Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)

I welcome overall the changes that have been made in the Seanad. In this House, we tried to broaden the representation to an extent greater than that to which the Minister has finally agreed. We would have liked more representation from residents' groups and other groups working in the area, but I acknowledge that the Minister has come some way to meet the concerns of the Opposition.

Will the Minister of State clarify that these provisions entail residents' associations and tenants' associations in the Grangegorman neighbourhood for the agency election, but that a wider group may register as interested groups for the consultative group election where there will be two such representatives? If the Minister of State could clarify that, everything else in the other amendments follows from that matter arising in amendments Nos. 7 and 8.

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