Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I wish to add my support for this amendment. I do not see any reason the Government should refuse it. Sometimes when we are dealing with amendments, the default position of the Government seems to be "No", even when they are very sensible amendments. That default response should not apply to this sensible amendment.

In Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, the local authority does not generally resist any representation by me, other local representatives or other advocates. Many of the officials see the benefit of this because, for example, there are often issues of trust between the tenants and the local authority. It is important for these tenants to have a person they trust with them who can interpret what is being said and provide clarity in these often complex discussions about tenancies. For example, I am dealing with a case currently about succession of tenancy, which is labyrinthine in its complexity. The tenant feels he is being done over, but I do not believe the local authority is doing that. It is just that the case is complex. Having somebody there who can act as an independent reporter on events and who can clarify and interpret matters for the tenant can be helpful in trying to resolve the issues for all sides.

Often there are huge issues of illiteracy, where people are just not able to read the forms or understand the complexity of the process, which is often bureaucratic. People need help in such cases. Another important reason for this amendment is that there are often disputes about what has been said in the aftermath of meetings, with people making claims and counter claims. Therefore, it is helpful if somebody has attended independently and has taken notes and can confirm what was said. I do not see what the problem is with this or why the Minister of State might refuse it. The amendment is eminently sensible. It does not make the provision of an advocate compulsory, but requires that it be agreed if the tenant feels he needs this support. In many cases they do need it. I appeal to the Minister of State to accept the amendment.

See this speech in context