Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

I am doing my job. I was trying to provide the Deputy with a little information because she does not seem to be in receipt of the facts. There is no hold up. I have been long enough in this business to remember occasions under previous Governments when funding was not available. The standard excuse given was that it was buried in the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government but such situations no longer obtain. Plans by local authorities, whether for new buildings or regeneration, are quickly approved and the authorities have almost free rein on these matters. We operate by the action plans they draw up and reflect their wishes.

The Government has repeatedly shown its commitment to the development of an active and sustainable private rented sector which offers security of tenure, flexibility and good quality affordable accommodation. With that in mind, the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, enacted in July 2004, provides for major reform of landlord and tenant law.

In recent years a significant number of households, including families on local authority housing waiting lists, have had to rely on rent supplement. It is important to acknowledge that change is needed over time and, for many of these households, what may once have been a short-term income support has evolved into a longer-term housing need. To break the cycle of dependence on rent supplement and further expand our response to changing housing needs, the Government last year introduced the rental accommodation scheme. This will be a major initiative——

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