Mr. John McCarthy:

If the Deputy looks back in time to 2008, 2009 and 2010, there was a huge oversupply of vacant property in the country. I can recall at the time some commentaries around suggestions that large blocks of accommodation might have to be knocked because there would never be anybody to occupy them. There was a massive shrink in resources and we had to try to match the shrunken pool of resources with the availability of resources and that is how leasing and arrangements of that kind came into effect. HAP is a structured programme to reflect the fact that rent supplement turned into something it was never designed to be. This brings responsibility for all long-term housing needs under the roof of the local authority in a single place.