Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)

As the Minister of State said on a previous occasion, this is legislation in motion, so to speak. We could introduce an amendment on Report Stage to address that issue. The Bill has to come back before this House anyway because many amendments, both Government and Opposition, have been accepted in the House.

If it is not the Minister of State's intention to include it in this Bill, when does he envisage further legislation being brought forward and how does he intend bringing that before the House? If he does that, will this be the end of bed-sits as we know them? We all know of Georgian houses in Dublin that are divided into individual bed-sits. In terms of this legislation, what is the difference between a bed-sit and a one bedroom apartment? The Minister of State is doing away with the bed-sit under this legislation. Is it his intention to do away with the one bedroom apartment or what is the difference in terms of what will be included in the Bill?

Will people currently renting bed-sits come under the new environment rules on heating and so on? Will tenants be required to leave them? What will be the position in regard to those bed-sits? Many of them do not come up to the new building regulation standards brought forward by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Will there be a lead-in time in that regard or how does the Minister of State see that being brought about?