Ms Fiona Quinn:

I can see a strong theme running through the points the Deputy has raised. My colleague, Mr. Allen, and I are on the corporate side of the Department so we might not be able to answer the specific detail of some of the issues raised by the Deputy. I can reassure the Deputy about the relationship between the Department, local authorities and Irish Water. It is a key priority. The Irish Water reform programme will continue in the years ahead. That will become even more important and will absolutely be reflected in the strategy statement.

To make a general point that the Deputy will be familiar with, the programme for Government outlines over 200 actions for this Department to implement during the lifetime of the Government. Some of those actions will address many of the issues that the Deputy has raised. There is a continued focus on Housing First, which recognises the holistic support that people need, particularly on the mental health issue. The disability funding schemes that we run are also called out and will be reflected in the statement of strategy.

From the Department's perspective, we have a role as data controllers under GDPR. We have a role whereby we are joint controllers with local authorities. That arises in respect of many of our housing schemes in particular, as the Deputy can imagine, and we must ensure that the GDPR requirements are implemented. From all of our perspectives, even though it has been in place for a couple of years now, it is still a relatively new requirement and many things are still bedding down. It is important that we recognise our responsibilities in that regard.