Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I strongly support the call by Senator Feargal Quinn that we ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to take up the issue of the totally unacceptable, barbaric and appalling situation in Iran where significant numbers of people are being executed. I thought that there was a more humane environment in most parts of the world but there is a most appalling situation in Iran which must be addressed.

I ask the Leader to organise for the Minister of State with responsibility for housing and planning to come to the House to discuss the issue of social housing. It is welcome that NAMA has made available a total of 339 social housing units to date and identified up to 4,000 units, in 1,500 of which local authorities have confirmed an interest. The numbers on social housing waiting lists in all local authority areas are at crisis point. It is, therefore, necessary for us to have a full and frank debate with the Minister of State on how we can speed up the making available of the many houses lying idle throughout the country, some of them in housing estates but many others are one-off houses in rural Ireland. I would appreciate it if the Leader organised for the Minister of State to come to the House to discuss the issue.