The House will be aware of the controversy arising from the tapping of the telephones of journalists, supposedly in the national interest. Those of us who follow American television programmes will be aware of the term "in the interest of national security". I am a great fan of the series "The Good Wife" which tells the story of a political family in Chicago which is dealing with the courts. The issue of the national interest comes up regularly. In this context and with regard to the recent controversy involving GSOC, I can refer to what I can only describe as the Taoiseach's crocodile tears, a term used by Dearbhail McDonald in the Irish Independent. I commend the article to the Members on the Government side because she states that, effectively, that is all the Taoiseach is doing. The Government is operating under a law, the Communications (Retention of Data) Act 2011, which is a direct implementation of an EU directive that has subsequently been shot down by the European Court. That raises questions. The idea that there be an independent review is kicking the can down the road, as the Fianna Fáil spokesperson on Justice and Equality said earlier today in the other House. I ask the Leader to convey to the Government the fact that a Fianna Fáil Bill being introduced in the Dáil will effectively provide for oversight in this area in order that any attempt to tap a person's telephone, not just of journalists but of private citizens, would have go before a court. In the television programme I mentioned, when the US Government is trying to invoke national security, it must go through the court procedure, because there must be independent judicial oversight. That is what the Fianna Fáil Bill is about. If the Government has the will to protect the basics of democracy, journalist's sources and so on, as it states in its flaky talk, it can take on board the simple solution we have put forward. The idea that we are running out of time is totally unacceptable. I do not believe it is true. If a Government wants to get legislation through the Oireachtas, it will get it through in its own way as it has the majority.

I cannot sit down without commenting on the television programmes on the homeless crisis. What is extraordinary is that, in spite of all of the criticism of the previous Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government, more money was spent in dealing with homelessness in 2008 that the Government has spent in five years. That is a shocking indictment of the Government's lack of compassion and humanity for the more than 800 families and 1,500 children who find themselves homeless, with the most recent revelation of 100 complaints to the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive about the standard of accommodation provided. One would not let pigs live in some of the environments in which poor homeless people are living. It is past time, going into an election, the Government acted on this issue.