Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. I welcome her announcement concerning the next two years when €68 million will be invested across the country for the construction of new social homes for families in need of housing.

The Minister of State referred to 442 new homes being built across the country for families on waiting lists. If it is true that 100,000 people are on the waiting list, however, that will only help a small number of families. Nonetheless, every new home is a help. I hope that, perhaps with the assistance of the Department of Finance, the Minister of State will get further funding to deal with a very long waiting list.

As I have already suggested, the Minister of State might examine what voluntary housing organisations are doing. She might try to assist them because they are determined to provide for real housing needs in County Galway, and I am sure the same applies in other counties. Many obstacles are being placed in the way of such organisations, however, so the Minister of State may hopefully be able to help out by providing them with more assistance. For example, people who get houses through voluntary associations should be able to purchase them under a tenant purchase scheme, which they could do if they were built through a local authority.

The Minister of State did not deal with the question of NAMA. I would like to see the pace of NAMA property transfers being speeded up to ensure that whatever is available there could be provided. In addition, State land could be examined in this regard. NAMA has said it is willing to co-operate in speeding up the transfer of property. I would like the Minister of State to deal with those issues and hopefully tomorrow we will have another discussion on housing.

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