Residential Tenancies and Valuation Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages
Seanad Éireann — 2020-07-31
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Victor Boyhan (IND), Agricultural Panel

I listened to what the Minister of State had to say in his reply to Second Stage. I am not going to get excited by it but I would suggest that he did not hear what we were proposing or anything from me. I do not like to get too personal so I will not do so and will talk through the Chair. This is a process. There are five Stages in a Bill. If the Minister of State has plenty of time and wants to hear plenty, I am happy to stand here and talk for a long time. I am standing in solidarity with other Senators and I support what they have done. This is my entitlement and right. For some reason, the Minister of State has difficulty in understanding my proposal. He singled me out by name and said he had a difficulty. He did not hear what I proposed. On this side of the House, we can work together. I am of the view that these amendments are valid and should be put. I put it to the Minister of State, who did not answer me, that he has made a decision that all these 40 amendments will not be supported. That sends out a clear message about the Government to the effect that it is not prepared to give any consideration in terms of seeing anyone else's side.
I shared my experience of being a member of the Joint Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government for four and a half years and the bellyaching I heard from politicians on many sides about what they were going to do for tenants. Remember that Fine Gael has been in office for nine years. The Minister of State tells me that he does not understand or hear what I am trying to say. I am saying clearly, and the record of the House will show this, that I support the amendments. It might be helpful for us all - I am conscious of time - if the Minister of State indicated that it is his decision not to support them. We can spend all of the time here, someone can then get up and guillotine the thing and the newspapers tomorrow will write about another saga in Parliament regarding how people are being shut up and prevented from engaging in the political process. Is it the case that the Minister of State will not accept this amendment or the other 39? If that is the case, then so be it. I am a realist and will go home but if it is not the case and there is any chance the Minister of State might accept one amendment, I will stay and debate matters.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2020-07-31/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:48:31+00:00
Sitting date: 2020-07-31