Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

At political level, we receive requests all the time to introduce tenant purchase schemes in the voluntary housing sector. The Deputy is correct that some large organisations are strongly opposed to it. Last December, we stated in our policy document that we would instigate a pilot scheme pertaining to tenant purchase in a small number of new schemes. This must be done in consultation. Some discussions have taken place and I would like to believe we could have pilot schemes pertaining to existing developments also.

Many residents, particularly those in integrated estates such as those in Celbridge, might be working in the same factory. Some 30 houses in the estate might be local authority houses and 30 others might be associated with voluntary housing. When everyone was unemployed in 1985, for example, this did not matter, but it does at present in that the one group can buy their houses and the other cannot. This must be addressed slowly and through consultation.

Deputy Stagg stated his county is a champion of voluntary housing. The schemes in question would be one of the smaller ones. I sometimes wonder whether they should have been part of co-operatives rather than voluntary housing associations, but that is another issue.

I understand what the Deputy is saying but he should note that all of the €243 million allocated for voluntary housing will probably not be used. Local authorities received an allocation of approximately €980 million this year and the Department's housing Vote amounts to €2 billion. We have made extra money available this year and we have committed additional money over the coming years. Our main problem is trying to make the local authorities and voluntary bodies deliver. There is no shortage of money at present.

While there is always a demand for housing, it should be noted the number on the waiting list this year dropped by 10% as compared to the figure for three years ago. This may be due partly to improvements in the compilation of the list, but there is a slight decrease nevertheless.

I wish the money were spent quicker. I would love to be able to say to the Minister for Finance that the allocation is all gone. It is the other way around, however, in that we are driving the local authorities and voluntary bodies so they will do more and use all the money available to them.

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