Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

There is none so blind as those who will not see. It has proved positive, with respect to the economic improvement we have made over the last five years, that we are very rigorous in the analysis we do of public expenditure. I make two points. On the issue of modular houses, which the Deputy has characterised as prefab housing, we have a housing crisis. It is a policy decision, not an economic decision, to get as many habitable houses available as we can and as an emergency measure. We do not have the time, bluntly, to do a long evaluation. We have desperate people in need of houses now. The Government made a decision to have 500 modular houses up and running. I ask the Deputy, instead of criticising, to ask local authority members to facilitate their placement in order that we can get people from the appalling situation in which we see of some families into decent quality housing. I ask the Deputy to bear that in mind.

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