Nicky McFadden (Fine Gael)

I acknowledge the comments of my colleagues. This is a very good Bill, but there should be a statutory definition of homelessness and it is a pity there is no mention of homelessness in it, given there are so many homeless people. I understand more than 5,000 people are in this position. People are moving from the house of one relative to another, carrying their belongings in a refuse bag and sleeping on couches. The Minister of State opened a very good refuge in Mullingar last week. The people in that refuge are homeless and they have nowhere to go. These people need to have their rights defined clearly by this Bill so I ask the Minister of State to accept this amendment.