John Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State back to the House for the Second Stage debate on this Bill. This is one of the most exciting and reforming Bills we have had before the House in some time. It is an extensive body of work.I thank the officials who have worked extensively on the legislation. I am a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage which, as the Minister of State said, engaged in a significant body of pre-legislative scrutiny on the Bill. We had witnesses from academia, political scientists, political parties and social media platforms. Unfortunately, I have to say that not all political parties co-operated with the committee when we invited in their general secretaries.