Mark Duffy
Labour Panel · Fine Gael · Ireland
“I thank the Minister of State for being here on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Foley, and for her detailed reply. While it is disappointing to hear the news here, at least it provides clarity and certainty for the project promoters and, indeed, staff and various stakeholders involved, many of whom have been in touch with me and are really…”
“I call on Bord na Móna, which has powered the community down through the years but is at risk of dividing the community now, to step up and engage effectively with the community. It should not be using community volunteers as a front to push its own agenda.”
“We should not waste people's time or, indeed, taxpayers' money. The waste there of taxpayers' money resides in the fact that resources are going to be spent elsewhere to offer a medium-term solution, while the longer term solution has gone through the procurement, planning and design stages.”
“-----and acknowledge my sister, Councillor Marie-Thérèse Duffy, in the Visitors Gallery? I thank her for being here, for being willing to replace me on Mayo County Council last year and for her support to date. I appreciate it. I also appreciate the achievement of Mayo GAA, which has really united the county.”
“I acknowledge the community in Crossmolina. I attended a public meeting last night that was attended by over 200 people who are very dissatisfied with the proposals by Bord na Móna to build a route around the town of Crossmolina. Crossmolina has a vibrant, active community. There has been a lack of public consultation on this proposal.”
“I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, for being here to discuss this very important topic. I acknowledge the work the staff of Tusla do in County Mayo and across the country in very challenging circumstances and with very vulnerable people. They respond when others cannot and do not.”
The complete record
Every one of 515 lines we hold for Mark Duffy, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 8 of 11.
“That shows the huge disparity and inequity which explains the frustration being felt by 1,500 operators of hook and line mackerel boats. We need to recalibrate the allocation. I understand it is in the gift of the Minister of State to reorientate that so there is more justice and fairness shown to the 1,500 vessel owners across Ireland who feel unfairly treated with the current distribution of the quota. Article 17 of the Common Fisheries Policy states that quotas should be shared out on a viable and sustainable basis. As we know, hook and line mackerel fishing is a very sustainable practice. I know that the people who have raised this issue with me feel a huge frustration and sense of injustice in terms of the allocation of quotas. I am also aware of their passion for continuing the practice for the benefit of the next generation.”
“First, I welcome my friend from Castlebar and colleague in Fine Gael, Councillor Donna Sheridan, who is in the Gallery. I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I thank him for his engagement and work done to date. It is great to see a Ministry for fisheries. As previous speakers have outlined, including an impassioned contribution by Senator Manus Boyle, there is an awful lot that needs to be done to fight the corner for Irish fisheries at a European level. The hook and line mackerel policy is an issue of concern, particularly in my home county of Mayo. Currently, less than 1% of the overall Irish mackerel quota allocation is allocated to hook and line mackerel fishing. That 1% is shared among approximately 1,500 vessels. The remaining 99% is shared between 50 vessels.”
“Like I said, they do incredible work on social outreach and supporting vulnerable members of our communities, but they need to be remunerated and looked after for that. It is a small cohort of people who do exceptional work and we need to support them. I would welcome a debate on it.”
“When we take into account social welfare benefits at different stages that are cost-of-living measures or increased payments at, say, Christmas time, the supervisors do not receive those same benefits. They are not being treated fairly, therefore, and are not being looked after in terms of the cost of living or inflation over the past seven years. which has negatively impacted on them. If we compare them with community employment, CE, scheme supervisors, an assistant supervisor gets paid just €300 less per year than a supervisor on a Tús scheme or RSS. There is a huge disparity, therefore, in pay for both Tús and RSS supervisors compared with that of community employment supervisors. It should be brought into line. I would welcome a debate with the Minister on it.”
“I welcome to the distinguished guests in the Visitors Gallery. This morning, I raise an issue that has an effect on community groups across the country, which is the lack of pay parity between Tús and rural social scheme, RSS, workers and their equivalent community employment scheme supervisors. The Tús scheme and the RSS are an incredible lifeline and the lifeblood of rural communities. They do brilliant work supporting GAA clubs, community groups and village and town enhancements, but there is a total lack of parity in the pay and remuneration for the supervisors of Tús and the RSS. The supervisors of both of those schemes are paid approximately 50% more per week than the participants but the participants generally work only about half of the week, so the remuneration is almost the same.”
