.
Bless his cotton socks the poor little crater! How detached
from the real world can you get, when homeless people
are dying in the streets from the cold, while others (the
lucky ones?) are getting frostbite from sleeping rough!
Another overpaid, ignorant buffoon, sheltered from reality
by all his wealth, and who has no idea of real hardship or
poverty.The only chill is the one that runs down the spine
when the mere thought of him running the country enters
the mind!
over to the private sector. This case shows that as the private
company now controls the project and thus has the core
knowledge and skills, it can define the issue, the problem and the
cost of rectifying it. It can effectively hold the state to ransom and
force the state to pay significant additional amounts to get any
changes made. That is unless the state is prepared to sanction
and fine the company, or at least stand up to and demand lower
costs from it. But the Irish state has shown that it is unwilling to do
this because it doesnt want to stop future companies engaging in
PPPs. Its part of the price of having a business friendly economy.
The state (the Irish public) keeps picking up the tab and
subsidising the private corporations.
4.When upgrading of infrastructure required PPP contracts
will continue to go to private operators
Fourthly, what will happen in future years when upgrading, or
capacity extension is required in the treatment plants, or new
measures to meet new environmental quality standards outside of
the original contract are required and thus renegotiation of the PPP
contracts? The private operator will hold the control and knowledge
and will be able to charge the state significant premiums to make
changes. The case of the West-Link toll road demonstrates this
point. When the public sector required changes to the service, it
had to pay over half a billion euro to purchase the PPP contract
from the private operator so that it could undertake the required
changes. Furthermore, who is likely to get the new contracts for
upgrading infrastructure? A new private company or the state
itself? The problem with the PPPs is that the private operator
effectively holds a form of monopoly position and thus it is likely to
get it. The is shown by the fact that CAW was awarded a further
DBOM contract to upgrade the Sligo Plant by Irish Water in April
this year.
5.PPPs make private outsourcing of our public water/waste
water infrastructure permanent and full privatisation more
likely
Fifthly, what will happen when it comes to the end of the PPP
contract life in fifteen to twenty years time? Will the plants, as the
state claims, revert back to public ownership when the contract
ends? This is very unlikely if we continue down the PPP
outsourcing path when we have run down and further diminished
the capacity of local authorities to manage our water and waste
water infrastructure. It is more likely to stay in the control of private
It is about taking the resources (and assets) away from state public
services and infrastructure which benefit the working and middle
classes and instead funnelling them to the wealthy and private
corporations. PPPs are playing a strategic role in this process of
capturing public services and assets for private investment and
wealth accumulation. The global and EU trade liberalisation rules
and new treaties such as CETA and TTIP also support PPPs by
further obliging national governments to liberalise markets for
services and infrastructure on a global scale.
An excellent article critiquing the impact of PPPs and water
privatisation in India describes the process of privatisation through
PPPs which can also be applied to the Irish case:
But whatever the nuances, although formal ownership continues
to nominally vest with public entities, all these public-private
partnerships are undoubtedly different forms of privatization, with
public bodies ceding varying degrees of control over quantity,
quality, coverage and pricing to corporate bodies. Since the private
party is in the business for profit, water in such privatized utilities is
always viewed, valued and managed in terms of its price.
Whatever the specific form of involvement of private players, water
moves from being a common good to a commodity, with all that
this implies.
The evidence shows, therefore, that PPPs are a complex form of
intensive privatization, marketization and commodification of the
Irish public water and waste-water infrastructure system. Privatesector involvement has not guaranteed a better-quality service and
additionally, the private operators profit maximisation requirements
has resulted in the running down of service quality, workers
conditions and turning the assets into commodities to be profited
from. They ensure big profits for global water and
governance/development corporations and financial investors and
rising costs and ineffective services for public service users, and
the erosion of workers rights. Thus they contribute to the
exacerbation of economic inequality.
The values and ideals of social rights that inform public-sector
values and priorities are undermined by the market ethos of PPP
policy making. Under this process, public service users are
converted into clients and consumers and a revenue stream. All
of this evidence shows how the pursuit of PPPs are an ideological
policy. The evidence does not support the use of PPPs in public
water and waste water infrastructure provision. They are being
pursued principally because of policy makers adherence to (and
belief in) neoliberal privatisiation policies rather than any evidence
based justification.
Remunicipalisation
In recent years governments and local authorities across the
world, in response to the failure of water privatisation such as
increased water charges and poor service delivery by the private
companies, and under pressure from citizen campaigns asserting
the human right to water, have started a process of
remunicipalisation taking water and waste-water services back
into public management. Our public water future: The global
experience with remunicipalisation, a book published last year
shows the growing wave of cities putting water back under public
control with 235 cases of water remunicipalisation in 37
countries, affecting over 100 million people, between 2000 and
2015. The number of cases doubled in the 2010-2015 period
compared with 2000-2010. France, a country that spearheaded
water privatisation and PPPs has lead the way with 94 cases of
remunicipalisation. Also recently a large majority of the Barcelona
City Council voted to end the private management of water and
support the remunicipalisation of the water service in of Barcelona.
Barcelona En Comu, the new citizens movement who holds the
Mayorality of Barcelona, promoted the measure as it was one of
the most popular among citizens in their participatory process
carried out to define the Municipal Action Plan (the plan that guides
city policy). Barcelona En Com, believes that water is a human
right, a basic service and a common good that should be under
public, democratic control.
Slovenia also recently amended its constitution to make access to
drinkable water a fundamental right for all citizens and stop it being
commercialised.
The new article in the constitution reads that Water resources
represent a public good that is managed by the state. Water
resources are primary and durably used to supply citizens with
potable water and households with water and, in this sense, are
not a market commodity.
It was reported in the Guardian that the Slovenian Prime Minister
encouraged the change because: people should protect water
the 21st centurys liquid gold at the highest legal leveland that
Slovenian water has very good quality and, because of its value,
in the future it will certainly be the target of foreign countries and
international corporations appetitesAs it will gradually become a
more valuable commodity in the future, pressure over it will
increase and we must not give in. Slovenia is the first European
https://www.kildarestreet.com/wrans/?id=2015-04-28a.1222
Comptroller and Auditor General (2016) Briefing Note on PPPs
https://www.oireachtas.ie/parliament/media/committees/pac/corres
pondence/2016meetings/meeting4-21072016/PAC32-R-42-B-(B)--Briefing-Note-on-PPPs-from-CAG.pdf
Comptroller and Auditor General (2011) Annual Report
http://www.audgen.gov.ie/documents/annualreports/2011/report/en/
Chapter6_01.pdf
Irish Times (2008) Report recommends upgrade of Ringsend
waste plant
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/report-recommends-upgrade-ofringsend-was...
Hell Bent on Water Privatisatin in Dehli
(http://newsclick.in/india/hell-bent-water-privatization-delhi)
Oireachtas (2013) Public Private Partnerships Data, July 2013,
http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/Debates
%20Authoring/DebatesWebPack.nsf/takes/dail2013071600112
Reeves, E. (2014) Public Capital Investment and Public Private
Partnerships in Ireland 2000-2014: A Review of the Issues and
Performance
https://www.socialjustice.ie/sites/default/files/attach/policy-issuearticle/4004/2014-11-18-eoinreeves-investmentandppps.pdf
Shiva, V. (2006) RESISTING WATER PRIVATISATION, BUILDING
WATER DEMOCRACY,
http://www.globalternative.org/downloads/shiva-water.pdf
The 2010 Department of Environment Report on the Value for
Money for Review of the Water Services Investment Programme
2007-2009
The Guardian (2016) Slovenia Adds Water to Constitution
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/nov/18/sloveniaadds-water-...
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world, with water availability per person four times higher than
France and fifty times higher than Israel.
The expert commission has not seen any evidence that Ireland
has particularly high levels of domestic water usage and Irish
people are at the lower end of the spectrum when it comes to
comparing water usage among other European countries.
Irish people use between 15-25 percent less water than the UK,
where water charges have been in place since 1989.
Water charges do not result in water conservation unless they
include education and information. Therefore, it can be established
that it is education and information which results in water
conservation, not the charges.
Commercial companies are not paying their water bills with almost
half refusing to pay. Ensuring a comprehensive commercial water
charges regime should reduce dependence on general taxation.
There are no abstraction charges for our natural spring water on
private companies like Britvic (Ballygowan) who pay nothing when
bottling our natural spring water for profit. This should be
addressed.
Metering should only be done on an optional basis.
Group schemes should have an allowance in order to create
equity.
There is a need for investment of 5.5bn in our infrastructure by
2021.
The water charges regime does not have political support or
popular acceptance.
Flat rate charges are regressive and do not address the issue of
conservation. Also, a water charge added to a property tax leads to
unfairness in the system.
The water charges regime was intended to reduce household
consumption of water by a mere 6%, yet the system leaks 41% of
all treated water. The best way to reduce waste is to fix the leaks.
While considerable weight must be given to the opinion of the
European Commission, the definitive interpretation of European
law is a matter for the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Borrowings?
Importantly, the Commission states that because the funding of
domestic water should come from general taxation in public
ownership, it will no longer achieve the off balance sheet
exercise. This will reduce or potentially eliminate the need for
borrowing which inevitably leads to debt and the servicing of that
debt by households diverting money directly into the financial
services sector instead of the water infrastructure.
Leakages
The report says that there are 7% of households using six times
more water than the average household, although Irish Water have
indicated that customer-side leaks contribute to this anomaly.
However, it is estimated that up to 97% of leaks do not come from
the household side of the infrastructure and the report states it
should be noted that water leaks waste not only water but also
energy and public money. Therefore, it makes sense to divert all
money from the domestic metering programme towards a district
metering programme as recommended in the report.
Water Charges
The Expert Commission has suggested that where water is used
at a level above what is necessary for normal domestic purposes,
that the user should pay for this through tariffs. The suggestion is
that an allowance is determined and this allowance could be
regularly reviewed and, if necessary, adjusted to reflect changes
in water use patterns in Ireland.
As stated earlier, the evidence provided shows that Irish people
are not profligate with their water and in fact use less water than
almost any other country in the Europe despite having more water
available to us.
There are also very serious concerns about any allowances being
eroded over time, like bin charges.
Therefore, continuing an expensive water metering programme
with the added costs of highly paid consultants, advertising,
postage, call centres and other costs, for no conservational benefit
would be an extraordinary waste of valuable resources, costing up
to 300m per year and returning potentially nothing.
The government and the Oireachtas sub-committee should accept
the will of the electorate two thirds of whom voted for parties and
individuals who promised abolition. This is now also backed up by
an Irish Times MRBI poll which also says two thirds of the
population want to scrap the charges.
With all of this in mind, it is essential that water charges are
abolished outright.
Funding?
In addressing the funding of water services, the Commission
suggests that the funding requirements which were to be allocated
through domestic water charges are now made through the
exchequer rather than by householders directly.
The current government and the previous government must take
responsibility for the leakages and deteriorated infrastructure that
L
L
L
Irish people currently have to rely on. In the last three Budgets
alone, tax cuts of 2.9 billion have been implemented. The
beneficiaries of those tax cuts are the top 20% of earners and also
employers. In ensuring our water system is fit for purpose, the
government should immediately:
Cease all cuts to progressive taxation.
Stop the metering programme and wasting money on the vanity
project that is Irish Water.
