Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The three schemes to which the Minister of State referred are good. While he often complains that I give him a hard time, I have publicly stated these schemes are worth supporting. The problem is that over the six years of the schemes, the Department's target is to deliver 6,600 houses, which amounts to 3% of the vacant housing stock to which Deputy Casey referred. I urge the Minister to ensure the strategy he is finalising is much more ambitious in terms of the number of units being targeted. Additional resources, particularly staffing, must be provided to local authorities to enable them to go after these units and return them to use. This approach would secure many more units at a far better price.

If one contrasts the 6,600 units the Minister plans to return to use over five or six years with the 40,000 units targeted under the housing assistance payment, HAP, scheme, it shows the Department's priorities are wrong. A unit returned to use through the repair and lease or purchase and renovate scheme provides much better value for money than having someone in the HAP scheme for five or ten years. The Minister could be much more ambitious in this area. I look forward to the publication of the strategy.

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