Latest news with #Seanad
RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Supplementary register recommended for Seanad elections
A review by An Coimisiún Toghcháin of the conduct of the Seanad elections last January has made a number of recommendations to improve the electoral process for the upper house. Chief among those is a recommendation to introduce a supplementary register ahead of the next election. Unlike Dáil elections, current law does not allow for a supplementary Seanad register, meaning there is one fixed deadline that people must be registered by or risk missing out on their Seanad vote. The review also recommends improved checks on the register of electors to ensure accuracy. The Comisiún said issues with incorrect addresses and deceased electors remaining on the register likely contribute to perceived low turnouts. Another recommendation is for the inclusion of a standardised stamp or watermark on all ballot papers before they are issued and amending legislation to allow individuals decline a nomination or withdraw their own nomination. It also recommends all announcements in count centres are delivered in English, Irish and Irish Sign language and a review of procedure regarding the delivery of Seanad ballot papers by registered post. The Seanad with its 60 members has a unique electoral system. Six senators are elected by the Higher Education constituency and 43 through vocational panels, with only TDs, outgoing Senators and local councillors entitled to vote. The remaining 11 are nominated by the taoiseach of the day. The upper house has constitutionally defined roles in the consideration and passing of legislation and initiating bills.
Irish Independent
21 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Rent pressure zone now covers entire country as legislation rushed through
All people with existing tenancies, so long as they stay where they are, will only be faced with a 2pc annual rent rise, or the Consumer Price Index rate of inflation, whichever is the lower. Confirmation that all renters are now covered came after the Seanad rushed all stages of the legislation today and it was sent immediately to Áras an Uachtaráin. "Having received and considered the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2025, the President has signed the Bill and it has accordingly become law,' a statement from his spokesperson confirmed. The Government rushed through the legislation to head off an expected rush by landlords outside the existing RPZs, which covered most of the country, to increase rents ahead of new rent rules announced by Housing Minister James Browne earlier this month. The new rules are designed to stimulate investment in rental developments, but sparked warnings that they would inevitably lead to rent increases. The Government is being pressured again over the housing crisis after announcing a swathe of new rent and housing measures. New six-year minimum tenancies on offer from March next year have been criticised for allowing landlords to 'reset' rents every six years. Earlier, Housing Minister James Browne said the target to build 41,000 new homes this year is 'not realistic'. Mr Browne has admitted previously that meeting the 2025 target would be 'extremely challenging' and all predictions are trending around 34,000. Speaking on Newstalk on Thursday, he said he is committed to enacting a 'step change' in the housing department and will clear 'the dead wood out of the way so that homes can get delivered'. ADVERTISEMENT 'I think the challenge we have this year is we're coming off a much lower base from last year than was expected,' he said of the housing targets. 'We had hoped for much higher figures last year. 'I think, looking at all of the different predictions, which are fairly consistent, I think 41,000 is not realistic for this year. 'We will wait to see how the year works out. I don't particularly like getting into predictions. 'My position as minister is to maximise supply, maximise the delivery of new homes and, irrespective of what the housing numbers will be this year, I'm making a step change so we can get that housing supply up, because we need to get from 30,000 onto 50,000, on to 60,000 houses. '40,000 houses is nowhere near enough.' The last Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael coalition built more than 130,000 homes between 2020 and 2024, while the current coalition has set a target of in excess of 300,000 new homes between 2025 and 2030. The target for this year is 41,000 new builds, despite the fact the Government missed its target of 33,450 last year and also missed its newbuild social housing target by 1,429 last year. The Central Bank has also projected the Government will miss its own housing targets by a wide margin for the next three years – and on Thursday revised its prediction down further, predicting 32,500 newbuilds by the end of 2025. The Fianna Fail-Fine Gael Government, supported by several independents, has insisted boosting supply is the best way to encourage affordability while opposition parties argue more state-owned homes and regulation is needed. 'We'd gotten to a point with housing where we had seen a very significant increase in supply over the last number of years, and then it's plateaued,' Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris said. 'The job of this government, and the job we're working on day in day out, is to get that momentum back.'
