Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response. Again, I have to be direct with him. I did not receive a clear answer from him. I am very concerned because what he has shared with us tells me that over eight years Limerick City and County Council returned 505 properties to use. This is just over 60 properties a year. In the midst of the worst housing crisis in the history of the State, with shocking figures of almost 6,000 people waiting for public housing and 246 people homeless, how is this anywhere near good enough? Who will take responsibility for this?The Minister of State seems to be blaming the Limerick local authority, which, I hasten to add, has been a Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael led local authority for the past ten years. That seems to be like an abandonment of Government responsibility because the fact of the matter is that the figures just are not good enough.

The Minister of State mentioned regeneration. The facts of regeneration are that more than 1,100 houses have been demolished and only 279 new houses have been built. That is a huge deficit and, again, shows a failure to deliver housing in Limerick.

Finally, the Minister of State did not give me any answers about leasing, yet he will acknowledge that 2,600 of the planned social houses next year are actually leasing houses. Again, I cannot understand why the Limerick City and County Council seems to prioritise leasing over restoring its own council houses. It is not good enough.