Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)

I call on the Leader to request the Minister for Agriculture and Food to personally intervene in the current difficulties within his Department where clerical personnel yesterday received notice by e-mail that they had been taken off the payroll. If industrial relations within Departments have descended to that level, there will be serious consequences. Many farmers have great difficulty communicating their problems and this is stifling progress in respect of many applications and the movement of animals, including some with diseases. Certain individuals have been waiting two years for a response to their claims from the Department officials.

I read in today's edition of The Irish Times that one individual received approximately €1.6 million for the provision of bed and breakfast accommodation for homeless people in Dublin. That equates to approximately €160 per bed per night. The Minister with responsibility for housing should come before the House as a matter of urgency to discuss this matter. The fact that the agency provides such funding to one individual indicates that something is seriously wrong and that the response to the needs of the homeless is out of control.