Larry Butler (Fianna Fail)

I support my colleagues who have called on local authorities to encourage tenants to become involved in policing boards. It is a great opportunity for Members of the Oireachtas and local authority members to get involved with local community policing. It is a step in the right direction and is probably long overdue. We have an opportunity to ensure tenants are properly vetted when local authorities put them into a property. Tenants must have a responsibility to their neighbours. We all know that a few people have caused mayhem over the years in different estates, but that is not acceptable. As Senator Glynn said, it is vitally important to have a properly structured debate on that issue which affects many people.

I concur with Senators who raised the matter of energy costs and we must examine how we can drive those costs down. Senator O'Toole is right but he did not mention that the cost of labour in the ESB is the highest in Europe.