Increase taxation revenue by implementing the Fiscal Framework
Document set out by the Right2Water Trade Unions in 2015
which could raise up to 10 billion. This would not only fix and
upgrade the water infrastructure, but could also address our
housing and homelessness crisis, along with our healthcare,
education and other underfunded public services.
Media Failure
It is felt that the majority of the Irish media failed in their duty to
facilitate an honest and democratic debate about the Irish
governments water policy.
While a number of trade unions, political representatives and
community groups were attempting to raise real and valid issues in
relation to water charges and their implications locally, nationally
and internationally, a compliant media refused to accept the
arguments put forward and even refused to allow a debate to
ensue.
Even now, faced with all of the evidence which shows that Ireland
is a water rich country and that Irish people do not waste water,
many media outlets refuse to accept the fact that water charges
are economically inefficient, theyre environmentally unsound and
socially destructive.
Furthermore, protesters were and continue to be demonised and
vilified for their stance on water charges, yet this report now
vindicates what they have said all along: that paying for water
through progressive general taxation is the fairest and most
equitable method possible.
As Maude Barlow, environmentalist and expert on water from the
Blue Planet Project and the Council of Canadians said, The Irish
system of paying for water and sanitation services through
progressive taxation and non-domestic user fees is an exemplary
model of fair, equitable and sustainable service delivery for the
entire world.
Right2Water remains committed to its stated objective of the
abolition of water charges and Irish Water.
their local TDs, especially Fianna Fail, by email, letter, phone call
or direct lobbying and demand they support the Bill.
We expect the Government (and possibly Fianna Fail) to argue
that they are waiting for the Expert Commission on Domestic
Water Charges to present their report to the Oireachtas but
public ownership of water is not in the Terms of Reference for the
Commission, so this is a smokescreen.
The government deliberately omitted public ownership from the
terms of reference in full knowledge that the Commission might
actually make a recommendation to enshrine ownership in the
hands of the public. This is something they clearly dont want.
At this very moment in time, any government, including the current
one, could legislate to sell off our public water system.
Furthermore, even if a government did not want to sell off our
water, the EU, IMF or ECB could force the sale in the future like
they did in Greece and Portugal so we have to protect our vital
public water system now!
The devastating impacts of water privatization have been felt all
around the world. In the UK, one in four people are now
experiencing water poverty. In the US, Rome and parts of France,
tens of thousands are having their water shut off. We can prevent
much of this by putting ownership of our water in the Constitution.
There are no TDs in the Dail, even in Fine Gael, who will come out
and argue openly for privatization. But can you take their word on
this? If they dont want water privatization, they can prove it by
simply supporting this Bill next Wednesday.
Here are the details of Fianna Fail TDs:
Carlow/Kilkenny
Bobby Aylward
056 7764726
Carlow/Kilkenny
John McGuinness
056 7770672
087 2855834
Cavan/Monaghan
Brendan Smith
049 4362366
Cavan/Monaghan
Niamh Smyth
042 9666666
087 9982222
Clare
Timmy Dooley
065 6891115
Cork East
Kevin O Keefe
022 25320
Cork North Central
Billy Kelleher
021 4502289
Cork North West
Aindrias Moynihan
026 45828
Cork North West
Michael Moynihan
029 51299
Cork South Central
Michael McGrath
021 4376699
Cork South Central
Micheal Martin
021 4320088
Cork South West
Margaret Murphy OMahony
086 8529275
Donegal
Charlie McConalogue
074 9373131/074 9177282
Donegal
Pat The Cope Gallagher
074 95 21364
087 2238925
Dublin Bay North
Sean Haughey
01 6183695
087 3494888
Dublin Bay South
Jim O Callaghan
01 4758943
Dublin Fingal
Darragh O Brien
01 6183802
Dublin Midwest
John Curran
01 6183792
Dublin South West
John Lahart
01 4939608
Dublin West
Jack Chambers
086 4177335
Galway East
Anne Rabbitte
087 2424704
Galway West
Eamon O Cuiv
091 562846
Kerry
John Brassil
066 7133112
087 2362330
Kildare North
Frank O Rourke
087 2555257
Kildare North
James Lawless
086 8348869
Kildare South
Fiona O Loughlin
045 436792
087 2345160
Laois
Sean Fleming
057 8732692
Limerick City
Willie O Dea
061 454488/ 061 454522
Limerick County
Niall Collins
061 300149
087 2749659
Longford/Westmeath
Robert Troy
044 9334857
Louth
Declan Breathnach
087 2697638
Mayo
Dara Calleary
096 77613
Mayo
Lisa Chambers
094 9250577
Meath East
Thomas Byrne
01 6183310
Meath West
Shane Cassells
086 3399198
Offaly
Barry Cowen
057 9321976
Roscommon/Galway
Eugene Murphy
071 963 3000
Sligo/Leitrim
Eamon Scanlon
071 9197903/ 071 9302537
Sligo/Leitrim
Marc Mac Sharry
086 2674764
Tipperary
Jackie Cahill
087 2820663
Waterford
Mary Butler
087 7425020
Wexford
James Browne
086 8575387
Wicklow
Pat Casey
086 2649483
DRAFT SUBMISSION.
Irish Water should be abolished immediately and a public
enquiry into what all the money they got was spent on.
The responsibility for our water management should lie on
a county by county basis on the County Councils. Water
quality then would be a major election issue in the Local
Elections. All issues relating to both ground water and
surface water should be the responsibility of the County
Councils and a Local Agenda 21 type solution found for all
issues as they arise. All Group water schemes should
remain under the control and management of the Local
Communities.
WATER QUALITY We can find no record of any person or
group ever been convicted of polluting aquifers and all
reports sent to Europe by our government states that we
are in compliance with the Water Framework Directive
out side the scope of our exemption and as such can be charged for.
Under the EU rules all submissions must be addressed and the fact
that the line """based on their needs""" was in a submission re
domestic water has given them the excuse to put in meters and
charge for water more than the amount they deem is need for
domestic use.
Our submission to the river basin Management Plan is now vital. Our
position on Domestic water is that all water used by domestic water
users is domestic water and as such is covered by our 9.4
exemption. And there is no need for meters
Fiona Reddan
David Ehrlich, chief executive of Ires Reit, says the Irish way of devising
planning legislation needs to change. Photograph: Maxwell Photography
Soaring
Background
: 6 RESULTS /react-text
9 341 Votes /react-text
R
R
I
Yes41%
No50%
I don't know8%
Cliff Taylor
Statement
Losses
loans and assets off Nama and the Irish banks. All other
issues particularly the impact on Irish housing and its
affordability for citizens were not given a priority in
policy. The economy came first. And yet this approach
has left us with a housing crisis which is a social
emergency with major economic implications.
Nama has been the governments key vehicle to attract
international investment by selling off key residential and
development land assets at knock-down prices. But they
also sold key residential property on the basis of future
rising rents and prices.
The influence of REITs
The other key measure introduced by government to
attract international property investment funds was the
low tax regime for Real Estate Investment Trusts
operating in Ireland. In 2013 Michael Noonan made rental
profits arising in a REIT exempt from corporation tax.
This was on top of other existing tax avoidance and
reduction loopholes available to investors (such as the
Section 110).
As the housing crisis developed and worsened in 2014 and
2015 the government found another major argument in
defence of this approach. According to government these
new REIT investors and international global property
funds would play a major role in addressing the supply
crisis in the private rental sector.
But the problem with that approach is that this particular
investor is seeking high returns which requires high
rents which means policies to keep rent affordable, such
as rent regulation, are not seen favourably by them. And
this is what we have seen happen.
In the run-up to last years Budget it was reported that
there was a possibility of rent regulation (which would link
rent increases to inflation) and increasing security of
tenure being implemented. However, following intense
lobbying, including by a major US real estate investment
company, the government instead introduced the two-year
rent freeze which has done little to stem the rising rents.
Staon Nl
Aylward, Bobby.
Bailey, Maria.
Barrett, Sen.
Brassil, John.
Brophy, Colm.
Adams, Gerry.
Barry, Mick.
Brady, John.
Broughan, Thomas P.
Buckley, Pat.
Browne, James.
Collins, Michael.
Burke, Peter.
Connolly, Catherine.
Butler, Mary.
Coppinger, Ruth.
Byrne, Thomas.
Crowe, Sen.
Cahill, Jackie.
Cullinane, David.
Calleary, Dara.
Daly, Clare.
Canney, Sen.
Doherty, Pearse.
Cannon, Ciarn.
Ferris, Martin.
Carey, Joe.
Fitzmaurice, Michael.
Casey, Pat.
Funchion, Kathleen.
Cassells, Shane.
Healy-Rae, Danny.
Chambers, Jack.
Healy, Seamus.
Chambers, Lisa.
Kenny, Gino.
Corcoran Kennedy, Marcella.
Kenny, Martin.
Coveney, Simon.
McGrath, Mattie.
Cowen, Barry.
Martin, Catherine.
Curran, John.
Mitchell, Denise.
DArcy, Michael.
Munster, Imelda.
Daly, Jim.
Murphy, Catherine.
Deasy, John.
Murphy, Paul.
Deering, Pat.
Nolan, Carol.
Doherty, Regina.
Broin, Eoin.
Donohoe, Paschal.
Caolin, Caoimhghn.
Doyle, Andrew.
Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
Durkan, Bernard J.
Snodaigh, Aengus.
English, Damien.
OBrien, Jonathan.
Farrell, Alan.
OReilly, Louise.
Fitzpatrick, Peter.
Pringle, Thomas.
Flanagan, Charles.
Quinlivan, Maurice.
Fleming, Sean.
Shortall, Risn.
Griffin, Brendan.
Smith, Brd.
Halligan, John.
Stanley, Brian.
Harris, Simon.
Tibn, Peadar.
Haughey, Sen.
Heydon, Martin.
Humphreys, Heather.
Kehoe, Paul.
Kelleher, Billy.
Kenny, Enda.
Lahart, John.
Lawless, James.
Lowry, Michael.
McConalogue, Charlie.
McEntee, Helen.
McGrath, Finian.
McGrath, Michael.
McHugh, Joe.
McLoughlin, Tony.
Madigan, Josepha.
Martin, Michel.
Mitchell OConnor, Mary.
Moran, Kevin Boxer.
Moynihan, Aindrias.
Moynihan, Michael.
Murphy OMahony, Margaret.
Murphy, Eoghan.
Murphy, Eugene.
Naughton, Hildegarde.
Neville, Tom.
Noonan, Michael.
Cuv, amon.
OCallaghan, Jim.
OConnell, Kate.
ODea, Willie.
ODonovan, Patrick.
ODowd, Fergus.
OLoughlin, Fiona.
ORourke, Frank.
Phelan, John Paul.
Rabbitte, Anne.
Ring, Michael.
Rock, Noel.
Ross, Shane.
Ryan, Brendan.
Scanlon, Eamon.
Sherlock, Sean.
Smith, Brendan.
Stanton, David.
Troy, Robert.
Varadkar, Leo.
Zappone, Katherine.
Tellers: T, Deputies Regina Doherty and Tony McLoughlin; Nl,
Deputies Aengus Snodaigh and Seamus Healy.
Question declared carried.
An Leas-Cheann Comhairle:
A message shall be sent to the
Seanad acquainting it accordingly.
