Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I also welcome Senator Hackett to the House and wish her well. I congratulate the Irish women's hockey team who will go to Tokyo in 2020. They have done us proud.

On a sad note, I express my sympathies to the Byrne family. Gay Byrne was a national treasure and there is no doubt about it. He had a massive impact on all of our lives.

I want to raise an issue that came to my attention during the Halloween break. Home buyers are being charged extraordinary money to view homes. I have heard of people being charged up to €100 just to view of a house. According to the provider of the viewing, the money is only refundable if the applicant is successful in buying the house. This is illegal. The fact that it might be common practice alarms me. I cannot decide whether it is a sinister way to weed out those with less disposable money or a cash making opportunity. I encourage all of us to alert the public about their rights when it comes to viewing homes. I would love to hear what the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, has to say on the matter. Perhaps the Leader will bring the matter to his attention and revert with the reply.