Brendan Ryan (Dublin Fingal, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I wish to mention two elements. The traditional approach is such that all members believe they have to ask a question of those who appear before them at committee meetings. There are 14 of us present and we all feel we have to question witnesses on the business of the day. The challenge for the Chairman, in thinking about this over the coming days before we meet again, is how can get to a point where, as a committee, we can work together to find solutions in practical ways rather than just going through the motions of asking questions of witnesses and trying to ask the smartest question. We are charged with finding solutions to problems over a short period. On that note, I question the value of wheeling in people who are homeless. We can bring in representatives of the homeless. We can all trust one another well enough. We are all practitioners, we all meet the people on the ground and we all understand the problems. We have all seen the faces of people who are experiencing a crisis. If the purpose of bringing them in is just to broadcast to the public, it is of questionable value. I seriously ask that we think again about this element.