Residential Tenancies and Valuation Bill 2020: Second Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2020-07-31
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Aidan Davitt (FF), Industrial and Commercial Panel

I would like to welcome a fellow Mullingar man to the House. I have known the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, for a long time. I served with him on Mullingar town council before the great decision to dissolve the town councils was taken. I also served with him on Westmeath County Council. I have no doubt that he will excel in his new position as Minister of State. We are delighted to have two new Ministers of State in Mullingar, Deputies Peter Burke and Troy. It has certainly been a great addition to Westmeath.
I would like to build on the points made by Senator Martin. I have listened intently to the arguments made by the Opposition. Some good points have been made. However, there are many which do not stack up. I have an in-depth knowledge of the property market and, in my experience, the Government has devoted a wall of money to this problem. I am sure the Minister of State can provide an exact figure. I do not wish to argue over facts with a particular Senator, but my experience has been that councils are actively looking to purchase houses. A huge amount of money has been spent on this. The Minister of State did not argue this point because he was listening to the various contributors, but I am sure he can give us a figure.

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Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:48:31+00:00
Sitting date: 2020-07-31