Maria McCormack
Labour Panel · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“I thank the Minister for coming in. I note that the aim of this Bill is to take the current eligibility criteria for social housing and put them on a statutory footing, and to create a new appeals mechanism for those refused access to social housing.”
“While Sinn Féin wants flexibility in the planning rules to allow families to provide freestanding extensions in back gardens for family members, we do not support allowing these structures to be rented out, nor do we support denying people tenancy rights and protections when they are renting them out.”
“Given the complex legal issues involved in appeals such as legal residency, habitual residency and social housing support, it would have been better to have a single, independent appeals office located in the Housing Agency similar to how social welfare appeals operate.”
“I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. This Bill comprises a long, technical and complex series of amendments to the Planning and Development Act 2024. It is unfortunate that it is being rushed through the Houses at breakneck speed and without proper scrutiny.”
“The Minister can talk about viability all he wants but, really, all he is doing is making these developments more profitable while reducing living standards. It will not help to increase supply or bring down prices.”
“Many people living in Graiguecullen are asking the simple question, "What problem is this scheme actually trying to solve?" Residents are worried that a €3 million project could reduce road capacity, increase congestion around schools, make life more difficult for old people and people living with disabilities and negatively impact local…”
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“The reply revealed that the Department does not collate any data on the number of people who initially came in on stamp 2 visas and subsequently make an application for international protection. The figures for Britain suggest that approximately 3.5% of those who come in on student visas make an application for international protection. If a similar percentage applied here, that would account for 2,000 applications a year. This amendment simply requires that the State record whether an applicant previously held any immigration permission. That information is essential for managing migration properly. Understanding prior student work, visit or family-based permissions helps identify patterns, prevents the system's abuse and ensures fair, efficient decision-making grounded in accurate data.”
“I will speak to amendment No. 58. I am conscious that we might not get any further but I will be happy if the Minister accepts this important amendment. It states: In page 44, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following: “(k) information provided by the applicant regarding any prior immigration permission held in the State, including, where applicable, whether the applicant previously entered or resided in the State on— (i) a student permission, (ii) an employment permit [visa] or other work related permission, (iii) a short stay or long stay [visa] ... This came about as a result of a reply to a parliamentary question on student visas asked by Matt Carthy.”
“It creates greater confusion when we see the debate being guillotined and he Bill being pushed through in order that it can be returned to the Dáil where the debate will be guillotined again. All the amendment seeks is a report after 12 months. I respect that I am being allowed to speak about our amendment, which we will not get to because of the guillotine. I want the Minister to go back to the point on the report after 12 months. What is the reason for refusing to give us a report on the impacts this is having?”
“I know we will not get to some of the amendments on community consultation, which is something I feel strongly about. We should accept this amendment. We could have a smoother process if we engaged with people properly on this. We would not have had the problems in Ireland that we have had if we had engaged properly with the communities in the first place, and if we had transparency in communities, proper liaison and made sure that in the areas where IPAS centres were going in we had proper consultation and proper services to facilitate them. We have put IPAS centres in locations based on profit more than suitability. If we look at it, we did not have doctors or school places. All of these problems have led to the dysfunctionality of the IPAS centres in Ireland and to the entire system not working.”
“I commend Senators McDowell and Boyhan on tabling the amendment. It is so important. We have to acknowledge that the debate on the Bill is being guillotined. We can see the changes that have come in and the number of amendments that have been tabled that we will not have a chance to go through. It is really worrying that this legislation needs to be rushed through at such a pace. We know the amount of litigation that will result from this. We think about humane detention standards. All the Senators are asking for in the amendment is a report. I know what the Minister has stated, which is that the Government is bound to submit its own report anyway, but it is about fairness also. We are accepting so much of this, even though we have clearly put our concerns on record.”
“Most concerningly, he was told that if he declined such a placement, he risked the non-renewal of his temporary contract. This newly qualified paramedic was after putting his life and soul into training. Paramedics are the front-line workers in our community. The man in question was told that if he did not head so many hundred miles down the road, he might not get the contract. This is totally unacceptable. In this Chamber, we need to ask the Minister and HSE to urgently provide clarity on the guarantee of permanent contracts for all graduates, transparency on how locations are assigned, and assurances that no paramedic will be penalised for being unable to accept an unreasonable posting. If we continue like this, we are not just risking morale but also risking losing paramedics from a service that is already at breaking point.”
