Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I promise the Chairperson I will be very brief. I hope I am explaining myself correctly because I am very interested in knowing what these gentlemen think is a solution to this problem. I will finish the analogy I was giving of the person who owns a property, has been asked to do this list of work, and turns around to say he or she cannot afford to do it. That person will be laughed at, ridiculed and prosecuted for that. The local authority, however, which is the owner of a local authority house, can write a letter to a politician stating that he or she made representations on behalf of Mrs. Murphy and this work needs to be done to her house, but it does not have the funds to do it. In other words, Mrs. Murphy will not get her stove, will not get her back door repaired and will not have the broken window fixed. It is a case of we are very sorry, but tough luck. That is ridiculous.

The gentlemen present are far smarter about this matter than I am. However, am I not right in saying, if we study everything and do the basic sums - even if a Deputy comes along, stands up in the Dáil and ridicules, bad-mouths or tries to say the people who own property are doing something wrong - that what landlords are doing is providing accommodation that, otherwise, if it is put up for sale, will be bought by the private market and will not be rented again? The State is paying to-----