“We do not need to make any political thing out of what is a difficult time and a concerning proposal for students and families who are to the pin of their collar in a cost-of-living crisis. The proposal needs to be stopped. We need to find a solution for it. We do not need to play politics on what is a really important issue and we need to deliver for students and third level as we committed to in the Private Member’s Bill we brought in May. We need to deliver on that and I hope the Minister, Deputy Lawless, and all Ministers in Cabinet work to support the Fine Gael Senators who brought the Private Member’s Bill here advocating for improvements and supports for third level education.”
“I join colleagues in supporting third level students throughout the country who have been shocked over the past few days by the proposals to increase third level fees. I was a students’ union president, as was Senator Harmon. We worked together at the same time in students’ unions. It was a time of deep economic recession and support through SUSI grants and supports through a contribution on student fees were what kept students in and out of college. I was students’ union president on GMIT’s Mayo campus, which is now ATU Mayo, and I have had so many people contact me over the past number of days, including past and present students, constituents and parents who are really concerned by the proposals. We need to work across the House. We need to work, in the best interests of students, to ensure this does not proceed.”
“Councillor Robert Nash does incredible work for his town and community and should not be discriminated against compared with retained firefighters who often earn over the threshold. It is something I would like to pursue further and work with the Minister of State on. Perhaps there are ways to follow through on this niche and particular issue.”
“I thank the Minister of State for the reply. Obviously I am disappointed by it and I contest it. The key message in the reply is that section 161 "... allows the Minister to designate such class, description or grade of employments to which this restriction does not apply or to specify conditions under which the restriction does not apply". There is scope for flexibility there. It is a stroke of a pen. It is a power within the gift of the Minister. Regarding full-time firefighters, a small, niche group of people, perhaps one of two at maximum, would fall into it. I appreciate the Minister does not want to open that gate for a host of other elements of the local authority, but firefighters do incredible work in the community.”
“It needs to be addressed because we need to encourage people into local government, especially those who work on the front line within our communities. I would welcome the Minister of State's consideration of this matter and possible routes to address this. It is quite a niche matter but there is merit in addressing it. I would welcome the Minister of State's thoughts on this.”
“Retained firefighters are allowed but often, because the cap for income earned is €49,000, the retained firefighters are judged based on their retained firefighter fee but their overall income, which is often more than €49,000, is not taken into account. This has affected a councillor in Cork in the past who had to relinquish his duties as a county councillor. As we know, because county councillors are not well resourced or well funded even in terms of pension entitlements, which are non-existent, it is financially unfeasible to consider being solely a county councillor. This has affected Councillor Robert Nash in County Louth, who was a full-time firefighter. He has stood down from his firefighting duties and is working full time as a county councillor. This is an example he highlighted to me.”
“I welcome the Minister of State back to the House. This matter is quite a niche one and affects very few individuals in the country who take up and are willing to put themselves forward and put their name on a ballot paper to represent their community, district and county. This matter relates to front-line workers who are full-time firefighters and put themselves in the way of danger at a moment's notice to protect and defend communities. They are often well-known figures within communities and are heavily involved in voluntary efforts. That being said, full-time firefighters are not eligible or allowed to be maintained as full-time firefighters and also hold the position of county councillor. That needs to be addressed and changed, with the Minister of State's support.”
“There should be an audit of every town and village to see where there is functioning and adequate CCTV in place and where there are gaps. That is from the point of view of safety on the streets, but also to see where gangs are driving through different towns and going undetected. I would encourage a debate on that issue.”
“I use this opportunity to highlight the ongoing climb and encourage everyone to get behind and support the fundraising that is taking place over the next few day in James's memory, because the causes include many schools and different charity groups that were close to his heart, including the Irish Kidney Association and Make-A-Wish Ireland. With the time I have left, I raise a point about CCTV in our towns and villages. Can we have a debate on it? A Fine Gael colleague, Deputy Geoghegan from Dublin, has raised the lack of CCTV in Dublin, but in our towns and villages, it depends on local community groups or initiatives through local authorities and there seems to be a disconnect. For protection in our towns and villages, we need to ensure there is adequate CCTV.”
