Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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I am just highlighting that it is not confined to Dublin. It is shocking and very visible around here and I am appalled by it, but I see it in County Laois as well. I picked up a homeless man the other morning and brought him to Carlow, a hitchhiker with a black bag in his hand, and he spent nights homeless in Portlaoise. I ask the Minister to address that.

On the issue of water metering, the Minister said that the life span of the meters is 40 years. Irish Water, if I heard correctly, have a different view, and mentioned a figure that is one fifth of that. I believe they have stated that the lifespan of a meter is about eight years. I am open to correction on that. I asked this question the other day.

Concerning the new direct builds by the local authorities, can the Minister outline exactly how many houses are going to be built each year in the State? What is the plan? I know a number of mechanisms are being used and some houses are being built on balance sheet while others are being built off balance sheet. Are the off-balance-sheet builds all to be done by the voluntary housing associations or are any of them going to be built by the local authorities?

My final question concerns the Mahon tribunal. A planning regulator was one of a number of recommendations from the Mahon tribunal. When are we going to get a planning regulator in place?