Mr. Michael McCarthy:

The answer is “No”, despite the case the Deputy made, which is a very good one and on which I agree with him. Particularly for practitioners on the ground, like the Deputy, who are dealing with that, it can be quite frustrating. It can be particularly frustrating, especially for the conduit between the local authority and the constituent who has to endure those conditions. Yet, ultimately, it is not an issue for us. Our issue is the financial performance of the local authority. That is why in that indicator, we break it down to cost per unit.

I believe the Department is currently undertaking a conditions survey on all its stock. I am not entirely sure of how advanced that is, but I can get information to the Deputy around that. That should provide us with an insight into the condition of the housing stock within the 31 local authorities. I am more than happy to give that update to the Deputy subsequent to the meeting.