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

When it comes to Croí Cónaithe, that is going very well, with approximately 4,000 applications submitted. We will review the process. It is still a new grant. We want to make it as simple as possible so people can draw down the money as quickly as possible but we need safeguards as well because ultimately, this is taxpayers' money. There will always be issues and we have to make sure that we have checks and balances.

Deputy Boyd Barrett again mentioned the issue of the social housing income thresholds. They have been increased, as Deputies will be aware, and they are under regular review. I believe they will be increased again, taking into account increased incomes and house prices. When it comes to cost rental, the system at the moment is a lottery system, which is fair, or at least equally unfair to everyone, depending on one's view of these things. We do not have any plans at the moment for a system of prioritisation but it cannot be ruled out in the future.

Deputy Paul Murphy raised the issue of defective apartments and duplexes. Since Government approval in January, the Minister for Housing, Heritage and Local Government has been working to progress the various programmes of work required to place the scheme on a statutory footing. This includes the remediation of fire safety, structural safety and water ingress defects in purpose-built apartment buildings and duplexes constructed between 1991 and 2013. It is expected that draft legislation will be published in 2024 and, hopefully, enacted by the Houses in early course. Subject to the legislation being enacted, a statutory scheme will be in place shortly thereafter. The Minister is working on this as a matter of priority.

Deputy Barry raised the issue of some people seeking international protection who are on hunger strike. I will certainly make the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, aware of the situation, although I imagine he is already aware of it.

Deputies Pádraig O'Sullivan and Ó Murchu raised the issue of wastewater. It is absolutely the case, unfortunately, that wastewater is a constraint on new housing development in large parts of the country. Irish Water has a budget of more than €1 billion per year and there is a pipeline of projects that it is getting through. It will never be possible to do them all at the same time or even as quickly as we would like but Irish Water is ramping that up. There is a specific scheme for rural towns and villages and the Minister for Housing, Heritage and Local Government is going to make an announcement on that before the end of the year.

Deputy Murnane O'Connor raised her legislation on HAP applications and people having to wait a long time for their application to be considered. I am not sure that three weeks is achievable but I absolutely agree that people are waiting too long and we need a better standard of service.

I will certainly bring it to the attention of the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. I recognise the Deputy's call for a homeless officer to be assigned to County Carlow.

Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked about the regulation of management companies. That is being examined in the context of the review of the Multi-Unit Developments Act and some regulations that have yet to be published. I do not have the timelines on that but I will come back to the Deputy by means of correspondence.

As regards Deputy Conway-Walsh's suggestion of using modular housing where people are waiting for their home to be rebuilt or repaired, I will bring that to the attention of the Minister, Deputy O'Brien.

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