Mr. Seán Armstrong:

It is broader than just embodied carbon. It is about the reuse of town centres and compact urban growth. As the committee will be aware, compact urban growth is a key objective of Housing for All and the national planning framework. The Department has specific actions in Housing for All to address vacant housing. There is a new local authority led programme to help local authorities buy or purchase vacant homes that can then be sold and ensure homes do not lie vacant. The Croí Cónaithe towns initiative will be delivered by local authorities for the provision of 2,000 serviced sites attract people to build-----