Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)

I accept that. However, there is an ability to pay issue that must be taken into account. We do not want people undertaking to buy out their home and then finding they cannot afford to feed themselves.

Senator O'Keeffe asked what will happen to the developers of unfinished housing estates. I certainly hope the relevant authorities will pursue any of those who are guilty of misconduct in their affairs. Some of the developers in question lodged bonds which the local authority can use to carry out certain works. Some developers are in receivership, some are bankrupt and others are still in operation. In the case of the latter, our objective is that they would undertake to complete the estates in question.

In regard to regeneration projects, I am pleased the Senator was able to visit Limerick and wish her success with the regeneration project in Sligo. I, too, commend Brendan Kenny and his team on the work they have done. We have announced our intention to establish an office of regeneration which will be separate from the local authorities' housing departments. It will be a directorate of regeneration in the local authority system with its own staff and so on, operating out of the offices in the current regeneration areas. In the case of Limerick we will have a joint authority between Limerick city and county. We hope the manager of the interim joint authority - it is a work in progress until the local elections in 2014 - will be the person to whom the director of regeneration will report for the entire Limerick area. We are trying to bring the best of the two systems together. Our aim is to maintain the good work done by the regeneration agencies, which will come to an end in June, but also to ensure we have everybody on the same path in terms of the local authorities. The regeneration office will be connected into the local authority but will be a separate entity.