Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Fitzpatrick for the opportunity to come in. Understandably, I will just be directing my questions to Kildare County Council. Ms Kavanagh and Ms Aspell, who I have worked with in the past, are very welcome. I thank them for the good work they do in delivering what are not just houses but homes for those who need them in Kildare, and also for meeting their social housing targets.

I have a number of questions so I will group them together and the officials can then respond. Looking at the council's submission, I have a few queries. It is great to see the social housing targets being met but the affordable housing piece is hugely important. There are concerns about affordable properties because of the downward price adjustment. The number of unsold affordable properties being 48 is a concern. Many of the people I deal with who have a housing need want an affordable home. I ask the council officials to expand on that. Have they had any opportunities to avail of Department funding around affordable and have not availed of it?

I am pleased to hear about the town regeneration team, which is really important. On foot of that, I raise the Peter McVerry house on Eyre Street, Newbridge. It is important when the contracts are signed again that it is a dry house. There were never any issues when it was but there are significant problems with businesses and residents in the area, which I am sure the council is well aware of. I make that appeal publicly. By all means renew the contract but it should be a dry home.

What is the average planning time, from start to finish, for estates, whether private or social? It is important when we are building houses that we are building sustainable communities. Given the very significant building going on in Kildare at the moment, especially in our larger towns, we need to have more resources. I am talking in particular about the need for a new bridge in Newbridge and for transport, playgrounds and community facilities. The officials might comment on that.

In the context of social housing acquisitions, I raise Liffey Lodge. I understood a commitment had been made it would be part of a community resource, which is obviously badly-needed in Newbridge.

It was said 40% of social units are provided by AHBs. That concerns me because those tenants are not going to be in a position to buy their homes. That is something we must be aware of and flag for people.

How many housing loans are being given out by the council? Is the council buying houses with a tenant in situ? On the demand for housing, there is significant demand for one-bed housing at 42%. How do we address that?