Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)

I do not have the relevant figures in my possession. Statements regarding the number of repossessions are made on occasion. When representatives of the Irish Banking Federation came before the Joint Committee on Finance and the Public Service a couple of months ago, they indicated that the number of repossessions was extremely small. I accept, however, that the position may have changed in the past two months. I do not want to make a definitive statement in respect of that matter at this stage.

Reference was made to using prefabs to house single people. Old or dilapidated prefabs would not be appropriate for this purpose. I hope local authorities will give single people the same entitlements as those enjoyed by others. I accept that families with children, couples, etc., are probably given higher priority but single people should not be excluded. I am aware that certain local authorities do not discriminate against single people.

Several Senators referred to Part V housing units. Some of those who spoke appeared to indicate that the Part V provisions are not working or have not contributed. My Department will contribute €500 million to Part V projects in the current year. That money, which is no small sum, is contributing to the building of an enormous number of houses. Certain local authorities may not be as good as others in the context of completing Part V housing units but the Department is certainly providing a substantial amount of money towards the construction of such units.

The Part V provisions do not apply to developments consisting of four or fewer houses, houses built on lands with an area of one hectare or less or developments relating to unzoned lands. A query was made with regard to the taking of money or land in lieu of houses to be built under the Part V provisions. It is estimated that financial settlements account for only 13% of the overall picture nationally in this regard.

Senators Boyle and O'Malley referred to the tension that may exist between those in the voluntary sector and local authorities. The administrative arrangements for voluntary and co-operative housing projects were reviewed and a new and more streamlined set of procedures was introduced in June. The objective in this regard is to devolve, to the fullest extent possible, responsibility for detailed appraisal and technical assessment of projects to local authorities. My Department and I will continue to have overall responsibility for policy matters and the multi-annual budget.

I was also asked about targets. While the output of 3,539 units in 2007 did not reach the envisaged target, namely, 5,000, the overall target for the period 2007 to 2009 is 17,000. The latter remains the target for the period as a whole. The output achieved represents an increase of 10% over the output for 2006, which was 20% higher than that which obtained in 2005. Early indications relating to social and affordable housing completions to date in 2008 show a significant increase over the figure for the same period last year. Statistics for the first quarter of 2008 are being finalised and we will be in a position to publish them shortly.

In regard to the private rented sector, we hoped to have draft regulations for new standards by mid-July but there has been some slippage. I aim to go to Government with a memorandum on this matter after the summer, lay draft regulations before the Oireachtas in the autumn and have a commencement date for the standards in early 2009. I hope I have responded to the queries raised by Senators but if there are any I have not covered, we can respond in writing.

I am confident we have in place a clear and comprehensive housing strategy designed to build sustainable and rural communities. We are delivering responses which address a broad range of housing needs. The needs of more than 18,000 households — a substantial figure — under all the headings were met last year, which is a major input into the housing needs of the people.

The challenge is to maintain our record of achievement into the future. My Department and I are committed to meeting this challenge within the available resources in collaboration with our partners in the local authorities and the voluntary and co-operative housing sectors. I look forward to returning to the House in the future and to providing further updates on progress in the housing area.