Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)

The intention was not for this to reflect badly on the House in any way. If anything, the intention was to reflect favourably on the House by initiating the legislation here, as somebody who spent 14 years in this House. Senators will have an opportunity to debate every part of the Bill because as they are aware, a Bill must come back to the House in which it is initiated.

We are all aware that Government amendments, or any other amendments, can be brought forward at any time. It is important to remember that this Bill was published in advance of the homeless strategy but one other piece of the jigsaw, namely, the implementation plan for the homeless strategy, has yet to be finally agreed. As I put it to the House earlier, we will have a half-day gathering with the stakeholders to finalise our discussions in advance of the implementation plan which I expect to have published before the end of the year and then put on a statutory basis. Members of this House will have an opportunity to deal with it on that basis. The Lower House will deal with this matter after this House has dealt with it but as Members are aware, it can come back to this House if amendments arise at a later stage.

To hold back the Bill would not be in the best interests of the implementation of the homeless strategy or of the many provisions in this legislation, including the incremental loans scheme and other ones. This is a broad-ranging Bill and there is a great opportunity for both Houses to debate it. Following clearance from the Attorney General's office more amendments will be tabled. We are responding to a public need. I refer in particular to the strategy. We do not need the Attorney General's clearance on that but we need it on the area dealing with the sale of flats. I cannot bring legislation into this House that has not been cleared by the Attorney General's office. That would be foolhardy as it would be thrown out in some other forum. This House is being given priority in having the legislation initiated here.