Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)

I will take two minutes more to get through the remainder of my thoughts. We are engaging extensively with NAMA to ensure we free up housing where possible in order that there is no stagnation at that end of the market. Some 2,500 units have been sourced and approved for use under long-term lease arrangements, which will arrange for two thirds of total social housing delivery this year. We must learn from the past and be careful that we do not see this unoccupied new housing as a quick fix to sort out social housing lists.

Senator Norris referred to one-bedroom apartments. We introduced regulations and guidance to ensure we do not have an oversupply of one-bedroom apartments. Some 15 or 20 years ago, I was very critical of very small housing units and the lack of housing mix. I referred to it as vasectomy planning, where the apartments were so small one would not think of raising a family in them. We need a range of housing types which is good for the surrounding community and residents.

The other side of this is reform of the planning system. The work of my colleague,the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, and the passing of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act fundamentally change how we will plan in the future.

Senator Mooney referred to replacing rushes with housing. I am a little nervous about this proposal because rushes are an indication of bad drainage. We have undertaken work on flooding issues and we must ensure we do not build on land that is prone to flooding. The survey adds an additional chapter to a range of planning and housing information. The manual is the next element and this is all happening quite quickly. I look forward to further work on this issue.