Deputy Ó Snodaigh has been asking these legitimate questions for a number of years and always attracts a bit of media attention when he poses them, although they have been posed in this House for much longer than Deputy Ó Snodaigh has been here. The Minister will recall that when we were debating the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill last week, I told him I used to work in these Houses for then Labour Party spokesperson on finance, Derek McDowell, in 1998 and 1999. He was asking those questions a…

The Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, is very welcome to the House to debate this sensible and straightforward Bill. I should have said "to discuss" because to say he is here to debate the Bill suggests there is a degree of disagreement in respect of its content and the principles that inform it. I am pleased that the senior Minister, with his Cabinet colleagues, have decided not to oppose the legislation before the House. That sends out an important message to those paying close attention to our words and our deed…

As the Minister of State knows, Drogheda is Ireland's largest town and the population of the borough itself is almost 50,000. The very immediate hinterland of the town brings the population of the area to in excess of 80,000. The Government and the HSE would not dream of leaving Waterford city or Galway city without a Covid-19 testing centre but Drogheda is left without one. It seems that nobody is accountable. As the Minister of State knows, I am from Drogheda. I live there. I love my town. I care deeply about it.…

I thank the Minister of State for his considered response which is greatly appreciated. I know that he will raise it at senior level with the HSE. I believe regional officials in the HSE in the north east understand the requirement for such a centre in the area. I repeat again that I am not making a narrow, local, parochial case for my own home town. It is an observable fact that Drogheda is the largest town in the country and that it has consistently featured at or near the top of the charts of areas most adversel…

Unfortunately, the script was not available to me. While it was clear what the Minister of State was saying - this is not meant as a criticism of him - it is good practice to circulate a script, particularly on complex matters of this nature.

That is fair enough. I thank the Minister for his response, and I thank especially Deputy Farrell and her colleagues for taking the time to construct a thoughtful and well-considered Bill that is designed to address the issue colloquially known as low-balling. I accept the Minister of State and the Department are making efforts to improve the procurement situation and the management framework for major projects. It is fair to say that some lessons have been learned from the catastrophe, in the context of public exp…

I move amendment No.1: In page 3, line 26, after “2021” to insert “may not occur in the period of 36 months from the commencement of that section and”. The Minister of State will have heard my remarks and the remarks of many other Deputies on Second Stage regarding the necessity to provide for a three-year rent freeze and that is what this amendment, among others, seeks to do. The Minister of State and his officials know that this can be done because it was done in 2015. At that time, a rent freeze was instituted t…

I move amendment No. 2: In page 3, lines 28 and 29, to delete “the relevant percentage” and substitute “2 percent”.

I move amendment No. 8: In page 5, between lines 31 and 32, to insert the following: “(f) by the insertion of the following after subsection (5B): “(5C) A dispute between a landlord who seeks to rely on subsection (5) and a tenant as to the appropriate increase in rent following upon a substantial change in the nature of the accommodation provided under the tenancy may be referred to the Board for resolution under section 76.”,”. I am conscious that we have not dispatched many amendments so I expect and intend to b…

There is a danger of a bit of consensus breaking out across the Opposition divide, if I can call it that. I will not detain the House much longer, other than to say that Deputy Ó Broin articulated the point and the case well. I think the Minister of State understands what the issue is here, as will his officials. We would appeal to him to take cognisance of this and to try to address the points. I think the Minister of State would like to address the points for all of the reasons Deputy Ó Broin pointed out. He know…

I move amendment No. 12: In page 6, between lines 6 and 7, to insert the following: “Amendment of section 19B of Principal Act 4. The Principal Act is amended in section 19B(3) by the insertion of “where such a payment is part of a combined payment, including tuition and materials, to a prescribed third level educational institution” after “month”.”.

My amendment is very similar to Deputy Cian O'Callaghan's. It relates to the designation of rent pressure zones across the country in each administrative area, for the reasons that have been outlined. Rents are not just out of control in urban areas, which we have seen over the last few years, but are under pressure across the country. They are at a point now where they justify this type of intervention. That is why we designed this amendment in this way to demand this kind of action at this point in time.

I move amendment No. 14: In page 6, between lines 12 and 13, to insert the following: “State deemed to be rent pressure zone 5. The Principal Act is amended by the insertion of the following section after section 24BA: “24BB. With effect from the date section 10 of the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2021 comes into operation and notwithstanding anything to the contrary in section 24A, orders under section 24A(5) shall be deemed to have been made in respect of the administrative areas of every housing…

I will be brief in the interests of letting as many colleagues as possible in to discuss the amendments. I will speak on amendments Nos. 16, 19 and 23 in my name. Amendment No. 16 is drawn from the Bill I referred to earlier that was debated on Second Stage in the name of my colleague, Deputy Bacik. It seeks to strengthen protections for renters who are being evicted on the basis of renovations to a dwelling. Amendment No. 19 allows for existing Part 4 tenancies to become tenancies of indefinite duration, as provid…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this legislation. As I think the Minister of State pointed out, it is one of several interventions this Government and the previous one have sought to introduce to address issues we raise consistently, in this House and beyond, in respect of the enormous difficulties facing our society and our economy in the area of housing provision due to a lack of affordable housing, housing supply and high rental costs. Deputy Gould articulated it very well. He speaks for all of us, that is…

As the Minister knows, I spoke at length on this issue on Second Stage and I provided him with the wisdom of my experience as a former secretarial assistant back in the day. It was my first full-time job in politics so I have seen this system evolve over the last 20 years and it has not always evolved in a positive fashion. It has been nothing other than regressive for secretarial assistants. Deputy Bríd Smith hit on something relevant in her contribution which chimes with some of the remarks I made on Second Stage…

I thank the Minister for his positive contribution. Even in a short time he has travelled a considerable journey in terms of articulating that political signal and making it very clear that he wants that issue resolved in the interest of secretarial assistants and the sustainability and attractiveness of that employment. It is always a concern with public service negotiators that they may run the risk of creating some kind of precedent and getting themselves involved in a situation where an agreement with one secto…

Nervously.

Is this to do with the nature of our shoreline? The Irish seabed drops off quite significantly. It would be useful if the Minister of State put on the record of the House his considerations regarding Deputy Boyd Barrett’s amendment. Much of the time, I find myself going two thirds of the way with Deputy Boyd Barrett. That is probably illustrative of how broad the left spectrum is. I agree with him on some fronts but not on all. With two thirds of the points he makes, and two thirds of the content of his amendment, …

I heard the Minister of State clearly. The variable here seems to be sea depths. You cannot compare a proposition in Germany with a proposition in the Irish Sea. That is the variable. Am I right?