Latest news with #SocDem
The Star
23-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
‘Tribunal key to curbing rental bias'
Rajiv, speaking at the forum in Petaling Jaya, says a rental tribunal will be able to address disputes for both tenants and landlords. — Photos: CHAN TAK KONG/The Star A RENTAL tribunal under the proposed Residential Tenancy Act (RTA) can help address issues related to rental disputes, eviction claims and race-based discrimination, a forum has heard. Findings by Architect of Diversity (AoD) show that reasons for discrimination by landlords can be grouped into three categories – bad experiences, poor resolution mechanisms leading to overreaction, and prejudice masked as 'racial preference' alongside cultural or religious concerns. Wee: Biases pervasive in rental industry. AoD executive director Jason Wee said the race-based filtering issue by landlords and property agents remained widespread. 'There are many findings across our research and public sentiment surveys on landlords and tenants.' If the bill is not tabled and passed, it will continue to do injustice to the affected Malaysians, Wee said during a forum by Social Democracy Malaysia (SocDem) and AoD in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. He added that some property websites still allowed filtering of prospective tenants by race. The forum, titled 'Tackling Rental Racial Discrimination', explored how the long-awaited legislation could formalise protections and promote equal treatment. 'Fear of income loss is the landlord's top concern, often leading them to screen tenants based on race rather than financial credentials,' said Wee. Kusaaliny: Tribunal can protect both parties. SocDem co-founder and Petaling Jaya City Council Zone 11 councillor M. Kusaaliny said the proposed Act should include provisions for a rental tribunal. 'The goal of the tribunal is to protect interests of both tenant and landlord. 'It would allow both parties to resolve disputes efficiently without the cost of legal representation, with claims amount capped,' she said. 'No one wins in a broken rental system. 'If landlords cannot rent out their properties safely, the market slowly dies. 'If tenants cannot secure homes because of prejudice and harm caused by others, the cycle will never be broken,' Kusaaliny stressed. Bukit Gasing assemblyman Rajiv Rishyakaran, a tenant and landlord himself, said he understood the challenges faced by both sides. 'We need quick decisions on problems. 'If a tenant does not pay rent, or if there is a leaking roof or faulty toilet, bring these up to the tribunal,' he said. Rajiv said out of nine million households in Malaysia, about 1.8 million were staying in rented properties. 'Even if just 5% of these have disputes, that is enough to keep a tribunal busy,' he said. He highlighted that the tribunal could balance the interests of both landlords and tenants. 'If a tenant moves out and the landlord finds damage, taking legal action can cost around RM6,000 in fees. 'The tribunal would ease this burden. 'There must be a clear provision in the law that there will be no racial discrimination in housing. 'The most important element is to establish the tribunal,' said Rajiv.
BreakingNews.ie
16-06-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
€1.1m spent on deportations of 170 people in 2025
The combined deportation costs to the State of three charter flights and the deportation of failed International Protection (IP) applicants on commercial aircraft totals €1.1 million to date in 2025. New figures provided by the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O'Callaghan, show that €1.1 million has been spent on deporting 170 persons to date this year. Advertisement The 170 enforced deportations by the State to date this year compares to 160 for the 12 months of 2024. Of the 106 people removed by charter flight, 84 were held in custody immediately prior to the flight. In a series of written Dáil replies, Mr O'Callaghan has also stated that any children removed have been returned as part of family units and that children and their mothers were not detained in advance of their removal. In a written Dáil reply to Aidan Farrelly TD (SocDem), Mr O'Callaghan revealed that the cost of three charter flights deporting asylum seekers total €530,942. Advertisement This was made up of a return flight to Nigerian earlier this month costing €324,714, a one way flight to Georgia in May costing €103,751 and a €102,476 one way flight to Georgia in February. Mr O'Callaghan said that in addition costs for the provision of supporting charter flight services such as ground handling services, on-board paramedics and a flight manager have been €46,352 so far in 2025. Charter flight services are provided by Air Partner Ltd under a State contract entered into in November 2024. Minister O'Callaghan stated that 'the potential value of this