David Norris (Independent)

Senators Coffey and Buttimer are correct that it is a question of definition. I strongly support the intention of the amendment and believe the Minister does also. I heard him on the radio deploring the fact that what he had regarded as a positive engagement with the Seanad and his preparedness to accept amendments was, to a certain extent, turned into a political football. He was accused of U-turns and so forth. This kind of commentary is unnecessary and I am glad it did not happen in Seanad Éireann. The other House conducts its business according to its own rules. The Seanad wants to be as constructive as possible.

Granny flats are a comparatively recent phenomenon. My saying "recent" is a function of my age. Granny flats have featured in the past 30 or 40 years but were never heard of when I was really young. I have seen examples all over the place, including very luxurious accommodation attaching itself to dwellings in the Ailesbury Road area, with which I am glad to say I was once familiar. The scent of mown hay or grass in a well-cultivated front garden in the suburbs on evenings such as these causes a kind of Proustian flashback. Granny flats range from those kinds of luxurious accommodations to others in more humble areas of the city or less refined suburbs, where I have also lived. They were basically converted garages.

The phenomenon of having granny flats was socially very positive because it held the generations together and meant that elderly parents, rather than going into a nursing home, could be afforded the comfort of proximity to their relatives. They had a degree of independence, which is so important psychologically in every way. At the same time, they benefited from the care of, and a relationship with, their children and, perhaps, grandchildren. This is socially very constructive.

The difficultly with the amendment is that it is not focused sufficiently. Will this Bill be returning to the Dáil?