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O’ROURKE INTRODUCES BILL TO BROADEN ACCESS TO HAP

Frank O’Rourke TD introduced a bill into the Dáil last night that seeks to allow families facing eviction access the HAP scheme sooner.

Frank commented, “This Bill aims to prevent families from entering homelessness, by making changes in access to HAP. As it stands, a family served with a tenancy termination notice can only access HAP as their eviction date looms. My Bill seeks to give families access to HAP at a much earlier stage of their notice period, thereby giving time to seek and secure alternative accommodation. As well as the social implications, my Bill also makes economic sense, as it costs the state significantly more to house families in emergency accommodation, than in a stable home assisted by HAP.”

You can see Frank speak in the Dáil here

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O’ROURKE – FF BILL CRACKS DOWN ON INSURANCE FRAUD

Frank O’Rourke TD says a new Bill being brought forward by his party should lead to reduced insurance costs, as it will clamp down on fraudulent insurance claims

Fraudulent insurance claims have been a contributory factor in the rising insurance costs, which people in Kildare and across the country have been hit with in recent years

“The average premiums today are still €300 higher now than they were in 2014. Constituents regularly raise the high cost of motor and business insurances with me at my weekly clinics”  stated Deputy O’Rourke.

“Our Bill, the Civil Liability and Courts (Amendment) Bill 2018, is the latest measure from our party aimed at tackling spiralling insurance costs. I have raised the high cost of insurance with the Government on many occasions and have offered a number of proposals which the Government should have pursued. The Government has not given focus to this issue and it is affecting the cost of living for many people.”

“The majority of insurance claimants are genuine. However, there is an underlying issue with fraudulent claims, which is driving up the cost of insurance for motorists, businesses, community groups and individuals. We need to address this issue and our Bill is designed to make would-be false claimants think twice about making a claim. If passed, the Bill will direct a court to refer the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions where a case is deemed to be a fraudulent action.”

“This proposal was captured in the report published by the Cost of Insurance Working Group earlier this year. Reducing insurance costs has been a key priority for me and our party, and we must make better progress in reducing the cost of insurance and bring rates more in line with EU norms rates,” concluded Deputy O’Rourke.

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James Lawless speaks on News at One on Drone Legislation

James Lawless TD was on RTÉ News at One today to discuss the legislation governing the usage of Drones which he has drawn up in response to recent events in Britain.

James said, “There is an urgent need for this legislation to become law to prevent similar issues in Irish Airports that have been seen at Gatwick Airport before Christmas and Heathrow in recent days.”

You can listen to James being interviewed here

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O’ROURKE URGES THE OPENING UP OF THE MORTGAGE MARKET

Frank O’Rourke TD has called for increased action to open up the Irish mortgage market to ensure that Ireland enjoys the same mortgage rates as other EU countries.

Frank commented, “Ireland mortgage rates are entirely unjustifiable and the banks must be tackled to ensure that fairer mortgage rates are available to Irish home owners. Irish mortgages are double that of the average in the EU, 3.3% as opposed to EU average of about 1.7%.”

“An Irish mortgage holder, with a 30 year term of €250,000, is paying €1085 per month. This is around €188 per month, equivalent to €2,200 per year or €68,000 over the lifetime of the mortgage, more than they would be paying in the average Euro area country.”

“This massive differential is impacting negatively on the quality of life of hundreds of thousands of individuals and families around our country and depriving local economy of much needed stimulus.” Continue reading “O’ROURKE URGES THE OPENING UP OF THE MORTGAGE MARKET”

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LAWLESS INTRODUCES SOCIAL MEDIA TRANSPARENCY BILL TO THE DAIL

James Lawless TD today introduced legislation to allow greater scrutiny of who is paying for advertising on Social Media Platforms

James said, “We are all aware of the substantial and increasing role of social media and online fora on our public discourse and in the political sphere. Yet the many rules and safeguards which have emerged in the traditional spaces, everything from disclosure of donations to campaign fund caps, to a requirement that all printed materials must carry a label saying who printed and published them. None of these checks are present in the online space as the legislation has not kept pace with technology.”

“I introduced my social media transparency bill in the chamber today. The bill applies only to 1) paid political advertising 2) deliberate usage of multiple fake accounts for political purposes (bots).” Continue reading “LAWLESS INTRODUCES SOCIAL MEDIA TRANSPARENCY BILL TO THE DAIL”