David Norris (Independent)

That is most helpful and I thank the Acting Chairman. It was worth hanging around, since he did not mention my amendment No. 27 and I presume it is all right. One could sustain an argument that anything would create a charge on the Exchequer. We have just dealt with Senator Fitzgerald's amendment, which referred to publishing a report. While that might not have cost much, it would certainly have incurred a charge on the Exchequer. How absurd is this type of situation? I thank the Acting Chairman for informing the House that one other amendment has been ruled out of order, which is something we were not told. The rules of the House need to be examined substantially. It would be absurd to be able to cause a report to be made on a particular subject without being able to table an amendment on it, yet we can ask for a report on these situations.

The nub of the matter is the question of services provided to homeless children. They must be appropriate. Senior members of the Judiciary have castigated the Oireachtas for allowing a situation in which children were placed in inappropriate accommodation. This is not a reflection on the Minister of State or his advisers, as the situation has been the tradition for many years. Was it Judge Hubert Wine who-----