Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

I suggest there are honourable exceptions in this House to Senator Norris's assertion that members of academia know little about politics.

I ask the Leader to arrange a debate with the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government with responsibility for housing, Deputy Finneran, in light of the disturbing report in today's Irish Independent about the housing overhang throughout the country. The figures for my county of Leitrim indicate that 2,945 houses were built during the Celtic tiger years despite a projected housing requirement of 588. The question arises of what is going to happen to these houses and ghost estates. We must consider the social and economic implications for the towns and villages which have been scarred by these developments, particularly in areas of dispersed population in the west and Border counties. The report indicates that although urban areas have the highest proportion of ghost estates, higher population densities mean they will eventually be absorbed. It is frightening that more than 300,000 houses in this country remain unoccupied.

I commend the Minister of State on his recent initiative to encourage local authorities to use some of these unoccupied units as social housing. This reveals his social conscience and I hope local authorities act promptly to take up his offer of funding.