Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)

I congratulate the Ministers of State, Deputies Willie Penrose and Fergus O'Dowd, and the Minister, Deputy Phil Hogan, on their appointments. I will have to be careful I do not get squeezed between the two midlands constituencies, with Carlow-Kilkenny on one side and Longford-Westmeath on the other.

The €5 million site resolution fund will be totally inadequate. Some 2,846 developments were inspected and, of these, work is ongoing in only 15%. In County Laois alone, there are 43 estates with partially built houses in occupied estates and a further nine estates in which no houses have yet been occupied. Overall, in 2,846 developments in the State, some 34,000 houses are complete or almost complete but vacant. That is the point I want to get across. Some 34,000 houses which are either finished or almost complete are lying empty, which is a scandal at a time when there are thousands on social housing waiting lists.

The former Minister of State with responsibility for housing, Mr. Michael Finneran, met representatives of British housing associations who were considering purchasing some ghost estates in Ireland to rent back to local authorities. Does the Minister of State, Deputy Penrose, consider that proposal adequate? Will he consider providing capital funding for the provision of social housing?

All Members are aware that local authorities have growing housing waiting lists because of the financial pressures on people. The banks have queues of people seeking mortgages, many of whom are unsuccessful. The queues outside dole offices on signing-on day are getting longer. Sinn Féin proposes that ghost estates offer a potential solution, or partial solution, to these three problems, by providing employment for former construction workers, cheap social and affordable housing for people on local authority waiting lists, and assistance in getting people back to work.

See this speech in context