Kate O'Connell (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Mr. McCarthy has answered the first number of questions. With regard to the issue of the delivery of homes and supply, we have a skills shortage as a result of emigration and a drop in the number of people entering the sector. Are we doing anything to attract people back home to work in the sector? Will Mr. McCarthy outline any measures his Department or other Departments are taking to deal with this manpower - or womanpower - issue?

Targets are set by local authorities. In the case of Dublin City Council we have had recent examples of councillors voting against projects. In South Dublin we had 1,000 homes at Kilcarbery voted against. I do not want to be drawn into the issue of what the average house price is or what is affordable but those houses would have been in or around the property price index average price. That is 1,000 homes that could have been delivered that were voted against. Will Mr. McCarthy talk us through how the Department has a field that is zoned for housing yet there are no houses on it 18 months later? Will he walk me through the steps and barriers people meet on the journey to making houses appear in the field?