Ms Caroline Curley:

The questions asked by Deputy Kitt were with regard to zoned lands and the role of voluntary housing associations. We have no issue with voluntary housing associations playing a role. In our submission we indicated that plenty of land is zoned to meet housing demand but the issue is getting the moneys freed up from the private sector to increase private output. I can only speak about Limerick and much of the talk here seems to be about larger urban areas such as Dublin and about the homelessness issue.
Deputy Kitt asked about youth homelessness and thankfully it is not a huge issue for Limerick. There is a regional homeless centre in Limerick and approximately 1,000 calls are received per week. We have sufficient and adequate beds in the city and we work hand in hand with a number of voluntary agencies. We do not have people on the streets.
Limerick is very fortunate with regard to ghost estates as it was unfortunate during the boom and they are not a large issue. We are in the process of acquiring one of the ghost estates in the city which will be used for social housing. It takes much paperwork with regard to receiverships or NAMA.
Having dedicated units in local authorities depends on the size of the local authority. In some smaller local authorities all staff must be au faitwith all areas. Some schemes may not be promoted or do not work. We have only had a handful of cases in Limerick for the rent-to-buy scheme, but people are well used to dealing with voluntary agencies and bodies and are familiar with the schemes they operate.