Deputy Seamus Healy: I move amendment No. 5:
In page 8, between lines 26 and 27, to insert the following:
9. Dil ireann formally declares that a housing emergency exists
in the State and while this emergency continues the right of any
person to remain in the dwelling in which the person currently
resides will take precedence over any property right of any other
person
(a) accordingly no court or other authority shall order the removal
of the current occupant of a dwelling, or by its decisions enable
such removal notwithstanding the provisions of any Act currently in
Staon Nl
Adams, Gerry.
Aylward, Bobby.
Barry, Mick.
Bailey, Maria.
Brady, John.
Barrett, Sen.
Broughan, Thomas P.
Brassil, John.
Buckley, Pat.
Brophy, Colm.
Collins, Michael.
Browne, James.
Coppinger, Ruth.
Burke, Peter.
Crowe, Sen.
Butler, Mary.
Cullinane, David.
Byrne, Thomas.
Daly, Clare.
Cahill, Jackie.
Doherty, Pearse.
Calleary, Dara.
Ferris, Martin.
Canney, Sen.
Fitzmaurice, Michael.
Cannon, Ciarn.
Funchion, Kathleen.
Carey, Joe.
Healy, Seamus.
Casey, Pat.
Healy-Rae, Danny.
Cassells, Shane.
Kenny, Gino.
Chambers, Jack.
Kenny, Martin.
Chambers, Lisa.
McGrath, Mattie.
Corcoran Kennedy, Marcella.
Martin, Catherine.
Coveney, Simon.
Mitchell, Denise.
Cowen, Barry.
Munster, Imelda.
Curran, John.
Murphy, Catherine.
Daly, Jim.
Murphy, Paul.
DArcy, Michael.
Nolan, Carol.
Deasy, John.
Broin, Eoin.
Deering, Pat.
Caolin, Caoimhghn.
Doherty, Regina.
Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
Donohoe, Paschal.
Snodaigh, Aengus.
OBrien, Jonathan.
Doyle, Andrew.
Durkan, Bernard J.
OReilly, Louise.
Pringle, Thomas.
Quinlivan, Maurice.
Ryan, Eamon.
Smith, Brd.
Stanley, Brian.
Tibn, Peadar.
English, Damien.
Farrell, Alan.
Fitzpatrick, Peter.
Flanagan, Charles.
Fleming, Sean.
Griffin, Brendan.
Harris, Simon.
Haughey, Sen.
Heydon, Martin.
Humphreys, Heather.
Kehoe, Paul.
Kelleher, Billy.
Kenny, Enda.
Video Link
From Official Dil Record 07/12/2016
Deputy Seamus Healy:
In the short time available to me, I will
address in the main the residential tenancy aspects of the Bill. The
Bill is a pretence. It purports to give protection to tenants when
properties in which there are existing tenants change ownership.
Cruelly and grotesquely, it provides that where a landlord can get
20% more money with vacant possession in the sale, the tenants
must leave. It also provides that if apartments are sold in lots of
under 20, the tenants have to go. I understand that this number
has been reduced to under five by a Seanad amendment. However,
80% of tenants evicted from apartments are evicted by landlords
with under five rental properties. In a word, the Bill continues the
cruel system under which tenants are evicted when rental
properties are sold. The Government continues to put the rights of
property owners over the right to home. It is fast-tracking evictions
in the Courts Bill, which is also before this House. The largest single
group among the homeless has previously been in private rented
accommodation. This Bill will ensure that this continues.
I will be proposing the amendment suggested by Focus Ireland, the
homelessness charity. The amendment provides tenants in buy-to-
Explanation
If tenants and mortgage holders could not be evicted in future, the
value of property in dwellings would fall sharply. NAMA would get
far lower sale price for blocks of apartments. Vultures who have
already bought apartment blocks would make far less profit. Banks,
including state-owned AIB and PTSB would be worth far less as their
loan books would fall in value. Under the Eu Fiscal Treaty which
cedes all Irish economic sovereignty, the state debt to GDP ratio
must be progressively reduced. FF/FG/Lab have no intention of
doing this by taxing the huge assets of the Irish rich.(See Irish
Super-Rich Awash with Money in another post on this blog.) Instead
they hope to do it by selling off Irish assets and using the proceeds
to repay debt. Already the Dundrum and ILAC centres are in
majority foreign ownership as are many shopping centres and much
commercial and other property throughout the country. The
government intends to sell off AIB, PTSB, EBS and use the proceeds
to pay down state debt. It also wants to sell off its shareholding in
other banks for the same purpose. Consequently it wants to keep
interest rates on mortgages and loans to small business kept very
high by European standards. It wants the value of bank loan books
kept high by accelerating evictions so that banks can recover
distressed bank loans.(AIB has reduced its bad debts by 18.4bn
since the peak in June 2013 a reduction of 63pc over the three
years.This leaves 10.8 billion of impaired loans on its books to-day).
Healy TD
Question put:
The Dil divided: T, 92; Staon, 0; Nl, 42.
T
Staon
Aylward, Bobby.
Adams, Gerry.
Bailey, Maria.
Barry, Mick.
Barrett, Sen.
Brassil, John.
Brady, John.
Breathnach, Declan.
Broughan, Thomas P.
Brophy, Colm.
Buckley, Pat.
Browne, James.
Collins, Joan.
Bruton, Richard.
Collins, Michael.
Burke, Peter.
Connolly, Catherine.
Burton, Joan.
Coppinger, Ruth.
Butler, Mary.
Crowe, Sen.
Byrne, Catherine.
Cullinane, David.
Byrne, Thomas.
Daly, Clare.
Cahill, Jackie.
Doherty, Pearse.
Calleary, Dara.
Ellis, Dessie.
Canney, Sen.
Ferris, Martin.
Cannon, Ciarn.
Fitzmaurice, Michael.
Carey, Joe.
Funchion, Kathleen.
Casey, Pat.
Healy, Seamus.
Cassells, Shane.
Kenny, Gino.
Chambers, Jack.
Kenny, Martin.
FORMAL DECLARATION OF
HOUSING EMERGENCY NEEDED
TO REDUCE OUTRAGEOUS
MORTGAGE RATES
MINISTER NOONAN OPPOSES
MOVE TO REDUCE RATES BY
CITING PROTECTION OF
PROPERTY RIGHTS OF BANKS IN
THE CONSTITUTION
LENDERS CHARGE UP TO 5% INTEREST
WHILE ACCESSING MONEY FROM ECB AT 0%MORTGAGE HOLDERS BEING USED TO BAIL
OUT BANKS
EVICTIONS
Seamus Healy TD IN Dil
Listen Live
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https://wuag.wordpress.com/2016/10/19/housing-crisis-and-failedclonlara-eviction/
Deputy Seamus Healy: The proposals in respect of social
housing in this budget are grossly inadequate. Housing is a
fundamental right of human beings but shamefully the Taoiseach
has written to the EU seeking permission to borrow the money
required to build social housing. Ireland does not have the
sovereignty to house its own people.
There are 140,000 people on local authority waiting lists and in the
first four months of this year an additional 3,527 have been added
to that figure. This probably underestimates the situation because
people now availing of the housing assistance payments, formerly
rent supplement, are being removed from local authority lists. We
need an emergency house building programme of at least 10,000
houses per year to address this situation. The Governments target
of 47,000 houses to be provided between now and 2021 will fall far
short of dealing with the problem. In 2021 we will be, as we are
today, in a housing crisis. There is an absolute necessity to declare
a housing emergency. The Minister for Housing, Planning,
Community and Local Government, Deputy Coveney, said publicly in
July that he believed we had a housing crisis. The Minister for Public
Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Donohoe, signed off on an
emergency measure to ensure that public service pensioners were
deprived of their pensions under the Financial Emergency Measures
in the Public Interest Act 2015 but this Government refuses to
declare a housing emergency which is absolutely necessary to halt
evictions generally and in rented and mortgaged properties. The
Government, through the banks it owns, Allied Irish Banks, AIB,
number has been provided this year and there are doubts that the
figure can be reached next year either.
Population growth, fuelled in part by net immigration which
returned this year for the first time since 2009 and is likely to
strengthen because of Brexit, will be the key driver of demand.
Apart from the challenges for the construction industry, the ESRI
says domestic banks would struggle to provide the necessary level
of credit without affecting safeguards around deposit to loan ratios.
In a report published today, the ESRI warns: Results of our
analysis suggest that in the future the traditional deposit base will
be unable to fund the level of credit required to meet the housing
demands of the economy. This will require significant changes in the
domestic financial sector.
Given the calamitous events of the past decade, a significant
expansion in the lending capacity of the domestic banking sector
will immediately give rise to concerns about the emergence of
another credit- fuelled bubble.
It suggests there may be a case for the entry of foreign banks into
the Irish retail banking sector.
Taskforce.
Its understood the eviction was subsequently abandoned, after
family members gained access to the home, which had been sealed
off with steel shutters.
A senior Garda Spokesperson has confirmed to Clare FM that
members of An Garda Sochna responded to a call-out to the area
to prevent a breach of peace.
An allegation of assault has been made, but no arrests have yet
been made.
Garda are continuing with their investigations.
It has just been confirmed to me in the last few minutes that the
father of a number of young children who was due to appear before
one of the EVICTION Courts this week has sadly taken his own life.
Out of respect for his family I will not be naming the location.
Suffice to say that our uncaring TDs have more blood on their
hands as they DO HAVE the power to put a stop to the never ending
nightmare thats being experienced by thousands of innocent
victims of the bailed out banks and vulture funds!
May he Rest in Peace-Ken Smollen
Recommendation on Evictions
Subject to advice of the Attorney General, the Government
should introduce legislation for a moratorium on home
repossessions until such time as the Governments proposals are in
place.
Commission Fails to recommend a formal declaration of a housing
emergency by Government!!!!! This will enable banks an landlords
to continue evictions despite the spin in the Commission Report
Even the Minority Report by Ruth Coppinger TD, Socialist Party, fails
to call for the formal declaration of a housing emergency by the Dil
Oireachtas Committee on Housing and Homelessnes-Majority Report
http://www.oireachtas.ie/parliament/media/committees/32housinga
ndhomelessness/Final-Report-.pdf
MINORITY REPORT
http://antiausterityalliance.ie/wp-
content/uploads/2016/06/Housing-doc-2.pdf
The Minority Report makes some very good points, particularly
pointing out that the FISCAL TREATY must be broken to enable the
state to invest in housing. But the advocacy of a referendum to
change the constitution on property rights and the right to a home,
however laudable, is not an emergency measure. It is no substitute
for the immediate formal declaration of a national housing
emergency by government to enable legal interference with
property rights in order to implement emergency measures
including a halt to eviction proceedings.
The Majority Report fails to call for breaking of the FISCAL TREATY
in order for the state to build adequate numbers of social houses.
Not alone does it put those facing repossession in the hands of the
Attorney General(a member of the government), Chair Curran(FF)
has explained that the moratorium on evictions would only be a
short term measure for a few months. It would last until
government put in place the governments (inadequate) measures
on debt resolution.
To make things worse, The Fianna Fail Finance Spokesperson,
Deputy Michael McGrath says in the Irish Examiner(18/06/2016)
says that the recommendation to pause repossessions is
unworkable and SOMETIMES KEEPING THE HOUSE IS NOT THE
BEST ANSWER. In an interview with the Irish Examiner, Mr
McGrath said losing the home and starting again may be best for
some people who can no longer afford to remain where they are.