“I wish to raise the ongoing issue faced by newly qualified paramedics in terms of the National Ambulance Service. We saw them striking outside Leinster House. I spoke about this here a couple of weeks ago. There is widespread reporting on and engagement from paramedics across the country who, for the first time, were not automatically offered permanent contracts upon the completion of their training. This breaks with long-established practice. There is some movement on the permanent contracts but the reality on the ground is very different. The paramedics are still facing significant uncertainty. I have been contacted directly by many of them but I will just talk about one man who reached out to me yesterday. He outlined that he may now be assigned to a station a considerable distance from his home, with no clarity in advance.”
“I thank the Minister of State. I would appreciate if he could get me more information specifically on this. I appreciate the response. I understand that 105 school building projects are being brought to construction or tender in 2026-27. I hope with the priority of St. Francis School that it will be moved forward as quickly as possible and that we are not looking at summer 2027 to start building. I would love if the Minister of State could come back to me with updated information. I understand everything has to go through all the processes to make sure we adhere to all the standards with the planning. This is long awaited and long overdue, so I would welcome the introduction of the construction phase.”
“I commend the work of the principal, Mr. John Moran, and all the staff, including the SNAs and the escorts. They do incredible work. The children deserve access to the right education in the right setting at the right time, so I hope we can make some proper progress with this.”
“We finally have some movement, but there is a fear that we will end up having another delay and that is why I tabled this Commencement matter. It is important to ensure the application is expedited now and that the work can start this summer. The board of management is ready. The school is ready. The need is urgent. We just cannot have another year where we have to keep telling parents they do not have a place in this school and have to leave the county again. We cannot continue to open services without the infrastructure to support them. I hope the Minister of State will tell me today that he can confirm this project will be expedited without delay, that we can ensure planning permission will be granted as quickly as possible and that he will commit to enabling construction to begin this summer as intended.”
“Right now the school is trying to accommodate 20 classes in just 14 classrooms, even with two modular units recently added. It is just not sustainable. It is not fair on the staff and, more important, it is not fair on the children. This year alone, there were 50 applications for 12 places. That means dozens of children with additional needs have been left without an appropriate school place and behind every one of those numbers is a child and a family and they are under immense pressure. In 2021, the school was promised a modular building. We are at the stage now where, finally, the stage 2b report and tender documents have been submitted to the Department and the project has been identified as a priority.”
“I thank the Minister of State for taking this topic which is not in his Department's remit. The reason I am raising the issue of St. Francis School in Portlaoise again - everyone has heard me speak about this school in the Chamber many times - is that the vulnerable children in County Laois cannot wait any longer. This is a school that provides care for children with additional needs and there has just been one delay after another. St. Francis School in Portlaoise is doing incredible work. It supports some of the most vulnerable children in our community, who require specialist education, care and support to reach their full potential. Despite the dedication of staff and leadership, the reality on the ground is quite stark.”
“I want to pay particular tribute to the incredible patients, parents and advocates who have turned their horrific pain into power to seek justice. This is one of the greatest failures of our generation. I really hope that every resource will be put into this and that no stone will be left unturned so that this inquiry stops further failures in Children's Health Ireland for young children.”
“No child or family should have to go through any of these horror stories. That is all we could call it - a horror story that we have been listening to for too long now. More needs to be done for the children who are still waiting on surgery. That is really clear because the failures are still happening. We need to be sure that, for children with complex cases, the failures and the scandals stop happening time and over again in children's healthcare. The inquiry is welcome, but it has to look at the failures from the top to the bottom. We need to know what happened in each and every child's case and we need to be absolutely sure that there is no hiding place for anybody throughout this process. There is a lot of work to be done. I really sincerely hope that this inquiry is done right.”
“Some children waited so long for the surgeries they urgently needed that they lost their lives, which the Minister of State spoke about in her opening statement. We will not go into any details, but poor Chloe Maher. I extend my deepest sympathies to her family. In the case of young Harvey Morrison Sherratt, a child died before ever getting his surgery. His heartbroken parents then had to deal with the revelation that Harvey had been taken off the waiting list without their knowledge. More parents, in sheer desperation, have taken to highlighting their children's stories in the media to try to get action from the Minister and the HSE to get their children the treatment they need and highlight the mistakes and failures that were repeatedly made. It is shocking; it is utterly disgraceful.”