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
‘It is wrong' – Ceann Comhairle urged to meet Oireachtas broadcast staff working on ‘contract basis'
In a letter, party whip Paul McAuliffe suggested she meet the Oireachtas staff who manage broadcasts of Dáil, Seanad and committee proceedings as soon as possible to resolve their grievances. He said he was writing on behalf of Fianna Fáil Oireachtas members in relation to the workers' pay and conditions and an upcoming contract review for their employer, PI Communications. Political pressure has ramped up for the workers who claim some earn around €12,000 a year and have no income during summer and Christmas breaks. In the letter sent on June 17, Mr McAuliffe said members of the Dáil were asked to sign a petition to support this group of 'essential workers'. 'It seems extraordinary that this group are only employed on a contract basis,' he said. 'It is not as if their work is temporary as it is through their good work that all of the Dáil's deliberations, debate and discussions get communicated to all of the public. 'This is crucial work for every elected representative and goes to the core of our democracy.' He said it is crucial and 'only fair' that their grievances are addressed as soon as possible. Mr McAuliffe told the Irish Independent it is up to the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission to make a decision, as it tenders for the service, and the ceann comhairle is the chair. 'I believe it is wrong that these staff are not on the same terms as other who contribute to the parliamentary community, including ushers and catering staff,' he said. ADVERTISEMENT A PI Comms spokesperson said it provides a range of video and streaming services to public and private sector organisations of which the Houses of the Oireachtas is one. He said the company is contracted on a pay per public minute model for coverage of live proceedings and can only bill for broadcasts that are capable of public transmission. The spokesperson said all part-time employees in this group have a guaranteed entitlement to a fixed amount of work each full sitting week, certainty of income for their contracted work, and are free to work on other projects or for other employers. He said they earn substantially more than the national living wage, with attractive bonus arrangements, and get paid leave and sick pay. They are eligible to enrol in pension schemes, have collective agreements that are recognised, and are provided with training and other staff benefits, he added. 'Furthermore, all salaries and payments are regularly benchmarked and are commensurate with roles, skills, experience and responsibilities,' he said. He said the company is currently engaged in trade union negotiations with the assistance of the Workplace Relations Commission. 'We operate in a very competitive sector and are immensely proud of both the service and value we provide our clients and the access, opportunity and supports we provide to our valued staff, many of whom are also engaged in roles for other employers,' he said. 'We are surprised and disappointed that some who have commented on our operations did not first fact-check the accuracy and veracity of ill-founded claims.'
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Alan Kelly asks why it was left to him to give Justice Minister details on Carlow shooter
Mr Fitzgerald (22) entered the Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Carlow town on June 1 and discharged a number of rounds from a shotgun before taking his own life. He had been facing 13 charges for possessing military-grade guns, ammunition and explosive substances following a garda investigation into the purchase of firearms on the dark web. Last week Mr Kelly queried the manner of the garda operation leading to Mr Fitzgerald's arrest, including deploying undercover detectives to carry out a 'controlled delivery' of decommissioned weapons. Separately, Independent senator Michael McDowell told the Seanad that the events in Carlow 'could have been avoided' through diversion rather than 'entrapment' or prosecution by gardaí. Today, Mr Kelly said Mr Fitzgerald had "tragically and very publicly" taken his own life after getting bail following an undercover garda operation and being charged. "I'm asking why the Garda Commissioner didn't inform and brief the Minister for Justice of the details of this case," Mr Kelly said, citing legislation requiring that this be done. The details the Minister should have been briefed on, Mr Kelly argued, included "the fact that it was undercover and the guns were supplied by An Garda Síochána." He added: "Is it right that I, as a member of the opposition, had to ring the Minister for Justice in relation to this and inform him of that? "I had to go and tell him to go to the Garda Commissioner to ask him about the full details in relation to this case. "Would we have ever known about the full details relation to this case, considering what was said in court, if I hadn't contacted the Minister for Justice on June 3 in relation to this?" Tánaiste Simon Harris expressed sympathy with Mr Fitzgerald's family, saying he was "a county man of mine, and I know it's been a great shock in the local community in Wicklow as well." The Fine Gael leader suggested that it was "a complex case." He added: "I'm obviously not privy - nor should I be - to when the Garda Commissioner does and doesn't use that provision in the Act [to inform the Minister for Justice]. "That's a matter between himself and the minister. But I do understand that the Minister for Justice has sought further information from the Garda Commissioner on the case. "I also not the comments of the Taoiseach last week in relation to this issue and a need for a review.
