Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

Yes, I understand we can get those figures for the Deputy, and it is a very high number. If a person receives a grant of €10,000 and uses it to pay for a service, the person who provides the service, and gets a payment of €10,000 or more, should produce a tax number. That seems to me to be fundamental. The Deputy's figure of 20% is correct and it is not satisfactory. In achieving 100% compliance, I do not want to put tenants in awkward situations. I will be working with the groups I mentioned to get us from where we are to where everyone would like us to be, without having tenants lose out. I will work with the various housing groups to ensure that we get there as speedily as possible. I will not suddenly take action without considering unintended consequences or discussing it with the groups I have mentioned. That is the proper way to proceed.

Many issues were raised during the debate. I look forward to the debate on Committee Stage when, I hope, we can go through many of the points raised in detail in the structured format of a committee stage debate. I will listen carefully to all suggestions. Despite belonging to different parties there is much agreement in principle as to where we are going, despite argument about how we go there. There is much more agreement in principle about where we would like to go and the shape of the society we would like to create than might be apparent from debates in the House.

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