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

Approved housing bodies must work through the local authorities, which sanction the schemes in combination with the Department. They are reimbursed for the costs of that - that is why the housing budget is there. I remind the Deputy that the housing budget this year is the largest ever, with a housing spend of approximately €2.5 billion. The combination of work with local authorities and housing bodies helps us to deliver the houses the Opposition keeps saying it wants us to deliver. We will deliver 10,000 houses this year. The Deputy should consider the Sinn Féin housing policy, which proposes the delivery of fewer houses using taxpayers' money than is the intention of the Government.

I question that too. I sense a little frustration in the Deputy's voice, but the housing bodies are not for profit. This is a good use of money. They avail of private finance and the Housing Finance Agency; therefore, they use a combination of funding sources, which gives us a good result and helps us to increase activity. I agree with the Deputy that they are in a very strong position to manage their properties. Local authorities are also well funded to do the same and their voids programmes help to turn properties around.

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