“Before I make my contribution, I acknowledge the James McNeive Foundation, in memory of James McNeive, who tragically died last year. His friends and family will, over the next five days, climb five peaks across Ireland and the UK. They began yesterday in Ben Nevis in Scotland and will complete their efforts and climbs on Saturday on Croagh Patrick in his native County Mayo. He was from Aghamore. They are raising a huge amount of money for different local charities that are close to the family's hearts.”
“I am sure other local authorities are more effective on this issue but we should not have to rely on citizens to take ownership of this issue. We should have a discussion and address this issue for the health and safety of citizens throughout the country.”
“This means disability parking bays, junction line painting and simple basic services that are hugely impactful for road safety, whether continuous white lines in housing estates, clearway junctions to keep dropped kerbs free of any parking so that wheelchair users can move freely through towns and villages, or those who are elderly or have disability badges having the dignity of having their own space. Small, basic jobs, such as line painting services, are not being carried out in local authorities throughout the country. We need to have a discussion on this because it is simply not good enough that the father of a child has to paint his own disabled bay blue because the local authority has been dragging its heels on this.”
“I want to raise an issue with serious health and safety implications for towns and villages throughout Ireland. I will use an example in my home county of Mayo. This week the father of a child with a disability took action himself to repaint a disability bay in Westport which had depleted and faded. During my time as a councillor, we regularly called for councils and local authorities to have line painting services carried out in-house. No local authorities in Ireland own line painting services and we rely on contractors to do the work. It rains twice as much on the west coast of Ireland as it does on the east coast, so the window for carrying out line painting services is very short, over the summer period.”
“Before we move on to the next Commencement matter, I welcome the pupils from Kiltale National School, County Meath, who are guests of Deputy Aisling Dempsey. As tradition goes in the Seanad, there will be no homework for the rest of the week. I also welcome to the House Senator Pat Casey's guests: Pat Vance and Barry Ryan. Everyone else in the Gallery is also very welcome to the House today.”
“Before I call the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, I welcome to the Gallery the Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Deputy Niall Collins, and his guests, who are from Lough Gur National School, County Limerick. As tradition goes, the pupils will have no homework for the week. I also welcome the guests from Gaelscoil Éadan Doire, who are guests of Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh. As tradition goes, they too will have no homework for the week.”
“I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, for a very positive reply. I welcome all of the proposals. The minimum age for the nicotine inhaling products has been very welcomed, but to limit the retail sale of it in areas such as shops, butchers and phone repair shops, where it is clearly being cynically targeted at young people, is where we need to tackle it most. I am pleased with the reply. My main question is when this may take effect. The reply is 100% satisfactory, very welcomed and I am very pleased by it. I look forward to seeing this introduced as soon as possible. When will this take effect? All of the measures here will have a marked difference and improvement on public health and, it is hoped, will reduce the uptake of vaping by young people.”
“People can still have a choice but vaping cannot be proliferated and done in a cynical way that is targeting young and vulnerable people. As well as that, the variety of flavours is very targeted at young people and tries to make it as accessible and attractive as possible even though this is an addictive substance. I would welcome support on tackling this, tackling the decline of our high streets due to presence of these vaping shops and also the cynical efforts being made to attract our young people to vaping. I welcome the Minister of State's feedback on it.”
“We need to remove single-use vapes but we also need to remove the product placement from such prominent positions in shops, as this encourages vaping. We do not know the health risks of it. We did not know the health risks of tobacco in the early days but we have learned how devastating that was. We do not know what the full effects of vaping may mean in the long term. It needs to be treated very seriously and that is why I have raised it. A key aspect is the placement of the products, particularly in shops that are dedicated to vaping and encouraging the use of vaping products. The association with candy and sweets is clearly a cynical move to target young people in particular to use it as a stepping stone or to get them addicted to vaping products. We need to have strong regulation on this and treat it like tobacco.”
“The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. The matter I am raising is one I have raised regularly in the House and which has been raised very regularly with me by members of community youth groups like the No Name Club and Foróige and I have also observed it myself. It is the proliferation of vaping, especially vape shops, across every town and village in Ireland. It happened very quickly, so obviously regulation has not caught up with it. My point this morning is that tobacco regulations should be expanded to include vaping products. Just yesterday evening I noticed in a shop that the space behind the counter where the tobacco advertising used to be, which is now concealed and covered, displays branding for disposable vapes.”
