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

The Deputy will have an opportunity to ask a question and I promise not to interrupt him when he is asking it.

Turning to the HSE specifically, my Department chairs the State lands and property subgroup, which monitors the progress being made on this issue and the actions being taken by the HSE and other agencies and Departments to transfer State lands to the Land Development Authority, LDA. There are 26 sites that are of ongoing interest to local authorities and are ready to progress to the next stages of investigation and determination. Every effort is being made to identify State properties and lands that can be repurposed to increase the supply of housing over the long term. To give some good examples, Fingal County Council is currently refurbishing 12 derelict cottages on St. Ita's hospital campus in Portrane to bring them into use as social housing. St. Kevin's hospital in Cork has been transferred to LDA ownership and the construction of 265 social and affordable homes on this public land has commenced, and the first will be ready for occupation in 2025. This is, therefore, very much something the Government is working on, prioritising and taking action on.

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