Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In regard to timescales, when people come with a tender or a tender is awarded there is a timeline in the contract as to when they must be completed and be handed over to the local authority or whoever is taking the homes. I heard Deputy Jan O'Sullivan state that I was on a couple of sites recently which she had announced three or four years ago. I cannot speak to any problems that might be encountered in the course of any development but we need to make sure, and we can do that now with the new procurement tender framework for rapid housing, that we can be confident about these timelines.

I recently visited a site where a commitment had been given to have the houses built within 12 months and I was talked through exactly how the commitment would be met. It is important that we have such commitments and every contract will have one. Through the different processes we have coming into place, we can get many sites built more quickly than in the past because we have been coming from a low base. While it takes time to get the wheels turning, the wheels are now turning very quickly and I am certain we will see considerable progress in the next 12 months.

On affordability and the issue of people not qualifying for social housing, the figures of one application being approved and nine refused go against the overall data trend. Obviously, the approval rate will not be as high as it would be in a bank because some of those applying for mortgages may not have a good credit history or may have outstanding debts on credit cards and so forth. The local authority approval rate is not as low as one in ten, however. We are examining this issue with a view to doing something on this issue in the coming weeks.

The purpose of the mortgage-to-rent scheme is to keep people in their homes and avoid them losing their homes. Yesterday, we announced a new programme involving a new housing body that is working with Allied Irish Banks. Applicants who qualify under the new scheme will have debt written off. This will be a game changer and I do not see how other institutions will avoid following suit. I am hoping other housing bodies will become involved in this area. The scheme only applies to people who qualify for social housing. However, at least they will be able to stay in their homes and have protection and security of tenure for the next 25 or 30 years. They will also have an option to buy back the property at some point if they are able to do so. While it is difficult for them in the sense that they will lose their homes and will no longer own them, it is important that this voluntary and demand-led programme has been introduced. It is also good that a housing body has taken advantage of the existing scheme. I will soon invite expressions of interest for a new scheme that will leverage a different type of finance, which I hope will also deliver more in this area.

I am still not sure what point the Senator was making about housing bodies. These bodies are very much part of our delivery of social housing.