Irish Times
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Renters and politicians in pressure zone as housing Bill to be signed into law
On the day that this Government's first landmark housing Bill is expected to be signed into law, it appears that it's tenants and politicians, rather than high rents, that are in the pressure zone. Reform of rent pressure zones (RPZs) has been the political story of the week. Legislation to extend RPZs to the entire country passed the Dáil yesterday and is due to be rushed through the Seanad today. If President Michael D Higgins signs the legislation immediately, we would all be waking up tomorrow in an almost all-island RPZ. Minister for Housing James Browne may be feeling a little beleaguered having spent the week mounting a gallant defence of his RPZ reforms from attacks from the Opposition, doctors, students, protesters and AirBnB owners. So he will not thank the Central Bank for its assessment of the impact of RPZs, which it says will be 'painful' for renters. In our lead story today, Eoin Burke-Kennedy reports from the launch of the Central Bank's quarterly bulletin where the bank's director of economics and statistics was asked about the reforms. READ MORE Any delight the Government may feel about Robert Kelly's assessment that the reforms will increase supply will be blunted by the Central Bank downgrading its forecasts for new home completions in the near term. Under the Government's proposals, any pain will have to come before the gain. Even in the best case scenario, it's almost certain that many tenants will see their rents rocket to high market rates long before any new apartments are built. And the Government won't have much time to catch its breath between one high profile political issue and another. My colleague Jack Horgan-Jones was reporting last night that, in advance of some version of the Occupied Territories Bill going to Cabinet next week, it's expected that the proposed law will not include services. The Government benches will likely spend next week in defence mode again, due to the extremely high profile nature of the OTB and the significant public interest in it. Opposition smells blood in the water over RPZ changes Listen | 35:51 Health Representatives of Children's Health Ireland are due to appear before politicians on the health committee this morning, to answer questions about how children with dysplasia and scoliosis have been treated at Ireland's paediatric hospitals. New chief executive Lucy Nugent will be under pressure to get a conciliatory tone right, as TDs and senators are already extremely suspicious of what they perceive as a toxic culture that is embedded within CHI. Meanwhile, another health issue continues to dominate the political agenda. Following his appearance before the same health committee yesterday, Minister of State for older people Kieran O'Donnell said that the Department of Health has commissioned a report on the effect that mass privatisation of the nursing home sector has had on the standards of care offered to older and more vulnerable people. As Shauna Bowers and Marie O'Halloran are reporting today, this follows a programme by RTÉ Investigates that highlighted instances of alleged abuse at Beneavin Manor, Dublin, and The Residence, Portlaoise. Both homes are run by Emeis, the largest provider of private nursing home beds in the State. It comes after the Taoiseach Micheál Martin told the Dáil that the 'nuclear option' of closing a nursing home for significant failings 'has to be on the table'. He said it was up to the HSE and others 'to resolve the consequential crisis that occurs when a decision to close is made. But we shouldn't baulk from that decision because of that.' The Taoiseach said he had 'no issue' with larger fines for repeated failures but stressed closure had to be an option. Middle East It would be easy to keep an insular focus on our own domestic affairs, while ominous reports of the escalating tensions between Israel and Iran continue to threaten the front pages . As well as comprehensive coverage in our World News section of the crisis – including Michael Jansen's analysis of how Iran's regional allies cannot help, and the Iranian TV anchor who has become a national symbol of resistance after being bombed while live on air – Sally Hayden has a report on the cryptic clues from US president Donald Trump about the US possibly intervening on behalf of Israel. 'I may do it, I may not do it, nobody knows what I'm going to do. I can tell you this: that Iran's got a lot of trouble.' It comes as we wake up to reports from the other side of the Atlantic that Trump has approved plans to attack Iran , but according to CBS has not yet made a final decision on whether to strike the Middle Eastern nuclear power. Best reads Miriam Lord is writing about the righteous anguish of the Taoiseach, who is aggrieved at how many interruptions he's enduring in the Dail.Dáil can't get my points across because of this constant pressure.' Mark Paul takes us inside the feverish melee at Westminster Magistrates Court, where Kneecap 's Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh got the rockstar treatment at his hearing on Wednesday. Ó hAnnaidh, whose stage name is Mo Chara, was charged under UK antiterrorism legislation with showing support for a proscribed organisation. Newton Emerson writes in his column today about how he turned to YouTuber 'FreedomDad73′ for live coverage of the Ballymena riots, and what that means about media coverage in Northern Ireland and more broadly. Dáil schedule 8.47am Oral questions to Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke 10.24am Oral questions to Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary 12.00pm Leaders' Questions 12.34pm Other Members' Questions 12.42pm Questions on policy or legislation 1.52pm Government Business is second stage of the Copyright and Related Rights (Amendment) Bill 2025, which is a bill about royalty payments designed to bring Ireland in line with an EU Copyright Directive 5.26pm Topical issues 6.26pm Private Members' Bill, which is second stage of Sinn Féin's Healthcare (Transparent Payments) Bill 2022 – a bill which would require healthcare workers to declare gifts and payments that they receive. In the Seanad 9.30am Commencement matters 10.30am Order of Business 11.45am Government business, which is devoted to passing all stages of the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2025 – making the entire country a Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ) ... 1.45pm ... followed by a motion without debate allowing the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2025 to be signed into law quickly 2.00pm Government business is committee stage of the Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024 Oireachtas committtes Today's Oireachtas committee meetings include an high profile appearance of CHI before the health committee and scrutiny of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025, legislation to unravel the triple lock, before the Joint Committee on Defence and National Security. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is busy with a number of C & AG reports, including one on the Department of Housing's decision to grant exceptional funding to the Peter McVerry Trust. The Joint Committee on Key Issues Affecting the Traveller Community will consider the current funding strategy for Traveller-specific accommodation. You can read the full schedule here
