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

I want to deal with this myth that I have heard repeatedly from many of Fianna Fáil's own councillors as I go around the country, namely, that local authorities are not being made responsible for, or being put in the position to drive, local authority and social housing. They absolutely are. We are not solely dependent on approved housing bodies, even if Fianna Fáil Deputies and councillors keep repeating this. This is not the case. I ask Deputy Cowen to look at the projections for the next three or four years. The approved housing body sector has been allocated less than one third of responsibility for this matter in the plans ahead. Let me very clear on this because it something that I hear repeatedly. It is a five-year plan and I urge Deputy Cowen to look at it. Yes, we have made it very clear that the fiscal space can deal with this, both in terms of the existing approved housing bodies and in terms of what we are looking at now, which is future funding.

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