David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thought I was being corrected on a matter of fact, but I think I am correct in stating it was Fianna Fáil that built the estates in Crumlin and Drimnagh.

Senator Lawlor is from Naas and does not know what he is talking about. People should be housed, entitled to rely on a home and facilitated in that regard by the State. I am not entirely sure about inserting a requirement into the Constitution that every citizen is entitled to a home. That would bring about unnecessary legal complications and I am not sure it is the case.

There is still a lot of land hoarding and remarkably local authorities are among the chief culprits as they are sitting on enormous quantities of land. Why do they not use it? They know that there is a housing crisis, what is required and the history and track record in this area. Why do they not get up off their backsides and do it?

I think a bit of massaging is taking place with the homeless figures. I remember speaking in this House when the number of homeless people was about 2,000. I asked what would happen when it went up to 3,000, 4,000, 5,000, 6,000, 7,000 or even 10,000 and was laughed out of it. It is 10,000.

I do not know the ins and outs of what happens at senior level of the Judiciary and so on. I know that it is unwise and wrong for a politician to speak in detail about judicial appointments, despite the best, or worst, of intentions of my former colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, but I was very sad to see the restrictions placed on the Master of the High Court, Mr. Edmund Honohan, such that he is no longer allowed to hear cases involving distressed mortgages and so on. That is shocking and I question why it has happened. The people of Ireland should be entitled to hear the reason Mr. Honohan is being prevented from hearing these cases because he was one of the very few friends people with distressed mortgages had. So what if he interpreted the law leniently in favour of those with distressed mortgages? There are plenty of people who are prepared to look favourably on the banks, including various Governments that put the country in jeopardy financially by rescuing the European banks on the instructions of Mr. Trichet. It is a poor day for justice when a gentlemen of Mr. Honohan's standard is prevented from taking cases precisely because he takes a humane view. We need much more of a humane view to be taken in such cases.