“If possible, and this would require full support of the Government, it was also recently suggested to me that section 481 should be extended to theatres to support local actors, designers and writers. I thought it was an interesting proposal. Is that something that could be accommodated to support local theatre, the production of theatre and artists through section 481? I thought it was interesting and is perhaps something that could be considered to help support the arts in the regions as well. I wish the Minister continued success in his work and I will not be found wanting in supporting anything that can help address the imbalance we currently have in the region and to push on and improve the prosperity of the west and north west in particular.”
“I know all of these things cost money, but it would be worthwhile. The N58 will improve regional connectivity and connectivity between north Mayo, Ballina, Castlebar and onwards to Westport. There is also the R312. These are all major transport projects that need to be realised and we need to do whatever we can to help further those. On a separate point, unrelated to transport, I will raise something highlighted to me by Screen Producers Ireland with regard to balanced regional development. It has an ask for the Government concerning the production of TV and film. It is asking for an 8% uplift outside of Wicklow and Dublin under the section 481 tax credit. We have seen a lot of positive economic activity around this industry because incentives have been put in place. Screen Producers Ireland is asking for an uplift to further its work.”
“Murphy outlined, with the reopening of the line between Ennis and Galway and the positive intervention and success that has been. Knock airport is also an astounding success for Mayo and the western region and needs to be supported. We need to do as much as we can to support that and use it as a tool to help unlock some of the challenges that other regional airports, and indeed Dublin Airport, face in terms of capacity issues. Turning to regional road infrastructure, the N26 and the bypass of Ballina is something we are both familiar with. A strong case can be made to put forward in the review of the national development plan investment and inclusion of both projects, given how far behind we are as a region with regard to transport infrastructure. We would, I hope, be pushing an open door.”
“When we think about the areas included with the weakest transport infrastructure across the European regions, that the north-west region is alongside the Canary Islands, Guadeloupe and Madeira is evidence of how much we need to do to positively discriminate, on transport investment in particular, in our regions. I know the Minister will do everything in his power to use his voice at the Cabinet table to make sure we are advocating for it. The western rail corridor is key to stimulating regeneration and improving connectivity across the western seaboard. In particular, the first leg, which is there, between Athenry and Claremorris, can unlock all of the towns in Mayo and Galway and connect Mayo all the way to Cork, industry to Foynes Port and northwards to Sligo and Donegal. The benefit of it has already been demonstrated, as Senator P.J.”
“I welcome the Minister. He will be familiar with a lot of the issues I raise. As a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport and my party's spokesperson on transport, a lot of the areas I will highlight relate particularly to transport. Last week, the Minister, like me and many others here, attended the Northern and Western Assembly briefing. One of the most stark findings of that morning's briefing was that the north-west region is one of the weakest regions with regard to transport. Comparable regions in Europe include the Canary Islands, Guadeloupe, which is a territory of France, and Madeira in Portugal.”
“The key issue, which can affect many communities across Ireland, is that Coillte makes the application to the Department of Agriculture and Food. There is a conflict of interest there that really needs to be called out. There needs to be objectivity. It is in the Department's interest to meet delivery goals and I do not think there is enough objectivity there. We have not clearly demonstrated how to deal with Storm Éowyn and the challenges it brought without trying to bring more forestry to a community that is totally against it. I call on the Minister to engage with the community.”
“Communities like Ballycastle on the western seaboard and the Wild Atlantic Way have been decimated by depopulation but have very gracefully welcomed international protection applicants within the community and are trying to lead the regeneration of buildings and make them better places for emigrants to return to. Measures like this fly in the face of a community that is trying to lead strong regeneration. I commend my colleague Councillor Jarlath Munnelly who is working with the community on the ground. I have been liaising with various ministries to try to get this addressed. I call on the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, to meet with the community to discuss this further because the community is clear in its objection to it.”
“I raise an important issue with the potential to affect many communities across Ireland. It relates to forestry. In Ballycastle in my county of Mayo, Coillte intends and proposes to plant a 30-acre site but the community does not want it and has expressed clearly that it does not want it in this location. The proposed site is right next to the Ballycastle GAA pitch. There are at least 12 or 13 houses in the immediate vicinity of this proposal. Coillte intends to go ahead with it as it stands but I am asking it to stop and engage. It is really important that we listen to communities.”
