Ms Michelle Murphy:

Vacant units have been slow in coming on stream for HAP applicants. There are a number of reasons for this - either the developments are unfinished or in the process of being finished or perhaps the units available are not suitable.

One proposal that we made last year, in terms of the provision of empty units and making use of underdeveloped land, was that a tax be levied on a monthly basis on houses fit to be occupied to encourage the owners to use them, to contact the local authorities and allow them to be occupied by those on social housing waiting lists while we waited for the housing stock to improve.

We have considered this issue. Something we encourage local authorities to do is to ensure units included in the figure of 200,000 that do come on stream are suitable. The process of making them habitable seems to be slow. Given the numbers of construction companies and construction workers, I cannot understand why the process is taking so long.

There is obviously a blockage in the system in this regard. One of our proposals is to impose a levy on suitable empty units that could be occupied. We had suggested a figure of €200 per month and that the revenue from the charge be collected and kept by local authorities until such time as the units are put into use.