Michael McGrath TD
Independents4Change was represented on the Commission by
Deputies Mick Wallace and Maureen OSullivan. Following the failure
of I4C to support an amendment strengthening the Workers Rights
Bill put down by AAA-PBP, its complete acceptance of the grossly
deficient report is leading to queriess as to where it is headed
politically.
Sinn Fin took the same position as I4C. A piece by Eoin Broin SF
(member of the Commission) in the Irish Independent 18/06/2016
points to no deficiencies in the report and is quite complimentary of
its FF and FG members.
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/cowen-detacheddurkan-rambled-but-report-shows-tds-agree-cure-34812099.html
The acceptance of the Fiscal Treaty by Sinn Fin has a particular
significance. The Treaty , in effect,removes the fundamental right of
the government to provide housing for all citizens. How far has Sinn
Fin travelled since Coimhn Caolain TD opposed the Treaty in the
Dil on the grounds that it flies in the face of the 1916
Proclamation in its undermining of Irish sovereignty?
Even after FF through Finance Spokesperson Michael McGrath pulled
the rug on the moratorium on evictions recommendation , Eoin
OBroin (SF) wrote in an opinion piece in Sunday Business Post
19/06/2016
The Committee also called on the government to urgently request
flexibility
from the European Commission on the application of fiscal rules for
investment
in tackling the crisisthe strength of the Report lies in the fact that all but one of our 14
members
signed up to the final recommendations.
There is now strong support across the political spectrum for
greater state
involvement in the provision of social housing, the regulation of the
private
rental sector and targeted measures to meet the housing needs of
those most
neglected by past policies
Coming from a professed republican, the request for permission
from the EU to put roofs over the heads of the Irish people is very
strange. The notion of FF, FG who have always favoured the rich,
genuinely working to solve the crisis is at best naive.
Alan Kelly TD (Labour) gave evidence to the Commission on
constitutional obstacles to solving the housing crisis. (The protection
of private property in the constitution is not absolute-it is subject to
right of government to provide for the common good). Kelly was
effectively quoting the Attorney General who continues in the new
government. It is important to note that Brendan Howlin(Labour)
who was also a minister in the outgoing government claimed to
have overcome the constitutional obstacle to confiscating private
property in pensions in the FEMPI ACT by a formal declaration of a
Financial Emergency by Government and the laying of a document
certifying continuation of the Financial Emergency every year.
My conclusion from the evidence of Alan Kelly (below) is that the
outgoing FG-Lab government was not prepared to formally declare
a national housing emergency and to lay the documents before the
Oireachtas. FG-Lab put the rights of property before the common
good. It continued evictions, including evictions by banks it owns.
PHONE NO
01-
Stephen Donnelly
in the euro.
Sarah and Dominics mortgage was about 350,000, so Mars
Capital got it for about 140,000 an amount the couple
could have afforded. Instead, they still owe the full 350,000
to Mars Capital and face the prospect of eviction.
It gets better (or worse if you are Sarah and Dominic, or an
Irish taxpayer). Mars bought these 1,400 mortgages for
155m. About half of this was financed by a loan from
Citibank, with the remaining 80m being, presumably, the
funds managed by Oaktree Capital. The 2015 accounts of
Mars Capital forecast that this 80m investment will harvest
almost 400m (net of the Citibank loan) in mortgage interest
and principal repayments (so thats the 80m back, plus
almost 320m extra, less administration costs). And this is
just Mars Capitals first estimate. It assumes a level of nonpayment on the mortgages they bought. But as the Irish
economy recovers and payment rates improve, profits could
become much higher.
In May 2014, Ireland was borrowing 10-year money at 2pc.
Mars Capitals accounts show them earning 14pc on their
80m, just taking into account mortgage interest payments,
from the likes of Sarah and Dominic. Why sell an asset
yielding 14pc when your cost of funds is 2pc? The Irish State
could have given every one of those Irish mortgage holders a
60pc discount on their loan and still have made 14pc per
annum in repayments. Wasnt Nama set up to do this?
However, it gets even better (and definitely worse, if you are
an Irish taxpayer). The funds managed by Oaktree Capital
Management seem to be accounted for in Mars Capital as
notes.
Essentially, the 80m was loaned to Mars Capital, and Mars
must pay it back, plus interest. The interest on these notes is
set at 10pc + variable residual.
In other words, the interest payable on the 80m can be
hiked to soak up any, and all, profit Mars Capital makes.
The accounts of Mars Capital clarify that these notes will
suck nearly all of the profits (interest and capital) from the
company in excess of the Citibank loan. The 2015 accounts
claim exactly 1,000 as taxable profit, while paying millions
in interest on the notes.
This tax-management structure is similar to what is used by
some multinationals based in Ireland. Often, such notes are
registered in an offshore zero-tax location such as the
Cayman Islands, where their note interest payments are
made and accumulate tax-free, and get lent back to the
parent as needed. As such, the profits are taxed neither in
Ireland, nor in the US.
01-5349118
#thehubirelandrepealtheevictionbill
Dont suffer in silence.
There is help in hand.
It is FREE.
Stay in your homes.
Noonan quoted the 208 orders for repossessions for the whole
country for Quarter 3,2015 as representative of the scale of the
problem. COURTS ONLY SIT FOR 1 OF THE 3 MONTHS IN
QUARTER 3!! The Court Service Figures for the whole country for
Quarters 1 and 2 are 586 and 314 respectively.
The proposed Eviction of 97 Tipperary Families Must Be
Stopped Now!
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Noel Harrington
Martin Heydon
Phil Hogan
Brendan Howlin
Heather Humphreys
Kevin Humphreys
Derek Keating
Paul Kehoe
Alan Kelly
Sen Kenny
Sen Kyne
Anthony Lawlor
Ciarn Lynch
Michael McCarthy
Helen McEntee
Nicky McFadden
Dinny McGinley
Tony McLoughlin
Michael McNamara
Eamonn Maloney
Peter Mathews
Olivia Mitchell
Mary Mitchell OConnor
Michelle Mulherin
Dara Murphy
Eoghan Murphy
Gerald Nash
Dan Neville
Derek Nolan
Aodhn Rordin
John OMahony
Joe OReilly
Jan OSullivan
Ann Phelan
John Paul Phelan
Pat Rabbitte
Michael Ring
Brendan Ryan
Alan Shatter
Emmet Stagg
David Stanton
Joanna Tuffy
Liam Twomey
Jack Wall
Brian Walsh
Nl
Richard Boyd Barrett
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Tommy Broughan
John Browne
Joan Collins
Niall Collins
Barry Cowen
Sen Crowe
Clare Daly
Pearse Doherty
Stephen Donnelly
Timmy Dooley
Dessie Ellis
Martin Ferris
Luke Flanagan
Tom Fleming
John Halligan
Samus Healy
Michael Healy-Rae
Joe Higgins
Billy Kelleher
Michael Lowry
Pdraig MacLochlainn
Charlie McConalogue
Mary Lou McDonald
Finian McGrath
Mattie McGrath
Sandra McLellan
Michel Martin
Catherine Murphy
Denis Naughten
Patrick Nulty
Caoimhghn Caolin
amon Cuv
Sen Fearghal
Aengus Snodaigh
Jonathan OBrien
Willie ODea
Thomas Pringle
Shane Ross
Risn Shortall
Brendan Smith
Peadar Tibn
Robert Troy
Mick Wallace
Question declared carried.
Voting was also as above on the Report and Final Stage of the Land
and Conveyancing Bill (2013)
Downward pressure
Its not that the Government couldnt bring down the price of
houses. The main levers at their disposal are social housing and
rent controls. These are viable long- term solutions to home
ownership and if they are provided in sufficient quantities at the
right price, they exert downward pressure on prices.
But the targets for social housing set out in the plan will not put a
tooth in the problem. The plan calls for the construction of 125,000
houses by 2021, of which only one in five or fewer will be social
housing built by the Government.
The rest will presumably be provided by the private sector, and we
can take it as read that they dont plan selling these houses for any
less than they are selling them at the moment . They argue they
are not even making money at current prices.
If prices are not coming down and wages are not going up and the
Central Bank wont let banks lend people more than they can afford,
you get the sort of stalemate that prevails in the Irish market. The
Government, to its credit, is trying to solve the problem by
providing a limited amount of cheap housing but the bulk of its
effort seems to be going into subsidising the building industry either
directly or indirectly.
The measures to be announced in the budget in October are
expected to include a 10,000 package for first-time buyers and
other measures to increase the profitability of house-building. At
best, this will allow more people to buy houses at current prices and
also allow more builders to build profitably at current prices. At
worst, it will trigger a jump in prices.
No costing has been put on this part of the plan but if, for
arguments sake, you assumed that half of the buyers of the
100,000 houses that will be built by the private sector got the
money, it would be 500 million over five years.
It represents a massive subsidy for an industry that is
fundamentally uncompetitive because it has overpaid for land and is
now sitting on sites, refusing to develop and playing chicken with
the Government. Those who worship market forces would argue
these builders should all be made go bust and the price of land
should drop, allowing profitable house-building by new entrants. In
a socialist version of this fantasy, the State would then spend 500
million building 200,000 council houses.
It doesnt really matter because neither of these things are going to
happen. It may not be the Governments intention but the housing
plan looks like a massive State bailout for an industry that is being
protected from the consequences of its mistakes. Sound familiar?
2016 irishtimes.com
FINAL WARNING TO
GOVERNMENT-HALT EVICTION
PROCEEDINGS NOW!
-KEN SMOLLEN
Recommendation on Evictions
McGrath said losing the home and starting again may be best for
some people who can no longer afford to remain where they are.
Michael McGrath TD
Independents4Change was represented on the Commission by
A Chirde,
I am an activist in a campaign against eviction of homeowners and
tenants in the context of a the national housing emergency as
recently affirmed by Minister Coveney.
Some of those who are having their homes being repossessed are
being evicted by the government which is the owner of a number of
banks including AIB and PTSB
I believe it would be outrageous for any member of the Oireachtas
Committee to agree to the issue of recommendations on housing
and homeless ness which did not call for an immediate halt to all
evictions.
In the case of Banks in majority state ownership no legislation or
constitutional change is required. The government can simply issue
an instruction to the banks it owns. If the bank refuses to comply
the Minister can call a special general meeting of shareholders in
order to put in place directors who will carry out the instructions of
the owners. The Framework Agreement between Government and
Banks is a purely informal, non-legally binding arrangement.
But, of course, all evictions should be banned in this emergency.
This would require emergency legislation which could be completed
in one day.
It would also be important for government to formally
declare a housing emergency and to lay a document before
both houses of the Oireachtas certifying that the emergency
exist. This would prevent landlords and banks blocking the
implementation of the legislation by attempting to invoke
the constitutional protection of private property which is
limited by the necessity to provide for the common good.
I and my allies will hold each member of the Oireachtas Committee
responsible for future evictions who assents to recommendations of
the Committee which do not include the emergency prohibition of all
evictions until the housing and homelessness crisis has been
resolved.
Government is about to lay a document before both houses by June
30 which will certify that a Financial Emergency continues to exist.
This, it believes is necessary in order to protect confiscation of
private property in public service pensions from constitutional
challenge.
Yours sincerely
Paddy Healy
88 Griffith Court, Fairview, Dublin 3
086-4183732
Q1
314, Q2 586, Q3 188
There was a huge increase in possessions in the April to June
period. Mr Noonan omits this information, and picks the figure for
Q3 which he then implies is typical though it contains one
month( July) figures only! The reason the Central Bank figure for
Q3 (207) is slightly above the Courts Service figure (188) may be
that the Central Bank figure contains High Court orders in addition
to the Circuit Court orders supplied by the Courts Service.