“There are not enough words to describe the failures on the part of successive Governments. We have to call it out as it is. It is eight years since Simon Harris promised that no child would wait longer than four months for spinal surgery. That promise has been broken again and again. Today, children are still in desperate, heart-breaking situations. I have met many of these families. We have seen report after report, for example, the HIQA report, the Boston report, the Dickson report, the Arthur Cox report, the Nayagam review and many others. I really hope that this will lead to meaningful action. So many children had unnecessary surgeries. Some children had unauthorised springs used in their surgeries. One of those children, a young boy, is known personally to me. He has a lot of health complications from those springs being put in.”
“It is clear that in order for the facilitators to conduct these exercises, it is required that the personal data be processed. Today's motion deals with the technicalities in order that all of this can happen. I welcome the progression of these inquiries. For many years, Sinn Féin requested that such inquiries be established. The Shine inquiry seems to be progressing in line with the wishes of the victims and survivors. I hope that continues. I have concerns that the patients, namely the children, and parents who were totally failed are not considered central in the context of the CHI inquiry. I really hope this can happen because it is important that we listen to the voices of those with lived experience. The ongoing failures relating to children with scoliosis and spina bifida are appalling and shameful.”
“I thank the Minister of State for coming in. We absolutely welcome this motion on the regulations and the scoping exercise. I just want to talk about the facts that are there right now. On 18 November 2025, the Government agreed to the establishment of a statutory public inquiry into spina bifida and complex scoliosis services at CHI. On 26 November 2025, it also agreed to a scoping exercise in response to the request from Dignity4Patients on behalf of the victims and survivors of Michael Shine, to be undertaken by an independent person. Both facilitators for the individual scoping exercises commenced their work on Tuesday 3 March 2026. The exercises will run for up to 16 weeks. I totally welcome this. Both of these scoping exercises are welcome.”
“If we know where our biggest problem is, should we not be trying to build relationships towards uniting our island or building relationships with the UK to see what we can do? I do not see any assessment anywhere in this new Bill about what analysis is being done or what risks this is going to have for the Border or what co-operation is going to take place. I am very worried that this has been rushed through so fast. The Minister is talking about how great this is going to be for our country by making everything faster and everything like that, yet 90% is coming from the north of our island and the Bill is going to do sweet FA for us. I feel we really need to address that problem. I would love to hear the Minister's thoughts on that.”
“We are very lucky to debate this in our Houses, although this has been a very short debate and there should have been much longer discussions through the committees. We are a very unique country and we should not hand over so much of this to the EU. That leads me on to amendment No. 5. I heard the Minister a couple of weeks ago on RTÉ news. He might correct me if I am wrong, but I think he said 90% of immigration by international protection applicants came from the UK. If we talk about this as being the biggest problem at the minute, and I have heard the Minister say that in his speeches as well, what are we doing about that? Signing up to this EU pact is not going to do anything about that.”
“I welcome the Minister. I will be brief as well because I want us to get through as many amendments as we can. I am going to talk about amendments Nos. 3 and 5. Senator McDowell has outlined so much of what is important with amendment No. 3 and I commend him on that. It is about our sovereignty. I would really like to hear the Minister speak about this to this Chamber and tell us his rationale because I am really concerned. This amendment is just about one simple thing, namely, protecting our sovereignty. The principle here is that decisions on migration must remain in Ireland and we must not hand them over to the EU. This is not unique to Ireland. Other countries have a problem with this as well.”
“Right now, you can get a referral to this service and you just sit there. Nothing happens because this service is not operational, it cannot take in new patients and it does not have a base to see the patients.”
“I appreciate the Minister of State taking this on behalf of the Minister with responsibility for mental health but this is not accurate. Laois is classed as one of the services that is technically operational, but it does not have a base. It talks here about St. Fintan's campus in Portlaoise. They can use that facility where they can go into a different room every time they are there, but they also have to go to Mountmellick. The staff in this ADHD clinic are telling me they do not have a base and it is not fit for purpose. The biggest problem since the service opened in 2024 is that referrals were paused very soon after and have been paused now for a very long period. We cannot say this service is operational. Just because we see it on paper does not mean it is happening; it is not.”
