Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is funny that I wish to discuss exactly the same issue. I still hold my belief that we do not need to soften the mortgage market but I take on board the suggestion that we would be able to insure 10%. However, I ask the Leader to set aside time to debate the private rental market because unless we control the rental market, as the mortgage market becomes tighter, rents will only go up. We have heard calls for the Department of Social Protection to increase rent allowance, which I fully support, but I do not support the rental allowance being increased merely to give more profit to landlords. We are trying to strike a very difficult balance and we should take great care with that.
The issue of Fampyra was raised by Senator Darragh O'Brien, on which I submitted a matter for the Adjournment today. If we are to have a debate on it, we should invite the drug company to attend, along with sufferers of MS. Given that this drug is capable of providing huge relief to MS sufferers, but only works in a maximum of 50% of cases, I would like joint responsibility between the drug company and the HSE in the early stage while this drug is being prescribed. I ask that we hold this matter for an Adjournment debate at a later stage to give us time to get the drug company and MS sufferers in here. This is a three-way partnership.
I support the call for a debate on technological universities per seand not just in the south east.