Mr. Kieron Brennan:

I will begin with the first question. Deputy Dowds asked about the availability of sites or the seeking of sites for approved housing bodies, AHBs. I believe all AHBs are in the same position, that is, there is no entitlement to sites, if I could put it that way. As the Deputy suggested, one must go foraging among local authorities, the private sector and elsewhere. However, we are in a crisis situation in respect of social housing and there is a degree of co-ordination being brought to bear through the governing structure for the social housing strategy. We hope protocols will be agreed shortly with some local authorities on the allocation of resources, be they sites, completed Part V units and so on. I suggest voluntary bodies wish to avoid a situation in which they end up competing unnecessarily for sites or properties and, for example, pushing up prices against one another. That would be completely unwise and a bad use of our resources and those of the State. We think it is vitally important that protocols are agreed in this regard.