Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)

I support Senator Coffey in this regard. It is an issue that has been well debated in many local authorities. I compliment the Minister of State on bringing this complex legislation through the House with great efficiency and with great attention to the debate in the House. He has introduced a degree of flexibility into the housing sector to allow people to move from sector to sector within local authority housing, whether they are homeless or are local authority tenants or have bought their own home.

Senator Coffey is referring to a degree of consistency. Some local authorities have interpreted this differently from others, as have some legal advisers to local authorities. There are differing opinions within the same local authority, whether they be town councils or county councils. He makes the point very well that in some cases people may be living in local authority houses for 30 or 40 years. The person who is the original tenant believes he or she can leave the house to the siblings or other members of the family. In some cases, there may be nobody living in the house but the people who were born, bred and reared in the house and brought up in that community feel they should be the people to get the house. This is where the notion of consistency comes into it because in some cases, local authorities have allowed the family members to keep the house or sell the house in other cases and there has been inconsistency. Some councils have taken hard-line decisions which have created difficulties and hardship. Will the Minister of State outline the position under this Bill? I hope there would be a degree of flexibility and consistency.