Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

At that point, the CCMA will be able to move on. That is great.

I will turn to the Department to talk about Dublin. I appreciate there is nobody here from Dublin City Council. When we talk about the housing crisis, we always talk about it nationally. I am not suggesting there is no housing need outside Dublin because there absolutely is. However, the need is greatest, and the supply is shortest, in Dublin. The costs are highest in Dublin. Some 80% of homeless people are in Dublin. The figures for those in emergency accommodation, refugees and international protection applicants are highest in Dublin. The vacancy funding for local authorities is welcome. Dublin City Council, to be fair, has done well in respect of its own voids and the funding the Department has provided to renovate them. However, there has been a massive missed opportunity in terms of reusing commercial space for residential purposes. Dublin city has its highest commercial vacancy rate for over a decade, much of which is a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic. Has that been identified by the Department as an opportunity? Is it being pursued as an opportunity to rapidly deliver affordable homes in the city? It seems to me there is an enormous opportunity there. What is the Department's sense of how Dublin city is approaching, exploring or exploring that opportunity?