In time honoured fashion Spinner Noonan, to cover his tracks
claims that it is others who are misrepresenting the situation! The
idea that tens of thousands of houses are being repossessed is just
not correct he said. Additionally, this allows him to suggest that the
repossession problem is really minimal and not nearly as bad as is
being represented.
No journalist or serious person has spoken about tens of
thousands of repossessions. 1,088 orders in the first 3 quarters of
2015 is already a disastrous figure!!!
For example, Kitty Holland, Irish Times Nov 12, 2015. says
: Banks have sought to repossess almost 4,500 homes since the
start of the year up to September 30, the latest figures from the
Courts Service of Ireland indicate-Kitty Holland, Irish Times Nov
12, 2015.
This is in line with the Central Bank Report: During the third
quarter of 2015, legal proceedings were issued to enforce the debt
security on private dwelling house mortgages in 1,687 cases
(Central Bank Report).
Noonan invents the tens of thousands in order to minimize a
problem which is in fact already disastrous-the oldest trick in the
book of the spinner.
STATE DIRECTION OF BANKS IS UNTHINKABLE!-Noonan
The right of human beings to stay in their own homes is a most
important right. The vast majority of people in mortgage difficulty
are entirely blameless for their own predicament. They were setting
up homes at a particular time. They may have had to move jobs or
have been transferred in their job at a particular time. They were
failed by the state and by its organs such as the central bank and
the financial regulator and by the government of the day.
But Mr Noonan believes that there are superior rights and superior
interests and that the vindication of the rights of householders to
stay in their own home is a secondary consideration even if families
must be placed in hotel rooms or hostels and may be dispersed.
Mr Noonan: Notwithstanding the fact that the State is a
shareholder in these institutions, I must ensure that these banks
are run on a commercial and independent basis to ensure the value
of the banks as an asset to the State
Finance Minister Noonan has already made clear his intention to sell
the state owned banks to private investors. Clearly, he is concerned
Irish Times Thu, Jan 14, 2016, 11:39 Updated: Thu, Jan 14, 2016,
12:03
Marie OHalloran
Minister for Finance Michael Noonan: I appreciate that its very
hard on people. I appreciate people have lost their jobs and I
appreciate how upset people are.
Banks have been dealing with the issue of home repossessions
reasonably well, according to Minister for Finance Michael Noonan.
He said this idea of tens of thousands of houses being repossessed
is just not correct.
Mr Noonan said I appreciate that its very hard on people. I
appreciate people have lost their jobs and I appreciate the concerns
and I appreciate how upset people are.
But in a very extreme situation its been handled reasonably well
by the banks.
He was responding to Independent TD Samus Healy who asked Mr
Noonan, as the majority shareholder in AIB and its subsidiary EBS
as well as the majority shareholder in Permanent TSB, to call a
meeting of the boards of the banks and to instruct them not to
repossess family homes.
He said that if the bank directors would not agree to that then sack
those members. You have the power to do that as majority
shareholder.
There are thousands of families in this country, irrespective of what
you say Minister, facing homelessness by these banks, of which the
Government is a majority shareholder.
Mr Noonan said a relationship framework had been agreed by the
Governments predecessors in office that the political side will not
Stopped Now!
Senior Minister Alan Kelly (Lab) and Minister of State Hayes(FG)
must now intervene at Cabinet to have a Housing Emergency
Declared and all repossession applications withdrawn.
In particular they must force Minister Noonan to withdraw the
repossession applications by the banks he owns.
13/06/2016
We have being contacted by RTE Over the passed few days over the
selling of family home mortgages to vulture funds across the county
When Gerry O Boyle campaigned in the last general election on this
issue the matter was not allowed to be high-lighted. Now it has
come the light with the assistance of Gerry O Boyle. RTE has
decided to do a documentary on corruption of Irish banks and the
cover up. RTE is now expected to do full coverage from Castlebar
Eviction Court on June the 13th
Men in balaclavas evict families for vulture capitalists invited
in by government to feed on the public
Irish Mirror Pat
Flanagan 15:33, 3 Jun 2016 Mass evictions loom after it was
revealed that 46,000 mortgages the equivalent to all the
homes in Drogheda and Dundalk are now in the hands of
vulture funds. The sight of men in balaclavas attempting to
evict families from their homes as gardai stand idly by
confirms that we are living in a very sick state. Tens of
thousands of families face being evicted by the vultures. When a
Government invites vultures into our country to feed on the misery
of families in danger of losing their homes, you know Irish society
has lost its moral compass. The sight of men in balaclavas
attempting to evict families from their homes as gardai stand idly
by confirms that we are living in a very sick state.Ireland is indeed a
warped country which poisons golden eagles and venerates vultures
selling off thousands of distressed mortgages at knockdown prices
while refusing to give homeowners a writedown.
It is perhaps a metaphor for a country in terminal social decline
where the vulnerable are fed to unscrupulous wealth funds who
Governor Patrick Honohan said he was very unhappy about the sale
of mortgage books to vulture funds and highlighted the
consequences for tenants.
But Fine Gael and Labour were determined that the vultures be fed
and allowed the sell-off which saw property portfolios worth tens of
billions of euro go ahead with massive writedowns.
It is estimated that around 46,000 mortgages the equivalent to all
the homes in Drogheda and Dundalk are now in the hands of
vulture funds.
The newly-created Dublin Tenants Association has called for new
laws to stop vulture capitalists from forcing families out of their
homes.
DTA spokesman Patrick Bresnihan said: This is not a natural
disaster. The reality is government policy has been to facilitate
vulture funds at every turn, without any research into the impact of
international funds on the Irish housing system.
The dreadful situation which families find themselves in is a direct
reflection of the ethos and ideology of the previous government.
Vultures by their nature rarely attack healthy animals, but will prey
on the weak and sick and thats exactly what the Coalition did.
So we shouldnt be too surprised about Michael Noonans love of
vultures its a case of birds of a feather flock together
legal representation and did not feel able to carry out the role of
representing herself in such an already stressful situation, where
she would be up against the banks professional legal team,
including a barrister. In previous proceedings in the same case, but
in front of a Registrar, her brother had been allowed to represent his
sister.
On Monday, she had signed a Power of Attorney for her brother to
represent her again, but Judge Doyle disallowed the request.
The Hub-Ireland, a voluntary group working to help distressed
mortgage-holders, is extremely concerned at how mortgage cases
are being dealt with by the judicial system generally and for the
personal plight of the woman in this particular case, who has not
only lost her home without being able to present her defence, but
has also had to watch her brother being carried away to prison.
The Hub-Ireland is repeating its call for an end to the Evictions
Courts. Its members have been observing the workings of such
courts throughout the country and have reported many similar
cases where home-owners, who could not afford to employ a legal
team to match the banks one, have their rights to justice severely
compromised as a result. This is wrong and it has to stop, said
Byron Jenkins of The Hub-Ireland. Tonight there is a man in prison
and a woman faces eviction, having lost her home. This is a
personal tragedy for this family, but it also highlights all that is
wrong about how the mortgage-crisis has been dealt with. We again
call on the government and all in the political system to act
immediately to put an end to the barbaric suffering being caused to
good Irish people, whose only mistake was to borrow to put a roof
over their heads.
The Dil will break for summer holidays in a few weeks time, but it
will be a long hot summer for those facing eviction as a result of
political inaction, said Jenkins.
The Hub-Ireland is a voluntary, self-help community organisation
that offers free help, support and information to homeowners who
are in danger of eviction from their homes by mortgage companies.
It has launched a campaign to have the Evictions Courts abolished
and asks for the public to support the initiative. It invites anyone in
mortgage distress to contact them at [email protected] or
phone 01 534 9118.
/ends press release
Please Note: The Hub-Ireland has a number of expert
spokespersons who are available to appear as panelists on radio
and television programs dealing with the issues of mortgage
distress. They are also available to give interviews to print media.
Please contact The Hub-Ireland at [email protected] (enter
Press Query in Subject line) or phone 01 534 9118 during office
hours.
-
18/05/2016
This evening is probably not a good time to write a report on todays meeting with T
Senators and their representatives in Leinster House as I usually need a day to fully
analyse any event or meeting.
However, it was an absolute pleasure to meet what I would describe as three very lik
minded people, namely Byron, Adrienne and Martina in The Hub office in Dublin befo
heading off to Leinster House. Adrienne had the job of looking after callers to The Hu
while Byron, Martina and I went to the meeting where we first met Seamus Healy TD
and his brother Paddy. We had a cup of coffee in the caf there while discussing the
approach we would be making when presenting our case on behalf of thousands of
people who find that they are the totally innocent victims of the bailed out banks wh
want to legally steal their family homes!
There were approx. 20 TDs present at different stages during our presentation inclu
the following Sean Crowe, Eugene Murphy, Pat Buckley, Thomas Pringle, Dara
Calleary, Martin Ferris, Sean Fleming, Carol Nolan, Ann Rabbitte, Eoin OBroin and
others. Represented were Richard Boyd Barrett and Joan Collins. Needless to say no
representative from either Fine Gael or the Labour Party was there. It surprised me
not one representative of the Independent Alliance made the effort either as all TDs
were invited there by Seamus Healy TD and by myself.
I began the presentation by describing to those present what actually happens in the
Eviction Courts and how people are being treated in a shameful way in particular by
County Registrars. I described the intimidating atmosphere in these places and the
absolute horror, despair and desperation that I see on a regular basis in these awful
places. I also informed them that during the month of May alone there are well over
2,000 Eviction cases listed in the courts throughout the country and with an average
3 or 4 members of each household it would be the equivalent of the population of a
large town being hauled before the Eviction courts and thats just this month alone
also impressed on them that not only are there approx. 100,000 families in mortgag
distress but that there could be a further 200,000 families going without some of the
basic necessities just to pay their mortgages and that many of these people were als
slipping into mortgage distress. Again I said that with an average of 3 to 4 people pe
household we are looking at over ONE MILLION people in Ireland being in this awful
situation with no resolution in sight.
I then explained how the banks were refusing to engage with many mortgage holder
any way even though the banks claim that its the other way around. I also said to th
that the Government must FORCE the banks to engage fairly with mortgage holders
that a fair and sustainable solution must be found for ALL mortgage holders before t
would be any recovery for the people of Ireland.
Martina then spoke about and gave an excellent presentation on the Land &
Conveyancing (Law Reform) Act of 2013 [The EVICTION Act] and explained how it m
be repealed as it gives the bailed out banks easier access to repossessing family hom
Byron then gave an exception explanation of how The Hub-Ireland is helping families
every day for FREE and also urged those present the need for an urgent solution to t
desperate crisis.
The politicians who were present then made their own contributions with all of them
agreeing that a real recovery for the people of Ireland could only take place once the
people of Ireland were treated fairly by the banks. They were all in agreement that t
must act in the best interests of the people that they represent.
Our next step with the help of Seamus Healy is to gain an invitation to make a
submission to the housing committee where we can again impress on them the
necessity for two things 1) The urgent need for a STOP to be put on EVICTION Cou
proceedings in the courts while the banks are forced to find a fair and sustainable
solution for all mortgage holders and 2) To have an official EMERGENCY declared in
relation to this crisis. Such a declaration would put a stop to Michael Noonans nonse
about the Government being unable to interfere in private property transactions.
