Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy knows, in the budget we allocated unprecedented resources for housebuilding, in particular public housing. Our target is 10,000 units per annum for the next five years. These will be direct builds.

There will always be an element of acquisition but we want to keep that to a minimum. I take the Deputy's point; I have no issue with the points that it is far more cost-effective to build directly on the social housing front and that local authorities should become far more proactive on that front. The resources are now being made available at an unprecedented level to get on with the job. Likewise, resources will be provided in terms of affordable housing. There are also specific initiatives around homelessness. I do not disagree with the broad thrust of what the Deputy said.

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