Martin Mansergh (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State and express my respect for his commitment to this area of policy. I know from a previous capacity and having attended many meetings where housing policy was discussed what an important part of the Government's agenda it has been for several years.

There has been a certain amount of trial and error. One must decide whether the best course is to interfere with or encourage the market. The outstanding success has been the increase in output. I recall in 1981 that an output of 29,000 houses was considered a great achievement. Last year, the output was 68,000 houses. This is a huge increase, even from 1997, when 38,000 houses were built. We can see houses being built throughout the country. House ownership per se is not the sole solution to the housing problem. There has been considerable growth in private renting as an alternative option. Work must continue in this policy area. The motion gives the impression that no social affordable housing is being built, which is not true. I visited a housing estate in Carrick-on-Suir recently where I was shown a very fine affordable housing development.

While emphasis is often put on building new accommodation, it is also very important — this has been referred to by some of my colleagues — to refurbish existing housing which may be basically sound but needs upgrading. Sometimes amenities such as alleyways have been built, which create law and order problems at night. More resources should go into consolidating and improving what we have. We know from public housing which was built as far back as the 1930s — I am also talking about much more recent housing——