Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have been informed by the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, that the community call initiative will be reactivated, as suggested by the Deputy, to mobilise the generosity and capacity of the nation to help with this enormous international crisis.

Consideration is being given to using section 181(2) of the Planning and Development Act 2000, which confers emergency powers. However, when we tried modular housing before, it was not the solution people make it out to be. If it was all that easy to build houses that quickly, we would have done it a long time ago. We need to be realistic about what can be achieved.

Before you build modular housing, you need a serviced site and as people know, we have a shortage of serviced sites in the country. That requires roads, power cables and water, all of which takes not months but years. That is, unfortunately, the position we are in at the moment. I am sorry; the Deputy had another question.

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