Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

I thank all the Deputies who contributed to this useful debate. The discussion has highlighted a measure of agreement across the House, at least on the point that the individuals and families living in the regeneration areas must be at the centre of all our considerations.

As my colleagues, Deputies Gormley and Finneran, mentioned yesterday, Dublin City Council is placing a high priority on meeting the accommodation needs of the remaining residents of O'Devaney Gardens, Dominick Street and St. Michael's Estate. The council is working to ensure that communities are not broken up by regeneration and will offer all households moving from an estate to facilitate regeneration the option of returning once the development is complete.

As we approach the end of this debate, I wish to take the opportunity to respond to some of the points raised by the Deputies opposite. I reassure the House as to the robust value-for-money considerations of the PPP procurement process. For each project a full value for money assessment, including a cost-benefit analysis, is undertaken, drawing on the substantial expertise of the National Development Finance Agency. There is a fair and transparent procurement process in all cases. Overall, the approach underpins the significant social benefits that come with mixed-use, mixed-tenure developments.

The alleged lack of sanction against developers was another matter of concern for Members on the Opposition benches. It is important to make a distinction between projects where contracts have been signed and those where there is no contract. With the former, the contracts contain detailed conditions concerning the circumstances under which one or other party terminates the agreement. These matters are yet to be resolved but I thank Deputy Hogan for his support of the council's efforts at mediation. It is not accurate to suggest that where no contract exists a developer may walk away scot free. In general, PPP developments require considerable investment of resources by developers in terms of preparing detailed plans, consulting with the community and so forth and provide an incentive for developers to stay the course.

Public private partnerships are one of a range of options used by Dublin City Council to renew and regenerate its social housing estates and provide new social and affordable housing in the city. These PPP regeneration projects exist within the context of the wider social housing investment programme as set out in the statement on housing policy, Delivering Homes, Sustaining Communities. Accordingly, I am pleased to be in a position to conclude this debate by referring to the significant progress being made by my Department and the local authorities in delivering not just social houses but sustainable communities across the country.

This year we will spend a record €1.2 billion on new social housing and improvements to existing stock, with close to 1,290 units completed in the first quarter of this year. To assuage Deputy Hogan's concerns, delivery under the Part V mechanism, which increased very significantly last year, is surging ahead even further this year, with a 70% increase in delivery for the first quarter, as compared to the same period in 2007. The rental accommodation scheme also continues to meet its transfer targets with 1,425 transfers of households from rent supplement in quarter one.

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