Tom Neville (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the initiative, particularly the quarterly review of targets, but we need to make sure these targets are hit as we do not want hear about things not happening as they should. The target of 1,365 units between 2018 and 2021 is ambitious and, now that the funding is being provided, we need to have an element of stick in our approach to ensure such targets are met on time.

Some existing housing stock has already been purchased by the local authority, which is very welcome, but potential tenants are waiting a considerable amount of time for them to be upgraded or refurbished in order that they are habitable. Some in County Limerick have been waiting for 12 or 14 months, especially where it is one house on its own in a country area but has been bundled in with a number of other houses, meaning it is left for a long period before it can be done up. A number of people have said they will sign off on a deal to move into a house and have the works done around them, or move out for two or three weeks while the work is being done. A lot of the work that needs to be done is around regulations and not health and safety. The houses have been lived in already and it may be that someone died there but they are sitting idle because of regulations. I would be grateful if the Minister could investigate this problem, which is specific to country areas.

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