Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

What is the present position regarding the housing (miscellaneous provisions) Bill, an urgent Bill as it deals with social housing and such new arrangements which might allow for the provision of same? There are also two conventions about which I have asked before. One is the UN Convention on Disability and I ask the Taoiseach to indicate whether that it will be ratified by Ireland in the coming year. The second is the UN Convention against Corruption which was promised in the Government's White Paper on development and in the programme for Government but shows little likelihood of being passed. I ask about that convention regularly. I ask about the housing (miscellaneous provisions) Bill because of the urgency of the discussion regarding social housing and the two UN conventions, one on disability, which is urgent and is being actively sought by the Disability Federation and the other on corruption.

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