Mr. Eddie Taaffe:

On the level of need, social housing and the construction of social housing cannot solve the housing issue on its own; it is one cohort of it. The solution to providing housing is the overall delivery of 50,000 homes. We need very strong and vibrant public sector housing because that feeds into everybody’s housing need. To answer the Deputy’s question as best I can, social housing cannot do it on its own but a steady delivery of 50,000 homes over a number of years, through all forms of tenure, is the solution to the housing crisis.

On the additional capital requirements, the issue currently and for the past number of years is that funding has been provided to deliver whatever local authorities have progressed. Funding has not been an issue - once the funds are in place and we believe they will be - to meeting those targets. We do not see funding as an issue.

On the affordable purchase element, this is where funding or borrowing becomes an issue, both for local authority cost rental and also local authority affordable purchase. Local authority cost rental involves local authorities borrowing significant sums of money because they have to take up the main bulk of the cost of the provision of the house, and they then get paid back over 40 years. The local authority sector is capped on its overall borrowing requirement and cost rental is only one element of what local authorities need to borrow for. We need to borrow for a whole range of our functions. We are subject to caps, and that will impinge on the local authority sector's ability to deliver cost rental. That needs to be addressed.

On the vacant property refurbishment grant, yes, it is a grant and a form of affordable housing. More important, it has been hugely successful in bringing derelict and underused properties back into productive use, which is only to be welcomed.

On tenant in situ, there has been a tightening of the criteria between 2024 and 2025, which has seen a reduction in the number of people eligible for the scheme, in other words, for properties that we would be in line to purchase. It has tightened the ability of local authorities to deal with issues like that. There is no doubt about that.

On State employment, we have quite an innovative and efficient construction sector. My view on that is once we partner correctly and have correct procurement, the most efficient way of delivering housing is via partnering with the private sector and the efficiencies it brings in terms of contracting, innovation and productivity.

On regional co-ordination, that is more or less happening now anyway. Local authorities operate regional frameworks when it comes to procurement of design consultants and contractors. The housing delivery co-ordination office in the Local Government Management Agency shares best practice on procurement across all local authorities. In fact, there is a seminar tomorrow in Tullamore, at which about 70 local authority technical staff will be sharing best practice on different ways of procuring, such as design and build, and development licences. We are sharing information, documentation, templates and new ways of doing things all the time. We are getting the benefit of that regional approach and regional expertise through mechanisms like that, without going through the additional layers of setting up or changing to a regional structure. We are sharing best practice all the time.