contract is €5m over the lifespan of the contract'. Advertisement He said: 'The term of the contract is three years with a possibility to extend it twice by one year, a potential lifespan of five years in total. The total expenditure under the contract with Air Partner will be based on the number of charter flights provided, the frequency of which will be determined by the operational needs of the State.' Along with the €530,942 spent on charter flights, the State has spent another €527,003 on enforced deportations through commercial flights. Under the heading of Deportation and Removal Costs, Minister O'Callaghan revealed that 54 persons have been removed through the enforcement of Deportation Orders and 10 on 'other removals enforced on commercial flights'. Minister O'Callaghan said: 'My Department has taken action to significantly improve immigration enforcement measures and increase removals. The number of deportation orders signed in 2024 of 2,403 increased by 180% compared to 857 in 2023. Advertisement He said: 'This year 1,940 deportation orders have been signed up to June 6th 2025.' Minister O'Callaghan said: 'Last year, 1,116 people departed from the State under various mechanisms (i.e. enforced deportation, voluntary return etc.), an increase of 252 per cent compared to the 2023 total of 317. Ireland Preparatory work begins ahead of mass grave excava... Read More This year 893 persons have had their departure confirmed through these pathways up to June 6th 2025.' Of the 35 people removed by charter flight to Nigeria on June 4th, 21 were adult male, nine were adult female and five were children who travelled as part of two family units. Mr O'Callaghan told Deputy Farrelly: 'I recognise that an enforced removal is an unfortunate and challenging experience for a child, which is why they are carried out only as a measure of last resort when the family concerned has not removed themselves from the State. He said: "The preferred option is to return people voluntarily and my Department operates a voluntary return programme to assist people to return prior to the issuance of a deportation order."
Irish Times
04-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Punters still changing old money for new
Lucky 'punters' have beaten a path to the central bank this year to exchange their obsolete tender for €170,890, new figures show. It is now 23 years since the Punt ceased to the legal tender here with the introduction of the euro across Europe in 2002. However, new figures provided by Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe TD (FG) in a written Dáil reply show that more than two decades on people are continuing to find old punts and pence 'at the back of the couch' with £134,587 in old money exchanged for €170,890 from January 1st to the end of April 25th this year. In the Dáil reply to Aidan Farrelly (Soc Dem), Mr Donohoe has revealed that since 2015 to the present a total value of £7.05 million in Irish Punt banknotes and coins have been exchanged for €8.96 million based on the IR£1 = €1.269 exchange rate. READ MORE The £134,587 in punts exchanged so far this year followed £451,496 for the 12 months of 2024 which was, in fact, an increase on the £419,794 exchanged by the central bank in 2023. The exchange of punts for euros reached a low of £326,746 during the Covid-19 hit 2020 and there has been a decline in the level of punts exchanged from the years 2015 to 2017, when more than £1 million was exchanged in each of those years for euros. Across the decade-plus long period, the central bank has received 1,737 applications from members of the public with punt amounts more than £750 with an overall value of £5.17 million. 100 days of Trump: 'It's like The Karate Kid, tax on, tax off, tariffs on, tariffs off' Listen | 42:49 Over the period from 2015, the central bank received a further 4,091 applications from members of the public, totalling £1.39 million in value for punt totals between £150 and £749. Commenting on the reply, Mr Farrelly said: 'I am surprised by the amount of so-called 'old money' still being converted to euros, given the duration of time that has passed since the State adopted use of the euro. He said: 'I don't have a memory of using punts, I seldom see the former currency so when I do, to be honest it is somewhat of a novelty. The Kildare North TD said: 'The Minister has provided an informative response in relation to thresholds for applications of the various sums that have been converted, it clearly illustrates that there was and likely is still small stockpiles of the old currency out there somewhere. For those looking to exchange amounts above £750, the central bank asks individuals to demonstrate from where the banknotes came and that would include reliable and independent data, documents or information to evidence the source of funds and/or proof of their ownership of the banknotes.
