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WHAT ARE OUR politicians doing in the halls of Leinster House?
TheJournal.ie lets you know with our guide to what’s coming up in the Dáil, Seanad and various Oireachtas committees today.
DÁIL
Well, good afternoon Joan Burton. The Minister for Social Protection is taking written questions from 2pm today. She’s followed by Leaders’ Questions at 3.15pm and then questions to Taoiseach Enda Kenny at 3.36pm.
Topical issues today have not yet been chosen but we’ll know more at order of business at 4.36pm. What we do know is that the second stage of the Courts and Civil Laws (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013 comes from the Seanad to the Dáil for a vote. The right of the media to attend certain court hearings – but also the right of the courts to block reporting on certain court matters – is of interest here. (Well, certainly of interest to us!)
It’s a long evening in the Dáil today, after its late start with Fianna Fáil coming back at 7.30pm to bring up a motion regarding people in mortgage debt. They are calling for a revision on the Code of Conduct on Mortgage Arrears, looking for clarity on what is an “unsustainable mortgage”, a reinstatement of the number of times a bank is allowed to contact a mortgage holder every month and a reinstatement on the 12-month moratorium on repossession process when a mortgage holder has entered the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process.
Much of the motion focuses on how mortgage holders are treated by their financial institutions when they (the mortgage holders, that is) get into debt. It’s actually worth a read – click here.
By 9pm we’ll have an hour to listen to statements about offsore oil and gas exploration. At 10pm, they shut up shop for the night.
Watch the Dáil here.
SEANAD
Order of business opens at 2.30pm with a straightforward (ie, no debate) motion on an amendment to the Electricity Regulation Act 1999. The second stage of the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Bill 2013 will be of note at 3.45pm as Justice Minister Alan Shatter makes an appearance in the chamber.
That bill is expected to sort out a loophole by which hundreds of repossession cases had been adjourned – it isn’t retrospective but it does in future give courts the ability to adjourn a family home repossession case so the householder can apply for personal insolvency.
After that is discussed, four senators may take the floor for four minutes each and speak on whatever their heart desires.
Watch the Seanad here.
COMMITTEES
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Families with children were hit harder than any other group and still are!
Anyone on low to low middle incomes with kids were plunged into poverty by FF/Green and FG/Lab governments – this is shown by statistics and data, the same statistics show that the wealthy in Ireland got progressively more wealthy as we got poorer – the obvious agenda is to redistribute wealth to the top!
People need to get out on the streets – child poverty is at record levels and this awful government has done NOTHING to improve the situation – they’ve made it far worse!
@David Grey: what do you class as the top, you know where you state there is an obvious agenda to redistribute wealth to? What income do you think families stop having financial pressures and suffering?
@David Grey: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/08/07/opinion/leonhardt-income-inequality.html I thought this graph is an excellent display of how things have changed. It’s US focused but it’s going to be similar here.
@Bilbo Baggins: @Bilbo Baggins: do you are totally ignoring the article, which is about the middle class, and instead want to focus on the 0.001%. I ask you the same question, at which level of income do you think financial pressures and worries end?
@Paul Fahey: about the top 1-3% I’d say Paul. I share your view though that this angle will be used to punish the top 60% instead. (Not ignoring it at all).
@David Mc Nally: really? If you believe families with a salary income of 100k have ordinarily more than one source of income you are wrong and have believed too many of the rhetorical platitudes and falsehoods spewed out with ease and no evidence.
@David Grey: Very well said.
Us families won’t be found on those paradise papers! If mega rich people and companies paid their taxes it might just help!
@Phil Keenan: Labour shamefully and FG only cut from the poorest in their 5 regressive budgets as ERSI already proved. Remember Leo telling families in 2012 to “take a holidayas they were not cut, but Leo and Labour took 9-12 euro a week of rent allowance,electricity units to the elderly and fuel allowance cuts in 2012 whilst only taking 2 euro a week off the wealthiest for the household charge in 2012. Joan & FG slyly cut the pensions of many men and women who took time off to rear their children in 2012 too.
Oh yes….we did not complete three or four mortgage repayments fully, paid over half each month for a few months, built up arrears….both working bit incomes reduced…..jaysus PTSB hounded us…..all paid up now…..but so pushy….and not for the people….to see the credit union do mortgages would be great for us all.
@Richie Curry:
Ulster Bank in my case, knowingly trying to rip customers off. Bet the executives didn’t loose sleep, weight, feel inadequate/suicidal or grind their teeth away !
Middle class had it the easiest from 2011-16 as ERSI has proved.
Latest housing bubble is well under way as anyone trying to buy or even rent the most basic of dives.
The latest housing bubble well under way. Anyone trying to buy or rent even the basic of dives off a a greedy & uncaring of basic habitation standards, only knows too well of housing crisis & don’t need last Thursdays Prime Time to tell them. What’s Leo and FG doing to help tenants by tax evading landlords & vulture funds?
Wealth re-distribution is the State plan.
Also know as having an inclusive society where all the people (especially the the top brass) can have an equal income and quality of life.
What they don’t say is that they need to fleece-tax everyone in the country to achieve it.
They just scutter on with communist babble like comrad Higgins.
@Cram Wood: What are you trying to say?
Excellent stock photo of ‘middle class worry’
I find the poor middle income landlords affected the most….. When the greed for rent increases kicks in, you have to be prepared for the extra tax that follows. Boo hoo!!!
Keep voting FG/FF/Labour and expect different results? The definition of stupidity.
They DON’T care about you. Wake up.
Hopefully there’re ready for the next one
What is “middle class” anyway? How does one define it, especially against such other classes as professional and managerial???
Aw
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