It is estimated that there are approximately 700 voluntary housing bodies in the country, of which 282 are registered with the Irish Council for Social Housing. Last September, the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, introduced a voluntary code of regulation for the sector, but the uptake has been poor. Regulation is required to ensure those involved carry out their functions properly under a system of governance and provide proper services to the tenants of social housing.

Out of courtesy to Senator Landy, only he should be speaking.

The voluntary code has been in place for almost nine months. It is not working. Will the Leader ask the Minister of State to review the voluntary code and, if necessary, introduce legislation requiring all approved housing bodies to register? In this way, they could be assessed and overseen by a regulatory body and we could ensure tenants receive proper services, for example, repairs, maintenance, etc.