Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The figures on job creation and the reduction in unemployment are interesting. In the Cork-Kerry region, there has been a reduction in the number on the unemployment register of more than 5,000. Since this is similar to the Dublin region, it is not only the latter that is recovering well. Long may that continue. I hope that, by this time next year, the unemployment figures will have dropped to less than 10%. This should be our target.

Yesterday, I raised a concern about a matter involving taxpayers' money. Houses are lying vacant over the Christmas period. There are 350 such houses in Cork city, one of which will remain so because two State authorities will not co-operate. It is difficult to understand why the Minister cannot intervene. I will correspond with him, the ESB and the city council, but he should intervene. A house is ready for occupation but cannot be occupied because its electricity supply will not be connected. It is unacceptable and wrong that the house will be allowed to sit idle until February. This is a question of taxpayers' money. The house must be boarded up again to protect it from vandalisation over Christmas. This urgent matter needs to be addressed. If I cannot raise it in the House, I ask the Leader to raise it directly with the Minister.