Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

We have made a number of changes. We have put substantial amounts of funding into it and I hope the Deputy acknowledges that. There is no silver bullet as regards the necessity to provide extra supply. The funding is in place up to 2020 and it is a substantial amount. We have works programmes with the local authorities for social housing. That work is ongoing, as everyone is aware. However, there is a time lag.

The Deputy referred to the commuter areas. I agree that there are specific pressures there which need to be addressed in a different way, and we are looking at addressing them. We have changed protocols as regards the volume of accommodation provided and prioritised for people who are vulnerable and homeless. This is something we review on a monthly basis. We are looking at extending the intervention mechanism to which I referred earlier to commuter areas because of the fact the pressures in many of the commuter areas, in particular, in Kildare, Meath and Wicklow, are similar to the issues faced by many people in Dublin. This is something we are addressing through the local authorities as well. There is an increase in the prioritisation of funding as regards how we can turn around stock quickly in the case of voids and in other areas.

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