Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

That is not the context of my question. They clearly are. Would it not be a better policy, Mr. Doyle, to divert 40 staff from a regulatory post in respect of which next year we will clearly discuss nothing but the legal fees the regulator has entailed into An Bord Pleanála? We are in the worst crisis ever. I am quoting from a newspaper article in the Irish Independentin which Mr. Ian Lawlor, managing director with property lender, Lotus Investment Group, says there is “huge demand” for new developments coming to the market but developers are not able to complete projects because of planning delays. He continues:

Lengthy planning delays within our system are leading to a severe dearth of shovel-ready sites. As a result, builders, starved of sites, are bidding the site prices up, and this in turn is impacting viability, increasing risk, and negatively impacting delivery. Ultimately, the cost of all this is carried by the first-time buyer – if they can even find a home to purchase.

I think that is really damning, Mr. Hogan and Mr. Doyle. We know that there is a myriad of reasons for the housing crisis but primarily the situation is getting worse daily. There is a solution. Mr. Doyle, as Secretary General, should consider whether the 40 staff are required in the office of the regulator. It is probably unfortunate that we established the office at the very time we did because it probably will transpire that that had something to do with how the whole sector is over-regulated and we are not making headway. According to The Housing Commission, we need somewhere in the region of between 45,000 and 65,000 housing units per annum. The article also states that 50% of what has been built are apartments, not housing.