Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Adams raised the point about the Economic Management Council and whether it was assuming the constitutional responsibility of the Cabinet. It is not. The Economic Management Council, if it discusses an issue of financial control or whatever, must present its recommendation to the full Cabinet.

It is not the Cabinet. It is not assuming any constitutional responsibility beyond its remit and any recommendation from the Economic Management Council has to be validated, verified and accepted by the entire Cabinet.

The sub-committee on health discusses the issues surrounding health with the relevant Ministers from different Departments on a cross-departmental basis and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform would have met each of the Ministers individually in regard to their proposals for what they required in regard to the final decision to be taken as to what they would be allocated.

I cannot recall at which meeting, if any, that the Governor might have briefed on the Greek exit, although on a number of occasions the Cabinet discussed that matter as to what might happen.

There were 15 meetings of the EMC last year and while the EMC worked with the banks, there were three meetings with the banks. I do not have the dates to hand. If Deputy Adams wishes, I will get them for him.

In response to Deputy Boyd Barrett, the EMC is not advised by anybody in respect of housing. It is not a housing committee. The social policy committee, on construction, deals with the question of housing at Cabinet sub-committee level and all of the relevant Departments and all of the senior personnel attend there.

I agree it is not acceptable that this 18 year waiting list applies. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown is an area well known to the Ceann Comhairle. I note the burgeoning pages of some of the newspapers with lots of superior houses in locations there for sale, and some of them appear to be moving a far distance from those who are homeless or who need housing now.

On what I stated previously about the rent, there are multiple and complex reasons for all of this: the recovery in the economy, the growth in the numbers at work, delayed home ownership, the reduction in the traditional bed-sit accommodation in Dublin because of new regulations and the exit from the rental market of landlords for a range of reasons. Many of the problems stem from the chronic lack of supply of housing which causes a knock-on problem across the property market and wider society, from renters to first-time buyers to low-income households, and the only sustainable solution is to increase the supply of affordable housing generally.

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