Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

On a point of clarification, I was not referring to the lands at Dunleer. As I said at the outset, I was referring to the 54 acres of landbanks that are lying idle throughout County Louth.

If one looks at the Minister of State's response, it is all about Part V. There is clearly no evidence to suggest that the Minister, Deputy Coveney, is enthusiastic about traditional projects whereby local authorities build the council houses. What is being done is developer led. The Minister is handing over responsibility for our housing crisis to private developers. That is as clear as day, not only from the Rebuilding Ireland document but also from the reply provided. The Minister is handing over our entire housing emergency to private developers.

I will ask the question again because the Minister of State did not answer it. In view of the fact that there are 6,000 people on the housing waiting list in Drogheda and throughout Louth, many of whom have been waiting over eight years - perhaps, the Minister thinks is not long enough - and given the 54 acres of landbanks in the county that can be used for social housing provision, will the Minister give a commitment to provide funding so that the local authority can start building social houses on that land, in respect of which the local authority is making interest-only repayments of €3 million a year? I hope that, third time lucky, the Minister of State will answer my question. Will the Minister will agree to provide funding to allow not only the local authority in Louth but also every other local authority in the same position to begin building on their landbanks in order that they might start providing houses for the people on the housing lists? Will the Minister do that or is he hell-bent on handing over responsibility for our housing crisis to private developers?

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