Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. I will not deny that everyone knows that there are issues regarding housing. It is probably the biggest priority in my Department and the main reason I took this job. There is a legacy issue. It is like stopping a ship from turning to face the opposite direction and getting it moving again because the policies in place for a number of years had to be rescinded and changed to allow houses to be built once again. I will refer to the position in Dublin and surrounding areas, including County Kildare, because that is where the need is greatest. As late as two days ago I met in one room all local authority representatives, chief executives or senior housing representatives, depending on who was available, to outline the priorities and focus on how we needed to deliver solutions in terms of timelines and turning around developments quickly. I have made local authorities well aware that the resources they require will be provided for them, within reason. I will be very open to providing whatever resource allocation is required. In excess of 350 staff have been recently allocated to local authorities.

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