Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I take the opportunity to welcome the announcement today by a Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, of €50 million for local authority housing under the energy efficiency programme, with €10 million spent this year to help upgrade 5,000 homes. This will help many families suffering fuel poverty, improving the quality of homes and reducing carbon emissions and the heating bills of many stretched families. I hope the €50 million will be spent over the next three years and a total of approximately 25,000 homes will benefit. I am pleased that €400,000 will be spent in Galway city and county, with 1,000 jobs nationwide provided in the private sector and in some community-based organisations. I ask the Leader for a debate at some time in the autumn on the standard and quality of local authority housing and how we might best proceed with further investment in the area.