Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

I join with the Taoiseach and Deputies Kenny and Rabbitte in expressing sympathy to the child and family of the late Donna Cleary. I absolutely deplore her brutal murder, which underlines the need to consider other, more effective ways of addressing the supply of guns and weapons in our society. The focus should be on the drugs trade in particular, which sustains the armed criminal gangs not only in this city but throughout society.

I want to raise another issue with the Taoiseach. Is he familiar with the statistics released on Monday on the provision of social and affordable housing under Part V of the Planning and Development Act? Is the Taoiseach aware that these statistics clearly demonstrate the failure of Government policy to properly provide for the needs of not only those on our housing waiting lists but clearly statistically cannot hope for many years to come to make a serious dent in the some 43,600 family units currently on housing waiting lists throughout the State? Is the Taoiseach aware that with the adoption of Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000, he and his party were clearly subjected to a clamour from those within the building industry and developer interests?

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