All in all it was a very good day and Im sure that by keeping the pressure on these
people we can achieve real change for the better, not only keeping families in their
homes but in the process, saving many lives.
I was not expecting to see Fine Gaels representative from Offaly there as she was o
of those who unashamedly voted YES for the Eviction Bill and because there werent
photo opportunities for her to take advantage of. I am however extremely disappoin
with the non-appearance of the Fianna Fail TD for Offaly. When the meeting was ove
walked as we were talking outside the meeting room, he looked and grinned, as muc
as to say Who let those peasants into this important place.
Finally, I would like to thank Paddy Healy and his brother Seamus for arranging this
meeting and I have absolutely no doubt that we will now gain the support of other T
in our justified fight for fairness for thousands of our people. With the help of these
good men we certainly hope to receive an invitation to make a submission to the
housing committee.
KEEP SUNDAY 19th JUNE FREE 1.30pm in the Killeshin Hotel, Portlaoise EVERYO
WELCOME!
Thanks everyone,
Ken
Homelessness
http://www.rte.ie//sh/claire-byrne-live30003252/10576915/
Listen to First 30 minutes on Housing and
Homelessness
surveyors and the like. These could be 12pc of the contract price
plus 23pc VAT. So this is close to 19,000 on top of this price,
bringing the 140,000 initial cost, up with all the fees and taxes to
around 166,000.
Then on top of this are development levies which are the costs per
unit that are added by the council to pay for new roads, water pipes
and sewage. These are typically 9,000 per unit. So we are now up
to 175,000 per unit.
Now we have the cost of the build with all the charges and taxes
before we talk about site cost.
In 2011, Dublin probably had enough houses to deal with the
population. However, there should have been 60,000 built since to
keep up with population growth but only 8,000 have been built, so
we have a shortfall of around 50,000 for the sake of argument.
Imagine the State was to build or fund the build of 50,000 houses.
At 175,000 each, this would cost 8.7bn. This is a big number but
the Irish State can borrow for 10 years at 1pc, according to
Bloomberg yesterday. Therefore, the State could issue a Housing
Executive Bond, which it could sell to Irish residents who are sitting
on 94bn of deposits in the Irish banking system. Servicing this
debt would cost 87m per year.
Traditionally, countries dont pay back the principal of their national
debts, they simply roll it over.
So it would be prudent to suggest that we would do the same for
this Housing Executive Bond.
Now we have a situation where the total annual cost of 50,000 units
is 87m. This means that the annual cost per unit is 1,740. The
implication is the rent that would be needed to be charged per unit
per year to pay the cost of this build, funded by a Housing Executive
Bond, is 1,740 per year. Lets round this up to 2,000 per unit per
year, to include maintenance.
So total rental cost of a new house or apartment is not 12,000 per
annum, as is the case right now, but 2,000 per annum or 38 a
week.
This is feasible. You have seen the numbers. The major cost omitted
is the site cost and this is where we come into the land issue.
At a density of 60 units per hectare, this would mean about 833
hectares of development land, or about 2,000 acres, is needed.
There are 28,000 acres in Dublin in total but just one bank, Ulster
Bank, put a portfolio of 1,850 acres of development land up for sale
this year. So the development land portfolio of just one bank could
almost cover this total city requirement! Now we are talking.
The State could simply CPO this land at cost and be done with it.
You could add the repayment cost of this land to the annual rent.
This would bring up the annual cost of the rent needed to cover
everything to 3,000 per year or a quarter of present average rent
paid.
Thus, the great Irish housing crisis is solved for less than 60 per
week for a family of four in return for a new house, fixity of tenure
and peace of mind!
Thats how its done in proper countries. The choice is ours.
Lets join the 21st century and stop gouging each other for the basic
right of a roof over our heads.
Unlike the lads on the Magic Bus, these are the numbers, no one is
smoking funny stuff, just seeing things clearly through the haze of
vested interests and inertia.
Problem solved.
Distressed debt
Hedge funds or private equity funds that invest in distressed debt
vulture funds originally invested in sovereign debt but since the
financial crisis in 2008 have moved into buying loans linked to the
property market in the US and Europe.
The Irish Government, according to the report, has wholeheartedly
embraced vulture funds and their entry into the Irish market could
not have occurred were it not for two major public banking
institutions, the National Asset Management Agency (Nama), and
the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC).
Nama is the public entity that acted as Irelands bad bank for
property loans issued by Irish banks, while the IBRC, which is now
in liquidation, took over the collapsed Anglo Irish Bank and Irish
Nationwide.
For example, Kitty Holland, Irish Times Nov 12, 2015. says
: Banks have sought to repossess almost 4,500 homes since the
start of the year up to September 30, the latest figures from the
Courts Service of Ireland indicate-Kitty Holland, Irish Times Nov
12, 2015.
This is in line with the Central Bank Report: During the third
quarter of 2015, legal proceedings were issued to enforce the debt
security on private dwelling house mortgages in 1,687 cases
(Central Bank Report).
Noonan invents the tens of thousands in order to minimize a
problem which is in fact already disastrous-the oldest trick in the
book of the spinner.
STATE DIRECTION OF BANKS IS UNTHINKABLE!-Noonan
The right of human beings to stay in their own homes is a most
important right. The vast majority of people in mortgage difficulty
are entirely blameless for their own predicament. They were setting
up homes at a particular time. They may have had to move jobs or
have been transferred in their job at a particular time. They were
failed by the state and by its organs such as the central bank and
the financial regulator and by the government of the day.
But Mr Noonan believes that there are superior rights and superior
interests and that the vindication of the rights of householders to
stay in their own home is a secondary consideration even if families
must be placed in hotel rooms or hostels and may be dispersed.
Mr Noonan: Notwithstanding the fact that the State is a
shareholder in these institutions, I must ensure that these banks
are run on a commercial and independent basis to ensure the value
of the banks as an asset to the State
Finance Minister Noonan has already made clear his intention to sell
the state owned banks to private investors. Clearly, he is concerned
to maximise the sale value of the banks.
Mr Noonan voted in the Dil to compensate in full international
investors who risked their funds in Irish Banks. Money was
borrowed from international financiers to pay this compensation.
Now Minister Noonan and the FG/Labour Government are using the
banks to collect money originally paid to international investors in
the same banks from the Irish population. Accordingly, Banks are
allowed to charge interest rates to all Irish borrowers which are well
above average rates in other European countries within the
Eurozone. The value of houses in Ireland has now risen. Hence the
huge rise in repossessions between Quarter 1 and Quarter 2 of
2015.
The Priority of Government is that the banks be fattened up for
privatisation
Mr Noonan also tries to give the impression that he has no power to
give instructions to state owned banks.
He says: There is a relationship framework, signed by my
if he
will insist that Allied Irish Bank and its subsidiary the Educational
Building Society and Permanent TSB, which are in majority State
ownership, desist from seeking repossession of family homes
through the Courts and withdraw all such existing applications
before the Courts; and if he will make a statement on the
matter. [1426/16]
Deputy Seamus Healy: Allied Irish Banks, the Educational
Building Society and Permanent TSB are in majority State
ownership. They are adding to homelessness and the housing crisis
by repossessing family homes. I am asking the Minister, as the
majority shareholder, to instruct the banks to desist from this
practice.
Deputy Michael Noonan: I would like to thank Deputy Healy for
raising this question. As he is aware, I have no direct function in the
relationship between the customer and PTSB, or AIB and its
subsidiary EBS. Notwithstanding the fact that the State is a
shareholder in these institutions, I must ensure that these banks
are run on a commercial and independent basis to ensure the value
of the banks as an asset to the State.
Decisions taken by the banks are a matter for the board and
management of the relevant institution. The relationship framework
agreements define the arms-length nature of the relationship
between the State and the banks in which the State has an
investment. The banks are therefore entitled to pursue all options
open to them in order to realise the value of their impaired assets,
within the significant constraints imposed by their regulator, the
Central Bank and the law as it applies.
The Government has put in place a broad strategy to address the
problem of mortgage arrears and family home repossessions. The
primary focus of this strategy is to support those home owners in
difficulty with their mortgage repayments and, in so far as possible,
to avoid repossession of family homes. In recent months, the
Government agreed measures to enhance awareness of and access
to the insolvency framework. We expanded the mortgage-to-rent
scheme, making it more accessible. In addition, my colleague, the
Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, also
introduced the Bankruptcy (Amendment) Bill 2015, which will,
among other things, reduce the normal duration of bankruptcy from
three years to one year.
The Central Bank of Irelands code of conduct on mortgage arrears
also provides protection as it sets out requirements for lenders
dealing with borrowers who are facing, or in, mortgage arrears on
their primary residence. It ensures that borrowers struggling to
keep up mortgage repayments are treated in a fair and transparent
manner by their lenders and that long-term resolution is sought by
lenders with each of their borrowers.
The number of mortgages in arrears continues to fall. There are
Irish Times Thu, Jan 14, 2016, 11:39 Updated: Thu, Jan 14, 2016,
12:03
Marie OHalloran
Minister for Finance Michael Noonan: I appreciate that its very
hard on people. I appreciate people have lost their jobs and I
appreciate how upset people are.
Banks have been dealing with the issue of home repossessions
reasonably well, according to Minister for Finance Michael Noonan.
He said this idea of tens of thousands of houses being repossessed
is just not correct.
Mr Noonan said I appreciate that its very hard on people. I
appreciate people have lost their jobs and I appreciate the concerns
and I appreciate how upset people are.
But in a very extreme situation its been handled reasonably well
by the banks.
He was responding to Independent TD Samus Healy who asked Mr
Noonan, as the majority shareholder in AIB and its subsidiary EBS
as well as the majority shareholder in Permanent TSB, to call a
meeting of the boards of the banks and to instruct them not to
repossess family homes.
He said that if the bank directors would not agree to that then sack
those members. You have the power to do that as majority
shareholder.
There are thousands of families in this country, irrespective of what
you say Minister, facing homelessness by these banks, of which the
Government is a majority shareholder.
Mr Noonan said a relationship framework had been agreed by the
Governments predecessors in office that the political side will not
interfere in commercial decisions and they did not want to politicise
the banks.
It would be a very sad day for the country if you were looking for a
loan and your first port of call had to be your local TD rather than
the bank manager.
He said 207 houses were repossessed on foot of court order and
that is not the 10s of thousands of houses thats sometimes recited
on the commentary on this.
He said 121,000 mortgages on private dwellings had been
restructured and the success rate was 86.6 per cent.
So progressively the problem is being solved.
Mr Noonan said statistics from the Central Bank showed that in the
third quarter of 2015 (July, August and September) legal
proceedings were issued in 1,687 cases of private mortgages.
There were 798 cases where court proceedings concluded but
arrears remained outstanding and the court granted a repossession
order in 329 cases.
A total of 422 properties were taken into possession by lenders
BANKS IT OWNS
HOMELESSNESS UP 50% AS
SOUTH DUBLIN CO COUNCIL
DECLARES HOUSING EMERGENCY
The number of people accessing emergency shelters
across the State was up by almost 50 per cent in
February, compared to the same month last year,
according to the latest figures on homelessness.
The figures, from the Department of the Environment,
show there were 5,881 people in emergency
accommodation in February, which represents a yearon-year increase of 49 per cent. Among them were
1,881 children, which represents an increase of 101 per
cent.