“When will referrals for Laois and Offaly reopen, what additional capacity will be put in place to deal with the backlog that is already there and, critically, when will this service be provided with a proper, fit-for-purpose base? It is important that we get this actioned now because these people are trying to hold down full-time jobs. It is an adult ADHD service. They are trying to go to work and live a normal life, but they are being left in limbo now for a service that should be fit for purpose.”
“I have been informed that because this service opened without a proper base, clinicians are working in unsuitable conditions without reliable Internet, without proper phone access even and without dedicated clinical space. In some cases, they are relying on whatever room becomes available on the day. That is not how a healthcare service should operate. While staff are doing their absolute best, they are being let down by the lack of infrastructure and long-term planning. Had we a plan in place in the first instance, we would not be where we are now. The impact for patients is so real here. Adults are waiting to enter the system, many having struggled for years without diagnosis, now facing further delays with no clear timelines. This situation cannot continue.”
“I want to speak today about adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, services in Laois and the reality of what is there right now. This service was introduced with clear demand but without proper planning or resources. That is where the problem is. The service opened in 2024. The adult ADHD service has received close to 1,000 referrals, clearly demonstrating the scale of the need that exists there. Soon after the service opened, referrals for Laois and Offaly had to be paused due to the backlog. What we have now is a service that opened and almost immediately became inaccessible to new patients. That brings me to the key question here: why would a service be opened without the resources to sustain it? What we see now is a total backlog, paused referrals and patients left waiting here.”
“Across Ireland, women are already stepping forward and taking part in the conversation about Ireland's constitutional future. As Constance Markievicz once said, "We have proved ourselves to be as good as men." The women of Ireland continue to prove it every single day. I will continue to bring their voices into the Seanad Chamber and frame my work.”
“I am proud to have seen the access to justice Bill brought forward by Deputy Matt Carthy as a result of these incredible women coming forward. I have met women who want to work and talk about their independence and opportunities. There are barriers that we still have to work on, such as childcare costs, which makes the choice feel out of reach for them. There is incredible work being done by the all-party Good Friday Agreement committee. It published an important report on women and constitutional change which made a powerful point that if constitutional change comes, Ireland will have a rare opportunity to design a process that truly includes women in shaping a new and agreed Ireland. That process must centre the voices of those too often overlooked.”
“Since then, we have had progress with the establishment of the national task force and the introduction of the endometriosis surgery abroad interim scheme, ESAIS, to access care outside of Ireland for women who cannot access proper multidisciplinary teams in Ireland. It is a payment upfront scheme. It is welcome. These developments came because of the voices of women who refused to stay silent. They were finally heard. Over the past year in this role, I have had the privilege of meeting many incredible women in this country. It has framed so much of my work here. I have met survivors of domestic and sexual abuse who showed incredible courage in speaking out about the trauma they experienced and the barriers they faced when seeking justice and support.”
“Behind every change we see in Ireland, there is a woman who refused to stay silent. That is what my mother says to me anyway. She is the most important woman in my life. She is the only woman who has tuned in every single time I have stood in this Chamber for the past year. As we mark International Women's Day, I reflect on the many battles in Ireland we still have. There is progress, but we still have to strive for better. This day last year, I raised the issue of endometriosis in this Chamber, highlighting the reality faced by thousands of women who have spent years seeking a diagnosis and struggling to access treatment.”
“Just days before their three-year contracts were due to expire, they were informed that they now have to apply to compete for permanent posts, despite assurances as recently as December that permanent contracts were on the way. How is this happening? I call for an urgent debate in the House in order that we can discover what is going on with the National Ambulance Service and how we find ourselves in a situation whereby 80 newly qualified paramedics have to protest at the gates of these Houses because we do not have jobs for them. This is beyond shameful.”
“Like those in every graduating class before them, they joined on the clear understanding that when they completed their studies, they would transition to permanent contracts. That is not the way it is happening, however, at a time when the National Ambulance Service is absolutely in crisis. Senator Kelleher talked about the purple calls. There are so many problems in our country. So many deaths could be prevented. We have to call it as it is. These are front-line workers who are putting everything on the line to save lives. When we hear sirens in our communities, we know the danger that lies ahead. These front-line workers are not getting the respect that they deserve.”
