Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The Bill mentioned is designed to provide for a programme of social housing reforms aimed at improving services and their delivery, including strengthening local authority powers to deal with anti-social behaviour, expand the paths to home ownership for tenants and provide for the rental accommodation scheme. The heads of that Bill have been approved and the publication date is early 2008. The Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government with responsibility for housing, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, made a full statement on housing policy in the Seanad yesterday evening. I commend it to Members for the continuing significant investment he indicates for social and affordable housing in the coming months and years.

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