Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 31 January 2018

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government

Role of Chairperson of Housing Agency and Related Matters: Discussion

1:30 pm

Mr. Conor Skehan:

I thank the Senator for the opportunity to clarify those points because this is, indeed, the essence of the issue as to what I did or did not say. To get to the heart of the matter and to address the extent to which people said to the Senator that what I said was objectionable, hurtful or insulting, if he reads what I actually said, he will note that I said there "may" be an issue and that it "should be investigated". At the risk of false flattery, I will continually draw the Senator's attention to the wisdom he is continually told about in this committee by Deputy Ó Broin concerning the importance of having policy based on evidence, the avoidance of anecdote and the avoidance of emotion. Am I correct in my paraphrasing? The importance of doing what I describe rests on a systematic analysis of whether practices that are reputed by many people to be taking place are, in fact, true. If I am arriving at this committee, I am doing so to say to members that one of the really important pieces of work they must do is to find out whether these things are true. As the Senator said, I have been extremely careful in my words. I was extremely careful not to say that these things are happening but that they may be happening and should be investigated.

To take it further, I draw the Senator's attention to the following two statements that appeared at the same time. The first reads:

There may well be a small proportion of people 'gaming' the system, but there have been chancers since time began. Look at insurance fraud, for instance. But if it is happening, I'm certain it's at a tiny proportion.

The second reads:

No matter what system you have, whether it's a social welfare system or a tax system or a housing system, some people will try to scam the system. That's just a reality. I'm absolutely sure there are some families who are declaring themselves homeless when they may not actually be homeless in order to jump the queue. But that's a tiny, tiny percentage of those families who are actually declaring themselves homeless.

The first of those remarks is by Mr. David Hall, director of the Irish Mortgage Holders Organisation, as reported in the Irish Independent. I will provide the committee with the specific reference to that article. The second comment, on people who are trying to scam the system, is by Fr. Peter McVerry. These are exactly the same pieces of advice that I provided when I said this may be happening, that people may be doing this, and that if it is happening it should be investigated. Those are the actual words. I know this is a busy committee so I will not be tedious and read the article out to the members. It is extremely important, however, that we understand that this is the context. Does that answer the Senator's question on what I actually said?

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.