Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

A number of similar amendments are grouped together. I support Senator Moynihan's amendment. She has offered a useful and pragmatic insight into how housing, family units and support structures work and was one of the key champions of the bubbling mechanism which has been taken on board. She has form for offering useful proposals.

My amendments Nos. 7 and 9 are being discussed in this grouping. They are a more modest version of Senator Moynihan's proposal in that they specifically try to address the question of the 20 km restriction. There is a strong likelihood that, even if we move to level 3 after this, we will be in level 3 plus. As we have seen, we tend to have an ad hocapproach involving adding different measures as required. There will be concern going into Christmas when, unless cases have really substantially reduced, the Government will not want people doing large amounts of travel, yet people will still want to travel to close family.

I want to provide for the event that the Government moves to restrictions on travel outside a 20 km radius. Looking to rural Ireland, accommodation options can be limited within a 20 km limit. The other invisible supports we have had for people who are between housing in Ireland include couch-surfing, staying with a friend or crashing with a family. All such measures are restricted by the other household restrictions in place. Many informal things people have done when moving out of one housing situation and having not yet found another are not available. I urge the Minister to accept Senator Moynihan's amendment. I also support amendment No. 3, which is being discussed in this section, in relation to the extension of six months.