Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister's answer is somewhat twofold. In the first instance, he has confirmed that no targets have been set. We would have expected a great deal of research to go into the preparation of the scheme and a great deal of groundwork to be done to allow action to be taken immediately to match the rhetoric. However, that is not the case. It is disappointing that the Minister is awaiting the information before he sets about providing the information. I was more alarmed to hear what he said at the beginning of his reply. He said priority should be given to making an affordable scheme available in Dublin, Cork and Galway. Is that at the expense or the neglect of the rest of the country? I was in Sligo last night. I have also been in other parts of the country and spoken to colleagues throughout the country. There is an affordability issue in every constituency, although it might be spoken about more in Dublin, Cork and Galway. When an affordable housing scheme is brought before the House, it should be available to all citizens in the cohort of people who cannot get on a housing list, who cannot afford a mortgage and who cannot rent at affordable rates, let alone buy at affordable rates. We want the State to take an active participatory role in assisting such persons, but it has not done so in recent times, despite the commitment and the expectation among the public, as evidenced by the representations we receive.

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