Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

I balance it by saying I am not sure that if Senator Quinnn had an apartment, he would like to see Senator Coffey's undergarments hanging on the line.

I am not sure I agree with Senator Bacik that it is good for people to have their washing hanging on the balcony of their apartment block. I have seen such apartment blocks on the Continent and sometimes the practice gives them an unsightly appearance. What the Senator is seeking to do in the amendment would probably be better achieved through the proper design of apartment blocks, thereby ensuring there were locations where people could air dry their laundry which we would all like to encourage as much as possible. The point made about restrictive covenants in leases applies. It is academic what provision one may or may not want to insert in house rules because it is probably already restricted and prohibited by covenants in the lease. Where would one stop in this regard? We have heard about the requirement regarding wooden floors, the restrictions regarding the keeping of dogs, cats and other animals. It is best left to the people living in apartment blocks and those who are part of the management company to determine the house rules to suit their own requirements, subject to the restrictions laid down in the lease under which they took on the properties.