Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

While we would all like more houses to be built, it is encouraging to note that statistics on housing starts show they increased by 50% in 2015. There is clear evidence that the number of planning permissions has increased, as has the number of works commencing on site, both for social and private housing. However, we must accelerate progress in this area. No one in government denies that we have a very serious problem in housing and considerable effort has been focused on delivering action in this area against strict timelines. We are open to other proposals that could be implemented.

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