“I want to follow on from Senator Kelleher's comments about the National Ambulance Service. His figures are absolutely correct. I am not going to go through them again. What is really stark is that I met with 80 newly qualified paramedics outside Leinster House yesterday who had to come and protest. They had a petition with them that has been signed by 10,000 people. They do not know if they are going to have jobs in the service they trained to work in. They are fully trained paramedics who have completed three years with the National Ambulance Service. They have met with every requirement that has been asked of them. They have studied, trained, worked on ambulances, responded to emergencies and supported patients and families across the country. They are fully qualified paramedics who are already doing the job.”
“There should be an assessment of the availability of services such as those associated with GPs, school places and access to transport. This is where the problems happen. We will propose amendments on these issues, as we did in the Dáil. I hope the Minister will be sincere about considering them.”
“I will say it clearly: the housing crisis and lack of capacity are the result of long-standing neglect by previous Governments of our public services. Unfortunately, in the world we live in now, there are those who seek to use those issues to suit their own narrative and sow division in society. That is why it is so important to engage with communities and have proper consultation. Had we had proper consultation in all of these places in the first place, we would not have had the mixed messaging and the problems in our communities that we had. We must be sure that the needs of communities and the welfare of IPAS residents are to the fore of decision-making, not the profiteering business interests of property owners.”
“We all agree in this House that the international protection policy is a mess. Decisions are taking too long, as are appeals, and deportations are not being enforced. The locating of IPAS accommodation has so far been driven by private interests, who are profiteering massively from a chaotic, badly managed system. The Minister of State asked what we would do differently. There would not be profiteering from IPAS. Migration policy should be driven with the best interests of everybody in mind. We must manage the system to account for the need for workers and skills shortages in key sectors, such as healthcare. We must also have a humanitarian response to those fleeing war and persecution. We must also be mindful of the housing crisis and the lack of capacity in our healthcare and public services.”
“The fact that we are debating a Bill to impose the EU migration and asylum pact on Ireland, a pact we did not have to opt into in the first place, is very frustrating. It is frustrating because we know Ireland is unique. We are an EU member state but at the same time we are part of a common travel area with a state outside the EU. The Government has signed up to a pact that future Governments cannot opt out of. I just do not understand why we would hand over more power to the EU and limit our ability to manage our own policies on migration. We are a unique island. I am disappointed that this Government has chosen to ignore a unanimously agreed cross-party recommendation from the Oireachtas justice committee to reconsider opting out of the majority of the provisions in this pact. I want to address the issue of international protection.”
“The Minister of State, in his statement, asked what we would do better and what ideas there are for a better, more cohesive, more efficient system. If we thought signing up to this EU pact would make our migration system better, we could examine it properly. The reasons we are opposing it are clear. I was listening to the Minister for justice, Deputy O'Callaghan, on the RTÉ news last night. He was talking about applications for asylum in Ireland. Ninety per cent of the applicants in January came from the North of Ireland. How would signing up to the EU pact actually fix that? If we were more focused on uniting our island and dealing with the issues we have in this regard, it might assist.”
“I would like to get answers to the specific questions relating to why the Minister is not accepting the amendments and what he is actually saying about the damage he is doing to increasing rental supply where there are no plans. He knows the economic experts are saying this is not actually going to increase supply. I do not know who the Minister is listening to. If the Minister looks in his emails, he will see the messages from the Simon Communities in Ireland and Focus Ireland. I would like some proper answers.”
“The Minister and his colleagues are in government and they are just throwing renters under the bus. Can the Minister honestly say rents are not going to go up and by an enormous amount? What about these people paying €900 in rent now who are going to be paying €2,000? The Minister knows this is going to happen. Let us bring this debate back to talking about the Bill, the amendments and the facts, because this is what we are here to discuss. The sooner the Minister actually takes the time to answer the questions, the sooner we can get through this. If he keeps on deflecting and if his party colleagues want to come in and keep slating Sinn Féin, we will stay here.”
“The Government says it is collaborating with it, but this legislation is giving security of tenure for six years. If you actually listen to the facts, though, we know - Shep, the dog on the street, knows it at this stage because we have all been saying it here - that the average tenancy is three and half years. What the hell does six years matter? I want honest answers to the actual questions asked. The Government is ramming this through and we are telling it that it is wrong. We really feel there were better ways to do this, and do not tell me we do not have plans. I have a 114-page plan from Deputy Eoin Ó Broin. The Minister knows I could put it in front of him now. The Minister knows there are plans and that there is no point in saying, "Sinn Féin this and Sinn Féin that". Sinn Féin is not in government.”
