David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Senator Horkan is dealing with that but why does he not speak out about our issues? Why do Senators not have some guts and talk about it? One will not get many energetic, brilliant young minds into politics if one continues to pay them dirt.

The 10,000 homeless figure is appalling. I listened to Sister Stanislaus Kennedy who said there was a failure. There was an amendment introduced in the Dáil at the behest of her organisation which would protect people in a situation, for example, where somebody was a tenant in an apartment and the apartment was sold over that person's heads, following which that person could be immediately evicted. That is appalling. We heard all this stuff about 1916, the great leaders and so on but how is it tolerable in an Irish Republic in the 21st century for people to be evicted? When it was 5,000 not so long ago, I warned that it would soon be 10,000, then 15,000, then 20,000. The Government was incapable of dealing with 5,000 homeless. How on earth will it deal with 10,000? There is a Bill in my name on the Order Paper of this House which would deal with this situation and get rid of the vulture funds. I hope in the first weeks of the new term, when we get back after Easter, that we can address this issue.

Finally, I understand that the Committee on Procedure and Privileges will discuss some time in the future my suggestion that we remove Standing Order 41, which prohibits Members from putting down amendments which create a charge on the Exchequer. This was Mr. de Valera really trying to keep the Seanad as weak as possible. We should stand up to it and fight for ourselves. This only allows discussion. Surely Seanad Éireann is about discussion. We are always talking about reform of the Seanad and not a damn thing has happened. This is one way in which we ourselves are responsible and can take action to ensure that the proper debate on economic subjects is allowed. The Government can reverse it in this House or the other House, but we should allow for discussion. If this is not changed, every time a Member stands up in this House and complains - Members from all sides and from all parties and none complain about this measure - having done nothing about it, I will publicly shame him or her.