Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Some Members seem to have been taken by surprise that we were starting so early, so I was just giving them some time. The final pillar of the plan relates to using vacant properties more effectively. There are approximately 200,000 vacant properties in Ireland. Most of them are in areas where there is not a great deal of demand for housing but some of are in areas where there is a demand. There are certain counties I know where one in five houses is vacant. These are in areas where there is not huge housing pressure, but we still need to examine much more strategically how we can use that vacant housing stock and get it back into use. There are many initiatives and ideas as to how we will do that and these make sense. Members can read about them in plan.

I suspect I will be in this House repeatedly talking about housing, whether it be to discuss social housing, private housing, student accommodation, homelessness or meeting the targets we are setting for ourselves. From my perspective, this is by far the most important job I have as a Minister. Issues around Irish Water are very tricky politically but in comparison to the housing crisis in terms of a tiering of importance, housing is ten times more important. We need to deliver on the commitment, the promise and the potential of the Rebuilding Ireland plan and we need to add to it as we progress the latter.

I hope I have shown a capacity to take on ideas from others and other parties in regard to this plan. In appendix 2 or 3, we have looked at the key amendments, some 23 of them, from the all-party Oireachtas Committee on Housing and Homelessness. I deliberately asked that this be done. We outlined how each of those recommendations is being addressed - or not addressed,per se, and why -in this plan. That shows we are taking very seriously what other parties and the Oireachtas committee called for. I look forward to hearing comments from others on the plan to date. If Members want to correspond with me at a later stage about individual problems we are not addressing, I look forward to that as well.