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

Obviously, if members find it easier to work on excel, it is something that we will deal with. The 59 week process was only something that I commenced when I came into office so it would not have been in place by the time the third quarter report was published for schemes that are detailed in that report.

The local authorities took a decision on acquisitions and have two criteria for acquisitions. The houses cannot be in high demand areas and must achieve value for money. That is a call they have to make but because they are working to budgetary envelopes from the Department and approval from the Department, they cannot go running away with acquisitions. They have their building target and they have to meet them.

On the issue of short-term letting, I received an initial draft of the report but I did not think it was robust enough. I wanted to see something that was closer to the Oireachtas joint committee's recommendations and so I am waiting to receive that report, based on feedback I gave about certain things that I think need to be delivered with that report. We need to be looking at this in terms of regulations, if we are moving to regulation and licensing as we look at bed and breakfast accommodation, but that of course requires the involvement of a Department which is not my Department. Those matters are being looked at present. I was informed this morning that the next iteration of the draft will be due very shortly. If that is what I think is a robust response to the issues we are facing, I will proceed to bring it to Cabinet and publish it as quickly as I can, notwithstanding that another Department may or does have a role here.

In respect of the reclassification for the approved housing bodies, this is being lead by the Department of Finance, and not by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government. Essentially it comes down to an issue in relation to accounting and the Government balance sheet and to a EUROSTAT ruling. Work by that committee, of which we are a member Department, is progressing. I have been quite clear with the approved housing bodies that this will not diminish in any way our ambition for housing bodies to be an important delivery stream for local authority housing and to deliver what they deliver very well and sometimes to meet what are more specific or specialised requirements for social housing. We will drive on with our social housing delivery, using housing bodies. They are quite clear on that fact and they are working with us on that ruling to ensure that it does not put small roadblocks in the way but I do not foresee any. The Department of Finance is leading this and is fully aware of what the implications might be for the general Government balance or for the deficit in a given year.

Now I will deal with the figures that Deputy Casey gave for County Wicklow. I was on a site in Wicklow at which this information was given to me. I was told that this was a great day because it has not happened in X number of years. I am not aware of the delivery streams for the different numbers that the Deputy gave, but once I have proper clarity and the full facts presented to me by the local authority, which is the normal reporting mechanism for me, of course I will correct the record if that is necessary.