Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am talking about Louth County Council. To ask a family with children to wait, when the eldest child is ten years of age puts families in an appalling situation. This continues to improve but it is still very difficult.

I can remember when Drogheda Borough Council wanted to build 20 or 30 houses and did not have the necessary specialities in house the National Building Agency at that time would construct 30 or 80 houses for the council. All the design, professional fees and input that was needed was supplied. Dublin City Council is acting in that respect in some way. Maybe that could be clarified. It seems that if there is that agency or a like body that will design and build for a council to the correct and proper standards it will take up a lot of the hard work that individuals in the council might have to do.

We have a crisis in Drogheda because there is no money available to develop the town on the northern side which would increase the population by 20,000 over the next few years. Is the council making applications under other funding to open up that land? I know its recent application was not successful. Will it be making an application to open up that land and build some of that northern cross route? Will it apply to Departments for that?

The McVerry Trust is a very proactive agency for people who are homeless. It is in County Louth now. I welcome the new connection between Louth County Council and agencies such as the McVerry Trust and others. There is an increasing opportunity for councils and approved housing bodies to work together.