David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We have just dealt with RTÉ issues. The non-attendance is an act of bad faith and it is not good enough to just furnish us with information. We want to examine the issue of housing and one of the biggest issues is the relationship between the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government and local authorities. That is one of the obvious links, and especially in an environment where Ministers and the Department have put some of the blame and responsibility on local authorities for maybe not moving quickly enough or not being ambitious enough in terms of their own plans. I refer, for example, to local authorities not using the money that the Department claims is available. The public servants not have done themselves any favours by not coming here. They have said they will furnish information but their non-attendance here feels like a slap in the face for this committee.