Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am reminded by my colleague, Deputy Simon Coveney, that I am not often asked to speak even faster, but I will try to work on it. To be clear, we agree with what Deputy McGrath is asking. We encourage all local authorities to work with approved housing bodies and housing associations throughout the country. There is money set aside for that specifically. We need everyone on board here. Our message is for all local authorities and all parties.

We all agree with the targets set in this as a minimum. People want more, and that is fine. This money should be spent, and that involves partnership with all the local authorities, the housing bodies and the associations mentioned. Quite a bit of money has been allocated to Tipperary, and it is ahead of the targets that were set for the last three years. New targets will be set in the next couple of months. To be clear, the recent target set was for 832 units to be met by the Tipperary local authority in 2015, 2016 and 2017. It is already at 343 units, so it is ahead of the target by 30 or 40 units. That is great, and we encourage that. The funding is in place, and we cannot stress that enough. The money is there for a pipeline of projects. What is coming through the system is 130 plus 54 more from the housing bodies. We can do more, Tipperary can do more, and it is up to the Deputy, the councillors and the county councils to drive it on. The Department will do its bit.

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