Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have no issue with the local authorities bringing in the private sector, but we should have both. We should have direct-build social, affordable and cost rental properties along with contractors. We are in the worst housing crisis in the history of the State and local authorities have a proven track record of delivering.

During the financial crisis, many apprentices were partly through their apprenticeships but had to go into different sectors because of a lack of work. Have we seen any of those returning to these trades? With current apprentice numbers, have we enough? We spoke about this earlier, but are there enough apprentices when we consider the amount of development and construction that are needed? Are we hitting the targets?