Ms Rose Wall:

To add to what Ms Heavey said, and to the comments of our colleagues in Focus Ireland, because there is no appeals system within the local authorities, we frequently see in our housing advice service that people's only option is to come to a service like ours to seek to appeal a decision. This is not satisfactory. We are a small organisation. There are other organisations like ours that are also small. It is not the way this system should be working. There should be an independent appeals mechanism that conforms to the principles of natural and constitutional justice. Introducing the kind of rules proposed in this general scheme will only add to the complexity of decision-making and increase the need for an independent appeals mechanism.

Turning to the second question, before I pass over to my colleagues, around who might be currently entitled in the current context and might become disentitled under the proposed general scheme of the Bill, if we look at what is required under the general scheme in terms of lawful residence, reckonable residence and habitual residence, it is certainly conceivable that there are people now receiving social housing support, most likely a housing assistance payment, who will become disentitled to that payment. I am not sure how that will happen under the scheme, whether people will be written to and have to prove their eligibility, for example, or by other means, but this will happen. People will then be moved from social housing supports into emergency accommodation and, potentially, rough sleeping.