“I thank the Minister of State for his time and Senator Nelson Murray and the Cathaoirleach for facilitating the conversation.”
“I wish to see us go further on that if possible and support the voluntary sector more broadly. Volunteers take on a lot by contributing their time, expertise and talents. Their contribution to society and their communities should not involve fundraising to pay excessive insurance premiums on, for example, historic buildings that they own, rent or maintain. They should be empowered to contribute in a positive manner to the community and not have to fundraise to pay for excessive insurance. We should not legislate joy out of society and communities. We need to create a happy balance and medium for protecting those who are affected by injury while also making sure it is not exploitative and is done in a way that promotes and encourages activities and centres that offer so much joy to communities and societies right across Ireland.”
“There is a clear disparity and we need to work to support the businesses being affected by it. Outdoor activity tourism is a vital cog in the tourism ecosystem and provides fundamental pathways to promoting physical and mental health activities. Such businesses are not only providing a lot from a tourism perspective, but they are also being supplied by talented young people who are educated in outdoor tourism and orientated to work in this industry. If the industry collapses, it has a knock-on effect on outdoor education provision and study at the Mayo campus in ATU, which has a strong and vibrant course that could be negatively impacted if the awards guidelines were increased. The proposal is excessive. I welcome IPB Insurance's efforts regarding supports for Tidy Towns.”
“Local examples of providers in County Mayo and the west include Delphi Resort, which many are familiar with, Wildlands, Westport Adventure Centre, Westport Bike Hire, Clew Bay boat tours, Baysports, Summer SUP, and Go!Trekking! These are just a flavour of some of the association’s member organisations that could be negatively impacted if the increases go ahead. The industry is totally opposed to the increases. I do not blame it because it worked alongside the Alliance for Insurance Reform and fought hard for reforms. The reforms delivered in recent years have just this year begun to show positive results for businesses. The cost for businesses in the Irish sector is still four times greater than that for equivalent businesses in the UK and six to eight times more expensive than that for their counterparts across Europe.”
“The proposed award increase of 16.7% is totally excessive and we need to make that clear to the Minister of State and work together to ensure we push back on it. Ahead of this evening’s discussion, I was in touch with Brendan Kenny, the chief executive of Ireland’s Association for Adventure Tourism. That is a representative body for outdoor activity tourism on the island of Ireland. It has 210 members and these members offer 50 different activity experiences, including hiking, kayaking, biking, horse riding, surfing, adventure centre and water park pursuits, and much more. This is key to domestic tourism but also to the international tourism market, and it results in so much joy, fun and excitement across the country.”
“I thank the Cathaoirleach. I welcome the Minister of State. I welcome the opportunity to speak on such an important matter that affects towns and villages right across the country. I compliment the work of Senator Nelson Murray, a strong advocate in the House of insurance reform, reflecting her own lived experience and the challenges that face businesses like hers. In County Mayo, businesses have closed down. The role of businesses such as soft play centres, which are the heartbeat for young families in an area where it rains more than it does not, cannot be overstated. The insurance costs that force family-owned businesses that bring so much joy to communities cannot be supported.”
“Another case relates to the Sean Duffy Community Centre in Ardnaree in Ballina, where there are multiple junctions without any intervention from TII to help support, fund and deliver safety improvements. The list goes on. We had a fatality on Lord Edward Street in Ballina. We are waiting for two years. How many lives need to be lost? Is one life not enough? Do multiple lives need to be lost before we get action and delivery in our towns and villages and on our streets from TII? I could go on. There is speeding on Emmet Street. Small interventions and measures are needed to improve the situation and these need to be devolved to the local authorities.”
“We have paid consultants hundreds of thousands of euro for active travel and local transport plan measures, but have had no delivery. Well-paid and well-educated engineers should be empowered to do this work. TII is responsible for building motorways and managing Luas extensions. That is where its competencies should lie rather than being pulled into the weeds on projects that local authorities are capable of delivering if they are empowered and funded to do so. Another example is Culleens National School on Killala Road in Ballina, which was opened recently but which is missing a 200 m footpath extension. There is a requirement to request TII to deliver this. It is scandalous that this is happening.”
