Denis Landy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Earlier, Senator O'Mahony spoke about passports. I agree that the situation is very serious.He put forward an idea on issuing reminders. One of the big problems with passports is that one has to send back one’s existing passport with an application for a new one. I recently encountered the case of a young girl who had to travel abroad for a year as part of her college education and consequently was not in a position to send back her passport. Despite this, she sent it back within the 21-day period by express post but she could not get it back. Therefore, if we are to propose changes concerning the passport system, there ought be a provision whereby a photocopy of the existing passport or document of that nature could be sent back rather than the full passport. It is a mess at present, including because of what is happening with Brexit. If we are to consider this, we need to overhaul the whole system.

A number of councils around the country brought to my attention the fact that the new tenant purchase scheme in some local authority areas contains a clause that does not allow a tenant to purchase the house if the local authority deems it to be under-occupied. If a mother and father in their 50s whose children have moved out want to buy the family home, they cannot do so in certain areas. Everybody likes to have his or her own home. In some local authority areas, tenants are being prevented from buying their home. This is unfair. I have never seen it before with a tenant purchase scheme.

I would like the matter to be brought to the attention of the Minister and for the relevant section of the new tenant purchase scheme to be amended to allow all tenants who meet all the other relevant criteria to be allowed to purchase their house without being told there are not enough people living in it to permit them to do so. Many tenants who were not able to afford to participate in a tenant purchase scheme in the past but whose circumstances have improved on getting employment would be prevented from buying the family home, and they would see it lost. The family house is the family home and it is where people like to meet and congregate. The arrangement needs to be changed where it is being implemented by local authorities.