“Can we be in agreement on this? Rural constituencies like Laois are not going to see anything from this change. They are just going to be further screwed. They are going to get their rents hiked up and will get nothing in return. I would love to get an answer from the Minister on how he thinks this is going to increase supply outside the big cities. I accept that maybe big landlords, big property developers and vulture funds will benefit. We saw the Government vote down the proposal on vulture funds yesterday evening. The Government is happy and is supporting big landlords and big vulture funds. We know this is the Bill to do it. Our proposed amendment simply asks for a report within three months on what the Government is going to do for the RTB.”
“I am going to speak about a number of amendments put forward. I am going to choose to ignore the deflection from the other side. I want to ask specific questions on the amendment. To be fair, the Minister has done a lot of deflection here this morning as well. Every time I have asked a question, I have not got an answer. I want to talk about County Laois. It is my constituency and where I know best. I have a voice for those people. We agree that this is a market reset from 1 March. Before then, it was only possible to increase rents by 2% annually. People with older agreements, who may only have been paying €900 a month, will now see their rents shoot up to the market rent. We know it will have a dramatic impact on them. They are not going to benefit from large private investment companies and big landlords coming to Laois.”
“We are talking about the Bill the Minister has brought forward, which will cause many more problems and hike up the price of rent. Can the Minister tell people that it will not hike up the price of rent? No, he cannot. He deflects. Sinn Féin is not in power; the Minister is in power.”
“I move amendment No. 3: In page 5, to delete lines 30 and 31, and in page 6, to delete lines 1 and 2 and substitute the following: “(2) Within three months of the passing of this Act the Minister shall lay before the Houses of the Oireachtas a report setting out the impact of the new national rent control provisions contained in section 8 on homelessness and in particular on family homelessness.”.”
“That is exactly what this Bill does. From 1 March, new tenancies are going to market reset. That means the highest point in the market in a certain area and it is a massive problem. There is no point in fluffing around. We are here. Rents are going to go up for people and we have nothing to say about it. I would like to hear answers on those aspects.”
“I know the Minister of State is saying that the Government is collaborating or engaging with those organisations, but it is not the same collaboration as we have been having, day in and day out, with the Simon Communities and all the homeless agencies. I cannot see how this Bill will have any positive impact for people in Laois. I cannot see how it will have any impact for people all over Ireland except the big developers. We need to appeal to those big developers to come in here and build more properties but this is not going to do it. The economic experts have come out to say this will not result in the building of many houses. I am hearing so much deflection but am not hearing points or answers. Is the Minister of State disagreeing with the facts? I am not talking about existing tenancies. I am talking about new tenancies.”
“She moves out and has to move elsewhere. The average market rent in Laois is much higher than €900. I know a lot of people around Laois who are paying €900 or €1,000 in rent but that is not the market value at the moment. The market value is substantially higher. I worry that big landlords are going to completely take advantage here. These are the issues we are pointing out. These are the reasons we want reports that will allow us all to sit down together and look at the situation. I have sat down with representatives of the Simon Communities and Focus Ireland. We have looked through the reports. I have looked at the analysis and the homeless figures that they are expecting as a result of the impact of the driving up of rents. It is concerning.”
“It might be fine for people in cities. In fact, it is not going to be fine for people in Dublin or anything like it. However, those people are not going to be impacted as much as people where I live. I am from Laois. I talk about it enough in this House. No big private investors are going to come to Laois and build anything for us. We cannot get anyone to do anything there. We are the forgotten county. We are really going to suffer. The Minister of State mentioned that everywhere is going to be a rent pressure zone now, but what security of tenure is there going to be for people if they are facing such a dramatic increase in their rent now? It is the dramatic increase in rent that we have a problem with. Let us consider Josie down the road, who might be paying €900 rent now. She might only be there for two years.”
“I thank the Minister of State. I want to come back in on the amendment because I am confused. I know the Minister of State said he thought it should be ruled out of order. I think it was accepted that it was a valid amendment. Perhaps the Minister of State could explain it to me more clearly. What we are seeking is the deletion of a section and the insertion of a section that we are requesting to have a report after three months so we can get analysis. Will the Minister of State clarify that point? We seem not to be on the same page there. I do not think any of the Seanad staff have made a mistake in accepting the amendment. I want to go back over some points. The figures that are there do not refer to existing tenancies. We are talking about new tenancies after 1 March, which will go through the market reset.”