Simon Communities of Ireland spokeswoman Niamh
Randall said the figures were shocking and
demonstrate that existing measures to tackle
homelessness are failing.-Irish Times 14/04/2016
PUBLISHED03/04/2016 | 02:30
Sunday Indepenent
In an open letter to Alan Kelly, the environment minister, the Master
of the High Court Edmund Honohan says the Constitution cannot be
used as cover for political inaction on the housing crisis
Dear Minister Kelly,
It is appropriate that you have, in this centenary year, called for a
the State owns Allied Irish Banks, Permanent TSB and the
Educational Building Society. The Minister and current caretaker
Administration are allowing these financial institutions to evict
people from their homes. They can stop such evictions by telling the
banks to stop causing homelessness. No legislation is required to do
so because the Government, through the Ministers for the
Environment, Community and Local Government and Finance, could
issue a simple directive to stop financial institutions from making
people homeless.
The National Asset Management Agency which is owned by the
State is creating homelessness by evicting people and selling
residences and apartments to vulture funds that are engaging in
evictions. The State could also stop this practice by issuing a simple
instruction to NAMA. I reiterate that the State is deliberately
creating homelessness and should stop doing so immediately.
I will refer briefly to the Tnaistes reference to the housing
assistance payment. The HAP scheme is an outrageous rip-off of
tenants, most, if not all, of whom must pay differential rent to their
local authority and a top-up to their landlord, which is often as
much as 50 per week. The scheme should be stopped immediately.
If we are to address the homelessness and housing crisis, the
Government and the new Dil must declare a housing emergency
immediately. Otherwise, we will not be able to deal with the
problem. The Government should also take up the offer made by
the credit unions to provide between 5 billion and 8 billion to help
address the housing problem.
Deputy Mick Barry:
I agree with the points made by Deputy
Seamus Healy. I will make several points about the scandal that
recently unfolded on the Eden estate in Blackrock in Cork city where
tenants in 35 apartments received letters earlier this year
terminating their leases and giving notice to quit. Many of them had
lived in the properties in question for years. The letters were issued
by Grant Thornton, the receiver in charge of 127 apartments on the
estate, which was appointed by the State-owned IBRC in November
2010. This is the latest chapter in the saga of Anglo Irish Bank and
the Irish Nationwide Building Society.
KPMG has been the Government appointed liquidator of IBRC since
January 2013. As instructed by the Fine Gael-Labour Party
Government, the liquidators only interest is in maximising the
financial return to the State from the carcases of Anglo Irish Bank
and the Irish Nationwide Building Society and it has no regard for
the social impact of doing so. In this sense, it is an even more
heartless and anti-social arm of the State than NAMA.
As of January 2016, IBRC had netted 2.1 billion from sales such as
those envisaged on the Eden estate. This sum has not been used to
address the housing crisis because most of it has been ring-fenced
for distribution among IBRCs creditors which include Anglo Irish
Its no Joke But More Tommy Cooper than Penn and Teller!
Irish Times Report on Dil Discussion Further Down
REPOSSESSIONS: NOONANS MASTER CLASSPaddy Healy
SPINNING TO MISLEAD ON REPOSSESSIONS IN THE DIL!
It is No Joke but Tommy Cooper Strikes Again!
State Owned Banks, AIB, EBS,PERMANENT TSB, are seeking
repossession of homes by court order throughout the country.
Seamus Healy TD recently asked Minister for Finance Michael
Noonan in the Dil to instruct these banks to desist from this.
Mr Noonan refused and stated that In a very extreme situation,
the issue is being handled reasonably well by the banks.
In the course of his reply Minister Noonan quoted figures from a
Central Bank report which stated that in Quarter 3(July, August,
September) 207 properties were repossessed on foot of a court
order. The idea that tens of thousands of houses are being
repossessed is just not correct he said.
This statement is entirely deceptive though there is nothing
technically incorrect in it. It is not just that he attempts to minimise
the awful trauma for 207 families which are losing their homes. A
key tactic of the spinner to deceive is the omission of key
information.
Noonans 207 court orders for repossession are for 1 month
only!!! Circuit courts do not sit in August and September.
Hence the Quarter 3 figures are for the month of July only!
The full information provided by the Courts Service and reported by
Kitty Holland in the Irish Times Last November is: Of the 1,088
court orders for repossession made in the three quarters of 2015 up
to September 30, 758 were for primary homes, 131 were for buyto-lets and 199 were for other dwellings. -Irish Times
Courts Service: Repossession Orders in Circuit Courts 2015
Q1
314, Q2 586, Q3 188
There was a huge increase in possessions in the April to June
period. Mr Noonan omits this information, and picks the figure for
Q3 which he then implies is typical though it contains one
month( July) figures only! The reason the Central Bank figure for
Q3 (207) is slightly above the Courts Service figure (188) may be
that the Central Bank figure contains High Court orders in addition
to the Circuit Court orders supplied by the Courts Service.
In time honoured fashion Spinner Noonan, to cover his tracks
claims that it is others who are misrepresenting the situation! The
idea that tens of thousands of houses are being repossessed is just
not correct he said. Additionally, this allows him to suggest that the
repossession problem is really minimal and not nearly as bad as is
being represented.
No journalist or serious person has spoken about tens of
thousands of repossessions. 1,088 orders in the first 3 quarters of
Irish Times Thu, Jan 14, 2016, 11:39 Updated: Thu, Jan 14, 2016,
12:03
Marie OHalloran
Minister for Finance Michael Noonan: I appreciate that its very
hard on people. I appreciate people have lost their jobs and I
appreciate how upset people are.
Banks have been dealing with the issue of home repossessions
reasonably well, according to Minister for Finance Michael Noonan.
He said this idea of tens of thousands of houses being repossessed
is just not correct.
Mr Noonan said I appreciate that its very hard on people. I
appreciate people have lost their jobs and I appreciate the concerns
and I appreciate how upset people are.
But in a very extreme situation its been handled reasonably well
by the banks.
He was responding to Independent TD Samus Healy who asked Mr
Noonan, as the majority shareholder in AIB and its subsidiary EBS
as well as the majority shareholder in Permanent TSB, to call a
meeting of the boards of the banks and to instruct them not to
repossess family homes.
He said that if the bank directors would not agree to that then sack
those members. You have the power to do that as majority
shareholder.
There are thousands of families in this country, irrespective of what
you say Minister, facing homelessness by these banks, of which the
Government is a majority shareholder.
Mr Noonan said a relationship framework had been agreed by the
Governments predecessors in office that the political side will not
interfere in commercial decisions and they did not want to politicise
the banks.
It would be a very sad day for the country if you were looking for a
loan and your first port of call had to be your local TD rather than
the bank manager.
He said 207 houses were repossessed on foot of court order and
that is not the 10s of thousands of houses thats sometimes recited
on the commentary on this.
He said 121,000 mortgages on private dwellings had been
restructured and the success rate was 86.6 per cent.
So progressively the problem is being solved.
Mr Noonan said statistics from the Central Bank showed that in the
third quarter of 2015 (July, August and September) legal
proceedings were issued in 1,687 cases of private mortgages.
There were 798 cases where court proceedings concluded but
arrears remained outstanding and the court granted a repossession
order in 329 cases.
A total of 422 properties were taken into possession by lenders
BANKS IT OWNS
REPOSSESSIONS: NOONANS MASTER CLASSPaddy Healy
SPINNING TO MISLEAD ON REPOSSESSIONS IN THE DIL!
It is No Joke but Tommy Cooper Strikes Again!
State Owned Banks, AIB, EBS,PERMANENT TSB, are seeking
repossession of homes by court order throughout the country.
Seamus Healy TD recently asked Minister for Finance Michael
Noonan in the Dil to instruct these banks to desist from this.
Mr Noonan refused and stated that In a very extreme situation,
the issue is being handled reasonably well by the banks.
In the course of his reply Minister Noonan quoted figures from a
Central Bank report which stated that in Quarter 3(July, August,
September) 207 properties were repossessed on foot of a court
order. The idea that tens of thousands of houses are being
repossessed is just not correct he said.
This statement is entirely deceptive though there is nothing
technically incorrect in it. It is not just that he attempts to minimise
the awful trauma for 207 families which are losing their homes. A
key tactic of the spinner to deceive is the omission of key
information.
Noonans 207 court orders for repossession are for 1 month
only!!! Circuit courts do not sit in August and September.
Hence the Quarter 3 figures are for the month of July only!
The full information provided by the Courts Service and reported by
Kitty Holland in the Irish Times Last November is: Of the 1,088
court orders for repossession made in the three quarters of 2015 up
to September 30, 758 were for primary homes, 131 were for buyto-lets and 199 were for other dwellings. -Irish Times
Courts Service: Repossession Orders in Circuit Courts 2015
Q1
314, Q2 586, Q3 188
There was a huge increase in possessions in the April to June
period. Mr Noonan omits this information, and picks the figure for
Q3 which he then implies is typical though it contains one
month( July) figures only! The reason the Central Bank figure for
Q3 (207) is slightly above the Courts Service figure (188) may be
that the Central Bank figure contains High Court orders in addition
to the Circuit Court orders supplied by the Courts Service.
In time honoured fashion Spinner Noonan, to cover his tracks
claims that it is others who are misrepresenting the situation! The
idea that tens of thousands of houses are being repossessed is just
not correct he said. Additionally, this allows him to suggest that the
repossession problem is really minimal and not nearly as bad as is
being represented.
No journalist or serious person has spoken about tens of
thousands of repossessions. 1,088 orders in the first 3 quarters of
2015 is already a disastrous figure!!!
For example, Kitty Holland, Irish Times Nov 12, 2015. says
: Banks have sought to repossess almost 4,500 homes since the
start of the year up to September 30, the latest figures from the
Courts Service of Ireland indicate-Kitty Holland, Irish Times Nov
12, 2015.
This is in line with the Central Bank Report: During the third
quarter of 2015, legal proceedings were issued to enforce the debt
security on private dwelling house mortgages in 1,687 cases
(Central Bank Report).
Noonan invents the tens of thousands in order to minimize a
problem which is in fact already disastrous-the oldest trick in the
book of the spinner.
STATE DIRECTION OF BANKS IS UNTHINKABLE!-Noonan
The right of human beings to stay in their own homes is a most
important right. The vast majority of people in mortgage difficulty
are entirely blameless for their own predicament. They were setting
up homes at a particular time. They may have had to move jobs or
have been transferred in their job at a particular time. They were
failed by the state and by its organs such as the central bank and
the financial regulator and by the government of the day.
But Mr Noonan believes that there are superior rights and superior
interests and that the vindication of the rights of householders to
stay in their own home is a secondary consideration even if families
must be placed in hotel rooms or hostels and may be dispersed.
Mr Noonan: Notwithstanding the fact that the State is a
shareholder in these institutions, I must ensure that these banks
are run on a commercial and independent basis to ensure the value
of the banks as an asset to the State
Finance Minister Noonan has already made clear his intention to sell
the state owned banks to private investors. Clearly, he is concerned
to maximise the sale value of the banks.
Mr Noonan voted in the Dil to compensate in full international
investors who risked their funds in Irish Banks. Money was
borrowed from international financiers to pay this compensation.
Now Minister Noonan and the FG/Labour Government are using the
banks to collect money originally paid to international investors in
the same banks from the Irish population. Accordingly, Banks are
allowed to charge interest rates to all Irish borrowers which are well
above average rates in other European countries within the
Eurozone. The value of houses in Ireland has now risen. Hence the
huge rise in repossessions between Quarter 1 and Quarter 2 of
2015.
