James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)

The Deputy's proposal a number of weeks ago was simply to write blank cheques for local authorities. That is not a solution. We have to manage our finances and we have only a certain amount of funding. We want those voids brought back in but, as the Deputy will recall, one of the properties was a property that could not be let because it had not had a stairs for five years. There is no reason or rationale for that to be the case.

On the rest of the housing plan, we will have this housing plan done as quickly as possible. We have gone back to building social houses. We are encouraging local authorities to build as much social housing as possible. Today we published the delivery rate of various local authorities. It is extraordinary to see with some local authorities, even side by side to each other, how some can deliver as little as 3% own-build housing while others are above 40%. The ability is there. The local authorities that are actually delivering large amounts of social housing own-builds show that the Government is backing the local authorities where those local authorities are determined to build those social houses. We will continue to back those but we want to encourage the other local authorities to rise up to meet the top standard that some of those other local authorities that are delivering.

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