Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I believe a blanket provision to permit local authority tenants to have an authorised delegate in all their dealings with the local authority would hinder and delay the normal process of landlord and tenant communications that tenants are generally well able to handle themselves. Housing authorities engage with third parties speaking on behalf of tenants who clearly need assistance in this regard. Extending the practice across the board would formalise tenants’ dealings with housing authorities unduly and depersonalise communications between them to the detriment of the landlord-tenant relationship.

I agree housing authorities need to have good communication with their tenants. In that context, it is much better that, in those cases where local authority tenants clearly need support in their dealings with their landlord, the housing authority intensifies its efforts to communicate effectively with those tenants and persons who are speaking on their behalf.

I will consider whether it might be necessary to issue guidance to housing authorities in this regard but I cannot accept the amendments proposed. I am concerned that if it is included in the legislation as the norm everybody will feel they must have somebody with them. Most people in the House know tenants frequently have an opportunity to speak to housing officials, and generally this is well-facilitated by local authorities. The amendment would unnecessarily formalise it and some tenants may feel they would have to have somebody with them. This would probably make it less easy to arrange meetings for tenants who wish to speak to a housing authority.