Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 9 July 2013
Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government
Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 25 - Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised)
2:10 pm
Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I thank members for their questions which I will go through one at a time. As there were a few common themes, I can refer to them as I go along.
Deputy Brian Stanley's main query concerned the cost-effectiveness of leasing. He referred to a figure of 300. That is the number of units delivered through the CAS. The Deputy knows the kind of strictures on us in terms of the public finances. For approximately €7,500 a year, we can house somebody on a housing list under the leasing scheme. I know that in the longer term there is a recurrent cost every year, but given the crisis we face as a country because we are going through very difficult times, a value for money audit was carried out by the Comptroller and Auditor General of the cost-effectiveness of leasing and it was considered to be cost-effective. We need to look at this again, however, because there are issues around leasing that have recurrent costs-----