John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Mr. O'Sullivan might let me finish the point. There is new legislation and a new system. Mr. O'Sullivan's interpretation differs from mine in terms of what is and what is not new and we should wait in that respect. We should all examine issues such as arrears and the reason it is the case that arrears are being written off in some local authorities and not in others. As I said to Mr. O'Sullivan, it is an arbitrary and subjective decision by officials in many cases. It is being done piecemeal. I cannot believe that in some cases the Department does not have an answer to the question of whether there is a manual or there are rules and regulations with regard to writing something off.