Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is on the second page of the housing Vote. It is the fourth table outlining key outputs and public service activities. It is the long one. I have no query about the first three rows. Will the Minister explain the differences between the next three rows?

There is a target of 560 voids in 2018. That brings us back to the thorny subject of when a void is really a void and just an expensive standard re-let. My understanding was that the long-term voids were finished. Therefore, I am even more suspicious that the 560 voids are properties that have tenants and due to be re-let but the cost of turning them over is significantly higher than would normally be the case. Therefore, they are not long-term voids but just expensive re-lets. From where does the figure come?

My next query is about public private partnerships and enhanced leasing. Obviously, the Department has targets for current expenditure on social housing. Its ability to meet these targets will depend on the cost of the units. We know roughly the cost of the units delivered, for example, under the heading of standard leasing. I have a concern about public private partnerships. Do we know what the public service benchmarking exercise is? Do we know what the cost of the units will be over the lifecycle? Can the Minister give us any additional information at this point?

On enhanced leasing, on the basis of the limited information contained in the Minister of State's press release in January, it seems to be incredibly expensive. There is a really good deal, for example, on the percentage of market rent achieved. One does not have to cover the cost of maintenance; that falls on the local authority or an approved housing body. What is the difference in cost between an enhanced leasing unit, for example, and a standard leasing unit? Does it have a potential impact on the ability to deliver the targets included in the report?

I will come back to the issue of water services when we have dealt with housing, if that is okay.