Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

On the Minister of State's comment that houses were not being built because money simply was not there, the biggest financial constraint on government, local government and approved housing bodies was the EU's fiscal rules. These are really a matter of ideology. People have been denied a home so that we can stay in line with those rules. The human and societal costs do not justify compliance with those rules which, after all, have been broken by other European countries. They should be broken to supply people with social and affordable housing.

With regard to the Minister of State's comments on the investment made in fixing problems with pyrite and mica, we should look to the tax write-off available to landlords who repair latent defects and fire safety defects. It is very unfair that individuals who own homes with latent defects or fire safety defects which are not related to pyrite or mica do not receive any assistance. As a matter of justice, that must be addressed.

I have three questions. With regard to retrofitting and the report of the European Court of Auditors, when will the data for the other years be released? It is a very serious matter that the report found that 52% of homes did not achieve a better building energy rating, BER, as a result of participation in the scheme. It is also very serious that it found that money coming from the European Union simply replaced Government expenditure rather than leading to increased expenditure. What are the Minister of State's views on that? Will he indicate the number of retrofits carried out in 2019?

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