Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Tá mé fíorbhuíoch seans a bheith agam labhairt ar an ábhar tábhachtach seo inniu. I am sure the Minister of State would agree that one of the biggest factors leading to the economic crash was the role played by developers and planners as well as bankers and corrupt politicians. Houses were sold at inflated prices. The hundreds of empty housing estates across the State are all evidence of the importance of Government agencies being scrupulous in how they manage housing. Each year, county councils spend substantial amounts of taxpayers' money on the purchase of properties for social housing so it is vital that there is transparency and certainty about the processes involved.

It has emerged that in 2010 Louth County Council bought two houses belonging to senior members of the council’s housing department. Moreover, a senior executive in Louth County Council’s housing department acted for the council in the purchase of his own home. When my colleague, Councillor Tomás Sharkey, and others raised this issue, they were told by the council that at all times proper processes and procedures were followed to ensure full compliance with all the relevant control mechanisms that govern housing acquisitions. They were also told that staff are not excluded from the housing acquisitions programme. Could the Minister of State tell us if proper processes were followed in this instance? Does she believe that proper processes were followed if the person selling the house to the council was also the person buying the house on behalf of the council? Will she urgently review the situation and if necessary clarify for local authorities the regulations surrounding the sale and purchase of housing by councils from staff?

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