Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)

I appreciate the Senator's concern to ensure that there are timely assessments of need. However, this is adequately covered by section 20 which deals with individual assessments and section 21, which deals with the summary of assessments. My intention is to have more regular reporting on summary of assessments of needs. The whole intention of changing the current regime is to provide more timely assessments, both for the individual and in relation to the summaries which are required for planning purposes.

Subsection (7) empowers the Minister to make regulations to set out how an individual assessment of housing need would be carried out on a household including, under paragraph (d), the frequency of reviewing and updating assessments. The amendment is not necessary and I would ask the Senators to withdraw it.