Mr. Coil?n O'Reilly:

I agree totally. The only way we can deal with homelessness and affordable housing is through the delivery of housing. The affordable cost-rental schemes have only really come on board in the last year or two. It will take us time. We have delivered 37 affordable homes this year, but it will take us time to deliver those other schemes. At the same time, last week we applied for planning permission for a development on Emmet Road, comprising 578 units with 70% cost-rental and 30% social housing. We recently achieved planning permission for affordable sale homes in Cherry Orchard and we are moving forward with affordable purchase homes in Ballymun. We will apply for planning permission for those in the coming months. It is obviously in our programme. As it was not what was requested of us in the letter, we did not include it in our response.

We have a strong programme. The caveat to that is that as affordability and affordable housing has become more of a focus, they will come on board in future years. It will be more towards the end of our Housing for All programme in 2024, 2025 or 2026 when we start to see more delivery. We are fully aware of the need to double the figures and we look at them constantly. We have the projects and the timelines, and we are committed to delivering them.

The judicial review process on O'Devaney Gardens was completed on 16 May 2022. We are extremely frustrated with the lack of progress on site and we are in constant engagement with the developers on the need to get started on site. We hope to have builders on site at St. Finbar's Court later this year or early next year. They are progressing. Progress in housing is slow. These are complicated processes for us to work through. The delivery of housing is not a simple thing to do. We fully recognise and accept the need people have, but unfortunately, we cannot meet that need in the short term. It will take us time to ramp up delivery. I hope I have answered all the questions.