Kathryn Reilly (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

In page 6, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following:“ “authorised advocate” means an elected public representative, social worker, medical or legal professional or a representative of a tenants or housing rights body recognised by the local authority;”.

These amendments seek to put in place a system whereby local authority tenants will be able to ask a recognised advocate to attend engagements with themselves and the local authority. It will mean the council cannot refuse to allow the advocate to attend and should, in so far as reasonable, engage with the advocate. If an advocate is not present, the council should have no responsibility to provide one, as it should be at the sole discretion of the tenant. This is important given that many tenants find these engagements stressful, feeling ill-equipped and ill-informed about the details of their rights. As public representatives, we all have seen cases where people need advocates across a range of public services. Numeracy and literacy problems for local authority tenants are also an issue with which these advocates could deal.
I hope the Minister of State will consider these amendments.