Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)

With 32,600 people on rent supplement over 18 months, the Minister is failing dismally to get people to transfer from rent supplement to RAS. If the Minister is working so closely with the Minister of State with responsibility for housing, Deputy Finneran, why did he introduce a long-term leasing initiative? Surely he should have put investment and support into rolling out RAS if that were the Government's priority. The fact is that public moneys are being squandered because of a lack of co-ordination between the Minister and the Department and the Minister of State with responsibility for housing. People are still not prepared to transfer from rent supplement and the Minister is failing dismally to deliver on that.

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