Niall Feiritear
An Irish politician has called for officials to find a way to shut down debate which local authorities consider to be 'divisive'.
The statement was made during a heated Fingal County Council debate in Dublin over a request for data related to social housing this week.
Councillor Patrick Quinlan of the National Party had requested the release of figures relating to the number of foreign nationals currently on the Irish local authority's social housing waiting list.
"I asked this as a question originally and was given the answer that 'we have the information, people tick a box on their application form, it's just it would take the Council too long to collate that information," he said.
"It's a motion I am putting down here today, this is one of the main things that my constituents are looking for an answer to.
"Cllr Denison asked was given an answer (in 2011) that it was 51pc of Fingal County Council social housing list was foreign national and it's a bit of a gap for an update. I am asking for an update on that figure."
The responses from the other Councillors in the chamber was emphatic. Nobody wanted the public having access to the data.
Cllr John Burchaell of People Before Profit stated "I am opposed to this motion, I am glad the council didn't answer it."
Whilst Cllr Angela Donnelly of Sinn Fein said "I would be upset if the council even had that information, because I see it as a total irrelevance, same way as wanting to know people's age or religion, all of it is totally irrelevant to the work we do here in this council."
Cllr Dean Mulligan, Independents for change agreed, "Yeah, I also oppose the motion," he said.
Cllr John Walsh of the Labour Party also did not want the public gaining access to the information.
"I am also opposed, I think it is pointless, irrelevant," he said.
Independent Cllr Jimmy Guerin for Howth-Malahide then stated his belief that such conversations should not even be allowed in future.
"I do think we should have some way of ensuring that people aren't given time to be divisive and to create division. I find it offensive that we even debate it," he added.
"It's a very simple question, we have the information, it's whether or not the Councillors want to make it available to the public," replied Cllr Quinlan.
"Unless we know what the demand is coming from foreign nationals, we are just going to concrete over the country and the county, just to build houses for people who have not even arrived here yet.
"Houses are being built and there is people on the social housing list in excess of 15 years, Unless we are willing to be transparent, if this information can be collated, it should be given to the public for their determination, not ours."
"Houses are being built for people that have not even arrived here yet. It's information, why are we afraid to collate it? It's just information. It's a question I have got asked quite a lot over the last five years in the constituency. The question was denied.
"People want the data, people want the answer to these types of questions. That's what I am here to do, to ask these types of questions," Cllr Quinlan concluded.
28 members of the chamber voted against the motion, with one in favour, thus denying the public access to information.
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