Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

To be fair, social housing completions are up by approximately 600 units and starts are up by approximately 900, so they are delivering. Deputy Sherlock obviously thinks they are not and there is a danger they take the lazy option and wait for activity to come about through Part V. It might have been stop-start in the past but it is not now so they should get on with it. The outturn for last year is quite impressive.

The new housing policy framework document, published before Christmas and entitled Building Sustainable Communities, provides the framework for a wide-ranging review of housing policy. In the new statement we set out our goals for the coming years. Above all, this will focus on achieving high quality sustainable developments in urban and rural areas.

The Government remains committed to the objective of expanding the opportunities for as many households as possible to own their own homes. For those who cannot afford to access adequate housing without assistance we have increased the level of support through a range of affordable housing initiatives. These include the shared ownership scheme, the 1999 affordable housing scheme, affordable housing through Part V arrangements, the affordable housing initiative and a proposed new tenant purchase scheme which, from January 2007, will allow for the sale of local authority flats under certain conditions. As I said at Question Time today, while we hear about the average prices of new and secondhand homes, there is good value in the affordable market in the Dublin suburbs. Two-bedroom houses in Tallaght and Clondalkin are available for €142,000 and three-bedroom houses for €172,000. Many people in relatively ordinary jobs are going for those and their needs are being met. The waiting lists are down by 9.5%.

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