Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The work will be able to commence this year. Payment will be drawn down then for 2017. We are in a situation where we have now identified a number of sites, in particular in the greater Dublin area. It is not within the capacity of local authorities to open up these sites to allow for the construction of sizeable numbers of houses. For that reason the Government is keen to step in with a competitive fund. Local authorities will have to demonstrate that if they are looking for €5 million to open site X, it is going to give a return in housing that will reduce the demand and therefore increase the supply.

See this speech in context