“I want to discuss serious issues with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, and small but important projects which are not being delivered in communities across the country. I served in the local council before serving in the Seanad. I found that basic interventions we raised as councillors and that had the unanimous support of all elected representatives, engineers and planners, along with local transport plans, were ignored in the context of funding. This happens whether a project involves a pedestrian crossing, a small extension of a footpath or low-cost safety and traffic calming measures. I want to highlight projects in Ballina that have been raised but that have not been the subject of any intervention. At the Quay village, all of the councillors in the area have called for speed reduction and have begged TII for funding for this.”
“In every town we see instances of activation of a commercial unit on the ground floor but there are often two or three levels above that and there needs to be a use-it-or-lose-it approach to support that. However, I welcome the work on it and the continued engagement with the House here. I look forward to working to tackle this challenge.”
“From a point of view of the environment and the social fabric, it is heartening to see buildings reactivated that already have services available to them. There is also the carbon embodiment of those buildings. That is a no-brainer. However, not enough is being done. I see wealthy families sometimes sitting on properties. People who have money can afford to incur small penalties and they sit on properties that could easily be reactivated and brought back into use. There are also semi-State bodies sitting on land holdings and land banks. We need to devolve authority into local authorities or at least encourage mechanisms within local authorities to bring more life and light back into vacancy and dereliction throughout the country.”
“The living cities initiative is a tax measure that is already in place. Can that be expanded to all towns and villages as opposed to just cities? I believe it would not require too much but it would help to unlock some private market investment and stimulate some development. There are other good schemes such as the repair and leasing scheme, RLS, and indeed the croí cónaithe towns and villages scheme, which was initially introduced only for urban areas with a population of 600 or more. As a councillor I was vocal in campaigning and got support right across the council to extend that to all areas of the countryside. When we go canvassing in general elections we see the sites being cleared.”
“I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, to the Chamber. Vacancy and dereliction have been a scourge in every town and village in the country. While I welcome this Bill in many of its parts, we need action on the measures that are in place at the moment. From my perspective there are a number of different issues. One is local authorities sitting on land banks without initiative, imagination or creativity about reactivating it. Good work is being done in different areas but there are also brownfield sites that are owned by local authorities and buildings that are not activated by local authorities. If they do not have a plan or imagination, they need to look for expressions of interest from the private market to create proposals for quality developments that can complement a town centre. We also need to look at incentives.”
“Having more eligibility and flexibility for the scheme can help more people to get onto it and is a positive net gain for social inclusion and development in communities. The ask is that the rural social scheme extend the participation age beyond 66, all the way up to, potentially, 70, to give people more opportunity to be involved in the scheme. It would help to buy time for the rural social scheme to review recommendations and address the recruitment challenges that are faced in rural communities. I would like to highlight that and perhaps the Leader will have a discussion on it with the Minister.”
“I attended the official opening of Western Care's new facility in Ballina on Monday. It is brilliant to see a building in the town that was vacant for so long brought back into use for a wide range of care service users and staff. It is so welcome and I congratulate everyone involved in it. The rural social scheme supported the renovation of the building. The support of the redevelopment of the asset for use by Western Care is a great example of the use of this scheme. The scheme needs further support for its work. The key issue is that the ageing participant demographic means that the eligibility age limit needs to be increased to allow more people onto the scheme. The current retirement age is 65. It is becoming more and more difficult to get people onto these schemes.”
“I know he cannot give case-specific replies but generally, is there enough flexibility to allow the local authority to purchase the house to keep a roof over the head of someone in a vulnerable situation like this?”
“I thank the Minister of State for outlining the detailed feedback. The person affected in this example is in receipt of the rent supplement payment. She meets the criteria for HAP and RAS but she is not in receipt of them now. Will she be negatively impacted by, say, the minimum of two years that is required for her to avail of the tenant in situ scheme, or does the Minister of State think the cost-rental ability he outlined will give enough flexibility, considering that this is a difficult situation where the tenant is due to be evicted and that there are many examples of people being affected by domestic violence? Does the Minister of State see and believe that there is, generally, enough flexibility for the local authority?”
“Will the Minister of State consider expanding the scheme to include those in receipt of rent supplement? This is a pressing matter. Given the current housing challenges, many people are under pressure. In the instance I mentioned, the local authority wants to help but cannot do so because of the current criteria. I would really welcome the Minister of State's consideration of this issue. I look forward to his response.”