Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

HAP comes into it anyway. HAP is under the remit of the Department. This year the amount will be €300 million. The amount doubled this year. It has gone from €150 million to €300 million.

I read the chapter on the approved housing bodies. It is clear that there is no statutory regulation of them. There are many schemes concerning them with names such as the capital advance leasing facility, CALF, and others that make it difficult to follow. There are also various types of tenancies. My understanding is that one got a local authority house or one could seek a house from an approved housing body. The only distinction in the past is that one could buy out the local authority house but one could never buy out the other one. Now it seems there are many other distinctions, not least of which is the oversight in relation to AHBs and the absence of security of tenure. With millions being expended, there are serious issues to be examined.

It should be simple for the city council and the county council in Galway to be able to tell the Department what land they have in their direct ownership, the zoning of it and the plans they have for it. They should be able to tell us in plain, simple English, and what other public lands are available. In Galway we have Ceannt Station, where there are 14 acres. The site has huge potential yet it is being developed by a private person on behalf of CIÉ, with no regard to an overall plan. The docks are waiting to be taken in charge. I understand all the other small ports have been taken in charge. One might ask what relevance that has. The port has a significant landbank with major potential for housing. We have the existing land that is under the direct control of the city council and then we have public land under CIÉ or the docks authority.