Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree with Senator Frank Feighan's comments on the desecration of the grave of Mr. Éamon de Valera which should be condemned by every right-thinking person. It follows the damage inflicted on the grave of Mr. W. T. Cosgrave in Inchicore last year. This year marks the 100th anniversary of a pivotal event in Irish history when Mr. Éamon de Valera, in particular, had his finest hour - his first major electoral success in a by-election in County Clare. He was subsequently elected leader of the Irish Volunteers and Sinn Féin. That the graves of two fine men were desecrated is appalling. I ask the Government to focus on their importance and the wonderful confluence of national interests 100 years ago, long before there were divisions or splits. It was a wonderful time, with the emergence of a national consensus led by wonderful people.

Will the Leader ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Simon Coveney, to address the entitlement to public housing of persons in receipt of rent allowance? I refer, in particular, to the rental accommodation scheme, under which persons in receipt of long-term support may qualify for private rental accommodation for which the local authority will pay for a period of time. The local authority will enter into a contract with the landlord on behalf of the tenant. It is a great scheme which has been operating very successfully all over the country. However, there are differences in interpretation of the scheme across counties. In some counties the interpretation is that once a person is housed under the rental accommodation scheme, he or she will automatically come off the local authority's housing waiting list. This is a serious anomaly. Most people would like to have the security of having their own home. For example, I know of a single mother with three children who has been living in rented accommodation for a long time. She needs a bigger house and wants to move back onto the housing waiting list. She would then be prioritised, but in some counties this is not allowed to happen. Will the Leader ask the Minister to examine the issue?