Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)

My party colleagues and I came into the House today with the intention of supporting this Bill in principle. However, the Minister's responses to amendments Nos. 1 and 2 have eroded any confidence we had in the Bill such that we cannot support it at this point in time. I am very concerned about the powers given to certain people to carry out inspections without any training or qualification whatever and the provision that the only means of redress is through the courts, with no grounds of appeal to the local authority regarding inspections carried out. As I said, my party colleagues and I had agreed to support this Bill in principle, depending on the answers we received from the Minister. I have asked the Minister whether he has accepted any of the amendments put forward by the Opposition but have received no reply. It is almost time to vote on the Bill in its entirety. We are being treated with contempt by the Minister and by the Government. Sinn Féin's position is that we cannot support the Bill as it stands.

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