The Priority of Government is that the banks be fattened up for
privatisation
Mr Noonan also tries to give the impression that he has no power to
give instructions to state owned banks.
97
106
586
(Q1)Jan march
233
29
2015
52
314
Q3 (July to September)
142
5
41
188
Q3 Central Bank
207 (properties)were
repossessed on foot of a court order.
Q1,Q2,Q3
758
131
199
1088
The data, released to The Irish Times, also shows 1,088
repossession orders were granted by the courts in the first
nine months of the year, almost 70 per cent more than the
644 granted in the same period last year and 350 per cent
more than the 240 granted in the period in 2013.
Of the 1,088 orders made, 758 were for primary homes, 131 were
for buy-to-lets and 199 were for other dwellings. Kitty Holland
Irish Times Nov 12
These cases (court orders) in the statistics are not the only
cases in which a financial institution is foreclosing. The vast
majority of mortgages contain a foreclosure clause which becomes
operative, without the need for a court order, if there is any failure
in payment of instalments.
Accordingly, only figures supplied by the credit institutions would
disclose the overall number of properties being recovered or sold
by credit institutions.-Statement From Courts Service August
6,2015
Noonan in Dil Jan 14
Central Bank. During the third quarter of 2015, legal proceedings
were issued to enforce the debt security on private dwelling house
mortgages in 1,687 cases. During quarter three, there were 798
cases where court proceedings concluded but arrears remained
outstanding. In 329 cases, the court granted an order for
repossession or the sale of the property. A total of 422 properties
were taken into possession by lenders in the quarter, of which 207
were repossessed on foot of a court order. The remaining 215 were
voluntarily surrendered or abandoned.
Ml Noonan On the question of repossessions, 207 houses were
repossessed on foot of a court order(in 2015-ph), which does not
equate to the tens of thousands of houses sometimes mentioned in
commentary. Jan 14
between the State and the banks in which the State has an
investment. The banks are therefore entitled to pursue all options
open to them in order to realise the value of their impaired assets,
within the significant constraints imposed by their regulator, the
Central Bank and the law as it applies.
The Government has put in place a broad strategy to address the
problem of mortgage arrears and family home repossessions. The
primary focus of this strategy is to support those home owners in
difficulty with their mortgage repayments and, in so far as possible,
to avoid repossession of family homes. In recent months, the
Government agreed measures to enhance awareness of and access
to the insolvency framework. We expanded the mortgage-to-rent
scheme, making it more accessible. In addition, my colleague, the
Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, also
introduced the Bankruptcy (Amendment) Bill 2015, which will,
among other things, reduce the normal duration of bankruptcy from
three years to one year.
The Central Bank of Irelands code of conduct on mortgage arrears
also provides protection as it sets out requirements for lenders
dealing with borrowers who are facing, or in, mortgage arrears on
their primary residence. It ensures that borrowers struggling to
keep up mortgage repayments are treated in a fair and transparent
manner by their lenders and that long-term resolution is sought by
lenders with each of their borrowers.
The number of mortgages in arrears continues to fall. There are
almost 121,000 restructuring arrangements in place and the vast
majority of these are working. The figures demonstrate that most
families can, working with their financial institutions, find an
arrangement to make their mortgage commitments affordable.
Active engagement by indebted borrowers with their lenders is key
to achieving sustainable resolutions. I would urge borrowers in
arrears who have not already done so to take that step by
contacting their lender directly, or MABS, for an independent
assessment of their situation and advice on available resolution
options.
Deputy Seamus Healy: There is a tsunami of homelessness in
this country. Last November, the Dublin Homeless Executive
provided figures according to which some 1,425 children in 677
families were in emergency accommodation. The Dublin Simon
Community said that was unacceptable and shameful. Focus Ireland
said that the Government had failed these families. The Master of
the High Court, Mr. Edmund Honohan, criticised the banks and
accused them of hounding home owners to suicide.
[Deputy Seamus Healy: ] He criticised the fast-tracked
repossession regime that the Government has allowed to be
introduced in the courts. These banks are majority owned by the
State and it is open to the Minister to instruct these banks to desist
country if the first port of call for a person seeking a loan had to be
the local Deputy rather than a bank manager.
Deputy Seamus Healy: We are not asking anybody to do that at
all.
Deputy Michael Noonan: There will be no political interference
with the banks. On the question of repossessions, 207 houses were
repossessed on foot of a court order, which does not equate to the
tens of thousands of houses sometimes mentioned in commentary.
There are 121,000 restructured mortgages on private dwellings,
with a success rate of 86.6%. That means the arrangements stick in
just under 87% of cases. The problem is being solved progressively.
I appreciate it is very hard on people and I can appreciate that
people who lost their jobs do not have money. I also appreciate the
concerns and how upset people are. In a very extreme situation,
the issue is being handled reasonably well by the banks
Mary Carolan
Irish Times Dec 15
Claire Knowles (56) of Castlejane, Glanmire, Co Cork, who will
remain on bail until Wednesday evening after which time she will
return to Limerick Prison unless she has purged her contempt of the
possession order. Photograph: Collins Court
A High Court judge has ruled a woman was lawfully jailed for
contempt of a court order requiring her hand over possession of her
home to a bank.
Mr Justice Richard Humphreys told Claire Knowles she may remain
on bail until 7pm on Wednesday after which time she will return to
Limerick Prison unless she has purged her contempt of the
possession order in the interim.
Ms Knowles was jailed by a judge at Cork Circuit Court on
December 8th for contempt of a court order of January 2014
requiring she hand over possession of her home near Glanmire, Co
Cork, to Bank of Ireland.
She was freed on conditional bail on December 10th pending the
outcome of the inquiry, under Article 40 of the Constitution, into the
legality of her detention.
Giving his decision on Tuesday having heard arguments by Ms
Knowles and the State, Mr Justice Humphreys said he was bound by
the house.
It was very clear what she had to do and legal advice would not
have altered that. It seemed clear Ms Knowles later decided to
represent herself as she was entitled to do but she must take the
consequences of that.
The Circuit Court judge had said he did not believe she was serious
about getting out of the house, he would jail her and refuse a stay,
given the brazen contempt.
In her arguments, Ms Knowles said she is being turned into a
criminal out of civil litigation and these are not ordinary times.
She said the banks had had months to get their paperwork in order
in her case but had failed to do so until much later and then used
the name of a non-entity in these proceedings. Lawyers for the
bank were unable to answer her when she had raised points about
the delay in amending the title of the case, she added.
She also said she had been refused legal aid for the Circuit Court
proceedings as she did not know how to get it and was given an
hour to do so.
I was given no choice, she said.
Ms Knowles told the court she was too traumatised to make the
case because she had been in Limerick Prison and wanted Mr Gilroy
to do it for her.
The judge ruled it was established case law only the person
detained could make the arguments before the court or could
employ a qualified lawyer to do so.
Following an adjournment to allow the judge consider the law on
representation in such cases, Ms Knowles said she was a little more
composed and would present it herself.
There are now more than 1,400 homeless children in Dublin more
than twice as many as a year ago, the latest figures show.
Data published last night by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive
show that during the week of 18th to 25th October there were
1,425 children in 677 families in emergency accommodation.
This represents a 109 per cent increase in the number of homeless
children since October 2014, when there were 680 children in
emergency accommodation in the capital.
Of the total, 975 children in 461 families are in hotels, while 450
children in 216 are in supported homeless accommodation.
Shameful
Cumulative impact
Real solution
At the end of the chain are people who cant afford to rent
anywhere, and for whom social housing isnt available.
The only real solution is to build more. Construction 2020, published
in May 2014, was the Governments first response to this need. To a
large degree it was a strategy for strategies, recommending the
setting up of taskforces and working groups.
The recently announced Budget 2016 has more solid housingconstruction measures. Four thousand houses are to be provided
next year under the first phase of an initiative to build 20,000
homes on sites controlled by the National Asset Management
Agency by 2020. About 90 per cent will be in the Greater Dublin
Area, and three-quarters will be starter homes.
This weeks housing package also included an initiative aimed at
kick-starting the construction of 7,000 more affordable homes in
Dublin and Cork. Developers will receive rebates on construction
levies where a scheme has more than 50 homes and where houses
are priced at less than 300,000 in Dublin and 250,000 in Cork.
These initiatives should help to speed up supply, but building houses
takes a couple of years on average, so this doesnt alleviate the
immediate pressures on the rental market.
Thats where the new deal should help. The two-year rent freeze
gives private tenants breathing space to muster a deposit towards
their own home if they so wish or to find a better deal if measures
to increase supply and reduce prices work.
One announcement this week could bring a glimmer of hope to
tenants reliant on State support. Tax relief will be introduced to
encourage landlords to rent their properties to tenants in receipt of
social-housing supports such as rent supplement. These landlords
will be able to claim 100 per cent tax relief, up from the current 75
per cent. This carrot is more likely to yield results than any of the
Governments rent-regulation sticks.
The Government also hopes to boost the market by making
apartment construction more appealing to builders. Its guidelines
on apartment standards enforceable by ministerial direction are
to be issued early next year.
itself. It could redirect into social use the 4.5billion NAMA plans to
invest with various vulture funds on high end office and apartment
developments. A Housing and Homes Agency could draw on finance
from the European Investment Bank. It could also compulsory
purchase vacant and derelict buildings and take over buy-to-lets in
arrears and convert them to low cost rental housing.
As it currently stands the 20,000 units the government has outlined
NAMA will provide in order to address supply will not be social units
but are to be delivered on a commercial basis and are more likely
to be sold to international investment funds rather than as starter
homes. Indeed NAMAs promotion of and involvement with global
wealth funds in the Irish property market must be questioned as to
how it is benefitting the Irish housing system. It is facilitating the
trend where housing is increasingly becoming a global investment
asset for the wealthy 1per cent.
Problems in our housing system are affecting economic
competitiveness, contributing to rising deprivation, inequality and
poverty, and lowering educational and employment prospects of
those affected. The 2008 crash should be a stark warning that a
rising property market is not necessarily a good thing. The housing
system will only be fixed when policy treats housing in the first
instance as a home, a social necessity and a human right, not a
speculative investment asset or commodity.
Dr Rory Hearne, Senior Policy Analyst, TASC Think-tank for Action
on Social Change
2015 irishtimes.com
Fintan OToole: Opposition to social housing is matter of
ideology not economics
Fintan OToole Irish Times : Tuesday, October 20, 2015, 04:00
Fellmongery is the preparation of animal skins for tanning. A pollard
is an animal that has had its horns removed. In 1949, official
statistics still listed Irelands principal products as including
fellmongery, laces, pigs heads, pollard and snuff.
Yet in that same year, 1949, my mothers family moved into the
Dublin Corporation house where I would later grow up. A poor,
primitive, backward economy could build social housing on a large
scale for people who lacked decent homes.
And the rich, developed, globalised Irish economy of 2015 cant.
In the late 1940s, when my family was housed, Ireland was still
recovering from the drastic economic effects of the second World
War. The average industrial wage was 5.59 a week for men and
2.97 for women.
In real terms, thats less than a third of average industrial wages in
1998 before the Celtic Tiger bubble. Fewer than a third of
households in 1949 had more than four rooms to live in. More than
60 per cent of households had no piped water supply. Nearly half