Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I will be guided by the Cathaoirleach and ignore my notes. I recently raised the question of housing statistics with the Leader. It has been brought to my attention that the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is too busy with other matters to count or keep track of the number of housing starts or completions, and that we largely rely on organisations such as Threshold and ESB data on the number of connections to obtain this information.

As the Cathaoirleach will be aware, planning sections of local authorities must be notified of housing starts and at regular intervals thereafter. Given that these figures are available, all that would be required to collate them would be for the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to require each local authority planning department to made a quarterly return. We need to examine this issue given the widespread discussion on housing. The matter is crucial in terms of planning for the future and it is not good enough for Ministers to use figures which cannot be checked in their Departments. I ask that the Minister come before the House to explain the position and the lack of progress on the issue of affordable housing, which is a commitment under partnership. Land for this purpose has been available. When will the starts occur?