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

Deputy Bacik asked the first question. To make a general point, there is no document of substance on the housing issue that is an alternative to Housing for All. There is nothing with its comprehensiveness, breadth and depth covering all aspects of housing. In it is an inbuilt review mechanism, which is important in any plan. Deputy Bacik raised the issue of a census. There is no limit to the number of houses we want to build. Funding is not an issue; the issue comprises delivery, the planning system and the question of whether we can get projects through quickly enough from concept to occupation by tenants or purchase. The modality concerning how we build houses is also an issue. We need to have much more discussion on advanced manufacturing technology off site for house construction, be it associated with steel frame housing or other types of housing that can be built faster, because the population is growing. There are many people coming into the country. Deputy McDonald says many are going but many are coming in. The net figure indicates people coming in, according to the Central Statistics Office. In any event, the housing situation in Ireland is similar to that right throughout the United Kingdom. Last Thursday and Friday, I met officials from England, the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales, and officials from the Isle of Man, Jersey and smaller areas, and I noted all have similar housing issues. There are not enough houses and people are asking whether they can be built fast enough. There is also a genuine issue in terms of prices. The same applies across Europe. Very few countries in the world, or certainly in the developed world, are not experiencing genuine housing pressures. That said, with regard to the issue of the target, there is within the plan a facility to review targets. This year we set a target of 24,500 completions. The likelihood is we will exceed that. There is no limit to the number. Obviously, some of the houses are private but many are social. With regard to the social fund we are looking at, the Minister seems to believe the number of social homes this year will be 8,000 plus, in addition to those for purchase, for lease and to address homelessness. We can get those figures and we will have them-----

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