Joanna Tuffy (Labour)

I support Senator Finucane's comments on the housing crisis we face. I recently listened to Professor PJ Drudy speaking on the radio about this issue. We all know the year on year rise in house prices is unsustainable. We have been listening to the vested interests, such as auctioneers, developers and right-wing economists, telling us the prices will reach equilibrium. That will not happen. There will be either a soft or hard landing and we must ensure it is a soft one. What happened to the report of the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution on property rights? I am a member of that committee and that document contains proposals to deal with this issue. It was announced at the time with great fanfare by the Taoiseach. That report has not been implemented and the issues raised in it have not been addressed. They should be addressed as a matter of urgency. If not, we could face a situation of negative equity, and we must ensure that does not happen to present and future homeowners. Housing is a right and it should not be left to the private market to deal with people's right to a roof over their heads. I support calls to have this issue debated in the House.

I welcome the campaign by Treoir, which represents unmarried parents. The campaign, funded by the Family Support Agency, is about the importance of children having contact with both parents and raises the issue that many children are born without the right to know and have contact with their fathers because their parents are not married. This concerns the rights of the child. It is important that the child, if possible, has contact with both parents. I support the campaign and we should debate the matter in the House. Unmarried fathers do not have automatic guardianship rights to their children. They can get those rights only if the mother gives permission or by going to court. Many other countries have addressed this and extended rights of unmarried fathers to guardianship rights. We must introduce that type of legislation here as a matter of urgency.