Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael)

My party is not opposing these amendments. However, I have a number of queries for the Minister of State. Given that market prices have fallen sharply recently, how does that effect housing authorities' responsibilities in terms of shared ownership arrangements? House prices have fallen dramatically and many people are locked into shared ownership schemes at what would now seem to be elevated prices. Is there any recourse for such people to apply to housing authorities to have their house value figures revised? What measures are being taken by housing authorities to address the decline in the market in the context of new shared ownership schemes?

Fine Gael welcomes section 34 of the Bill which deals with anti-social behaviour. My party believes that action in law has been required for some time to deal with the scourge of anti-social behaviour in many local authority housing estates, and private estates. The lives of many law-abiding citizens and tenants of councils have been made a hell by a very small minority in some housing estates and many housing authorities feel unable to deal with the problem of anti-social behaviour. My party is hopeful that this Bill and the anti-social behaviour strategy therein will help local authorities to identify the problems at source, as well as give them the wherewithal to deal with them. In many cases, tenants are too frightened to deal with the problem themselves and are depending on the local authorities to address anti-social behaviour on their behalf. Of course, authorities must work with the Garda Síochána and other agencies such as the HSE.

Fine Gael welcomes section 34, which enhances the role of local authorities with regard to responding to anti-social difficulties in their housing estates. I would welcome further comment from the Minister of State on these matters.