Mr. Kieran Kehoe:

The Department has funded the vacant homes officers and town regeneration officers for each local authority. Those officers are in place in practically all local authorities although the odd one may be without them. The resources on the housing side to which I was making reference are more about a wider, whole-of-authority approach, to be fair. Anything that has been asked for in respect of resources is being delivered. When we start getting into this whole-of-authority approach, I look at things with a planning hat on and consider the demands on the planning system as it is. We have already made the Department and committee aware of the shortfall in planning staff and other support staff in the planning area etc. I referred to that on the most recent occasion I was before the committee in respect of the planning Bill. This is not just a housing function. It is also a planning and property management function. It is that wider resource piece I am talking about. We must acknowledge that from a housing point of view, our requests are being delivered and the funding to deliver those resources is being provided to us. Funding for a second vacant homes officer is now available in some local authorities. The resource piece I am referencing relates to the wider piece around planning and other support areas.