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

Realistically, and with all due respect, I became a councillor in 2009, and in the 14 years I have been a councillor and a Deputy, Cork City Council has carried out no preventative maintenance. The number one issue is, it said, that it had no funding stream from central Government. While what Ms Timmons says, therefore, might sound very credible; on the ground that is not what is happening. From what I can see, and from speaking to other local authorities that have come in here to present to us, a lot of Cork City Council stock is 70, 80, 90 or 100 years old. To expect the local authority to carry on planned housing maintenance every five or seven years is not credible unless there is a funding stream, and currently there is not a funding stream. Cork City Council has 10,500 houses. I think that is a tenth of the estates. Where will it get the resources? It does not have the resources.

I appreciate what the witnesses are saying but local authorities need to be given the power to carry out the work to bring these voids back and get families into them quickly. I thank the witnesses for their remarks. I would love to discuss that whole section more, but I am conscious of time.

A total of 6,790 new housing assistance payment, HAP, and rental accommodation scheme, RAS, tenancies brought forward by local authorities. I do not consider HAP or RAS to be social housing. It is a huge figure if you look at it compared with houses that were built. HAP and RAS properties are properties that already exist; they are not new. If HAP tenants go into them, someone has lost out or that person has gone out of HAP. My point is they are not new properties. I do not see HAP or RAS as a way to solve the housing crisis. I disagree with my colleague who spoke earlier about leasing. Twenty-five-year leasing is not social housing in my opinion. I know of people in Cork who are in their accommodation for 20 years. I come from social housing. You could do up the house and families were able to invest in the properties because they knew they would be in them for as long as they wanted. That does not happen in RAS, HAP or leasing. That figure I quoted is really high. Have the witnesses any comment to make on HAP and RAS?