Larry Butler (Fianna Fail)

I call on the Deputy Leader to invite the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, to the House to discuss the major crisis in housing, particularly in Dublin where significant price issues do not facilitate access to housing for the average working person. We need discussion on this important issue. We also need the Minister to discuss the downturn in the market with regard to social and affordable housing. The downturn will reduce the ability of local authorities to deliver the number of units required to reduce waiting lists.

The Minister should also require an audit of empty dwellings from all local authorities. It is a shame that we have so many empty houses when we have such a number of homeless people or people on waiting lists for more than ten years. This issue must be addressed. Our local authorities need a complete overhaul and review. We need an audit of all managers and programmes in local authorities to examine how the service is being delivered. The Department is probably one of the largest Departments after the Department of Health and Children. We need joined-up thinking with other Departments on the issue. It is very important we have this debate.

People on all sides of the House have raised problems, but nobody seems to mention solutions. We have the opportunity to talk about solutions. The Minister for Education and Science was in the House yesterday, but there does not appear to me to be joined-up thinking between that Department, local authorities and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.