Micheál Carrigy (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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That is fair. I am the last member of the committee on the rota. I will take a couple of minutes to ask a few questions.

A refusal rate of 25% was mentioned. Is it the case that every local authority has a policy of removing people from the housing list after two refusals? Should this be changed? In the current climate, should it be a case of being removed after the first refusal?

Several members referred to treatment plants. The second and third largest towns in my county, County Longford – Ballymahon and Edgeworthstown – have not capacity for any additional housing. We actually have a company in the county that makes sewage treatment plants and exports them to councils in other countries. Mr. Taaffe made the point that we should be using these treatment systems for housing in towns and villages whose public systems are at capacity until whatever date they are extended.

Does Mr. Taaffe feel that the Department of housing trusts the local authority to deliver housing? There is a four-stage process which is a cumbersome process to deliver housing. It slows it up to two years to two and a half years per project. It is supposed to take 57 weeks. Are enough local authorities using the single stage process?