Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Yes, I understand. I definitely heard the Deputy.

Deputy Conway-Walsh raised the issue of defects in apartments and the interim scheme and the longer one. I will send her a written note. In short, up to the end of March, 128 applications are being progressed under the interim funding across 26 local authority areas, representing more than 13,000 residential units. Approximately 80% of the units affected are located in the four Dublin local authority areas, but I am aware from reports that there have been difficulties with local authorities. My understanding is that the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, as recently as yesterday met representatives of the local authority fire service and the City and County Management Association to discuss the matter. I will get an update for the Deputy on how that meeting went.

On the full remedial works the Deputy also asked about, work is advancing to draft the required legislation which will include the scope, eligibility and conditions of the remediation scheme. It is expected the draft legislation will be published later this year and that the statutory scheme will be in place shortly after that. The Minister is working on the legislation. He sees it as a matter of priority and wants to ensure we get a scheme that is fit for purpose. I will send more detail to the Deputy in a note.

I thank Deputy Tóibín for providing me with the information on the trawl he did - for want of a better phrase - on vacant local authority homes in the county and the comparison between turnaround times for private and public properties. I will certainly familiarise myself with it. I can accept there would be some gap, but the difference the Deputy outlined is significant at a time when we urgently need more accommodation. I thank him for the constructive engagement on that. I will talk to the Minister for housing and come back to the Deputy in writing on the issue.

Deputy Cian O'Callaghan raised the need to regulate management companies and asked where we are with the Minister for Justice on the draft sections 18 and 19 of the Multi-Unit Developments Act, in fulfilment of the programme for Government commitment. I will speak with the Minister, get a timeline for the Deputy and come back to him, if that is okay.

Deputy Wynne raised the need for additional emergency accommodation in County Clare. Let me talk to the Minister, and through him to the local authority, to see what more we can do. She highlighted that some progress has been made, but not enough has been done on its composition.

I am not personally aware of the situation with IPAS raised by Deputy O'Sullivan. Government policy is to move away from reliance on the private market, although we have to be honest and upfront about the time that will take. I am not aware of the matter, but I will make myself aware of it. I will talk to the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and come back to the Deputy in writing.

Deputies Boyd Barrett and Paul Murphy raised the issue of homelessness and highlighted a number of cases, including that of Niamh and Anthony and their two children, Jennifer and her two children and a number of other cases. They said I could stand here and reel off facts and statistics and they asked me not to do that. However, behind those facts and statistics is progress being made on social housing. Last year, we saw more than 22,000 social homes at various stages of construction and 12,000 social homes being delivered through our local authorities and approved housing bodies. That was the largest level of delivery in many decades. You would have to go back to the 1970s to match that. We have also provided a land acquisition fund with an initial €125 million in funding to the Housing Agency because we want to provide solutions for Niamh, Anthony, Jennifer and crucially for children. In the monthly figures, we saw a very small drop in the number of children and families in emergency accommodation, but the figures are nowhere near where they need to be. That is why we will continue to look at all forms of different housing options, including an acceleration of social housing.

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