Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Might we have a formal response from the Central Bank on this issue? I can tell the witnesses that before they came in we were getting notice of delays from certain other Departments. I hope we do not have to ask for a special extra meeting to get this information. It is not in any of our interests.

I have another question. Everyone is aware of the recently announced Government strategy on social housing, and that there is a provision in this for funds to be sourced from credit unions. I understand the president of the Irish League of Credit Unions, ILCU, has welcomed this proposal. The ICLU reckons the credit union movement could provide between €500 million and €1 billion for social housing. I would be interested to know the Central Bank's reaction to this and whether it sees it as a viable proposition. It would be only one aspect of sorting out the housing problem, but it would be a useful addition in this whole area.