John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

I agree with Senator Browne's point on the Child Care (Amendment) Bill. He is right to oppose the Order of Business. The Bill will be significantly amended in the other House and it is not right that we are expected to rubber stamp it here today without fully discussing amendments to be made later.

I am concerned about the plight of middle-aged and elderly men in the countryside who often find themselves with significant housing problems and live in prefabricated buildings. I have been presented with a number of cases in Kilkenny recently and know of cases in other counties in which these people are given lowest priority in the local authority housing strategy. Many live in deplorable conditions. It is unacceptable that this continues to be the case. Will the Acting Leader invite the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, with responsibility for housing, to the House to explain what action the Government and local authorities intend to take to ensure that these people are better looked after?