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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 5 Nov 2015

Vol. 895 No. 2

Priority Questions

Leader Programmes Applications

Éamon Ó Cuív

Ceist:

1. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to set out the progress made to date in the roll-out of the Leader programme; the number of sub-regions where there is only one approved bidder; the numbers of completed plans received from these areas; the expected date of commencement of contracts for the first movers; the number of contracts it is hoped will be signed by the end of the year to deliver the programme; the latest date by which areas where there is more than one bidder must deliver their plans for evaluation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38545/15]

Many people are keen to see the Leader programme process begin and companies get contracts. Will the Minister of State give us an update on the progress made in rolling out the programme and, in particular, whether we will see contracts in position for Leader companies by the end of the year?

As the Deputy will be aware, Ireland is conducting a two-stage process for the selection of local development strategies to support the delivery of the Leader elements of the rural development programme 2014-20. Stage one of the process is now complete. Those successful in stage one have moved to stage two of the process which involves the preparation of local development strategies for their areas.

The Deputy asked a specific query. The process of preparation and submission of local development strategies is under way in each of the 28 designated sub-regional areas. In all, 34 local action groups are expected to submit Leader strategies, with the submission of a single strategy expected for 23 or more areas. To date, three local development strategies have been received and they are being considered.

A minimum period of six months, to the end of January 2016, has been allowed for the submission of strategies by all local action groups. We expect the majority to submit strategies before the end of January 2016. In line with current European Commission guidance, my Department will be reasonably flexible and accept strategies after January 2016, where appropriate. It will not cause any undue delay in the roll-out of the programme in the relevant areas, including those where more than one strategy is expected to be submitted.

Based on the progress made to date by local action groups, I expect a small number of contracts to be signed before the end of the year, although it is a little too early to say exactly how many will be signed and commenced this year. That will be determined largely by the number and quality of strategies submitted in the coming weeks. That said, I am hopeful the majority of areas will have their strategies approved and be in a position to commence delivery on a rolling basis between now and early 2016.

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. May I take it that in 23 of the areas only one strategy will be submitted? Let us suppose a strategy is submitted for evaluation. May I take it that if it passes muster, the Department will very quickly allow the contracts to be signed to allow progress to be made? The Minister of State might confirm this officially. May I take it that the Department has received strategies, but that it expects the bulk of them to be submitted between now and the end of the year? I am not necessarily saying they have been approved but submitted. Am I correct in assuming it will take approximately one month for the evaluation committee to evaluate the final strategies? I understand there have been preliminary discussions and that, allowing for the Christmas period, within one working month a company can expect its strategy to be up and running.

The Deputy is correct in everything he says. A total of 34 local action groups are expected to submit Leader strategies, with the submission of a single strategy expected for 23 or more areas. I am working with officials to ensure there will be no unnecessary or undue delay. I know that the relevant communities are concerned and that the Leader programme is very much anticipated in the communities that the programme has been designed to benefit. I also understand the Deputy's concern, but I am more concerned with the quality of the strategies submitted. I do not necessarily want to rush them, but we are keen to ensure they are of good quality. Once they are submitted, we will work hard to ensure the draw-down of money.

In 23 or more areas there will be one strategy. Will the Minister of State confirm the position in these cases? If a strategy is not up to standard, will the Department go back to the bidder or the person who submitted the strategy to look for necessary amendments or improvements? In cases where there are two or more strategies, a competitive bid process applies and the best strategy will jump the ditch. Will the Minister of State outline what will happen if several of the strategies are not up to standard? Will the Department accept the best strategy and try to have it improved?

The best strategy will win out because it is a competitive process. Given the standard of strategies that have been submitted and from what I know having worked with the councils and the local community development committees, they know what their job is. I do not expect any strategy to be in any way substandard. All council officials and local development companies have been working hard on to have quality submissions made. I do not expect too many difficulties with the standard of submissions made.

Wind Energy Guidelines

Brian Stanley

Ceist:

2. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when the new wind farm regulations will be put in place; and whether they will include mandatory set-back distances based pro rata on the height of turbines. [37477/15]

This question relates to wind farm regulations or guidelines. We do not have either, except for those which are obsolete. The Minister is aware that the development of wind farms continues apace throughout the country. There is considerable concern about the inadequate legislative framework.

We have no clear indication of what is happening regarding bringing it forward.

In December 2013, my Department published proposed draft revisions to the noise, setbacks and shadow flicker aspects of the 2006 wind energy development guidelines. These draft revisions proposed the setting of a more stringent day and night noise limit of 40 decibels for future wind energy developments; a mandatory minimum setback of 500 m between a wind turbine and the nearest dwelling for amenity considerations; and the complete elimination of shadow flicker between wind turbines and neighbouring dwellings. A public consultation process was initiated on these proposed draft revisions to the guidelines, which ran until 21 February 2014. My Department received 7,500 submissions from members of the public during this process, which was a huge number indicating a phenomenal amount of interest.

It is intended that the revisions to the 2006 wind energy development guidelines will be finalised as soon as possible. In this regard, account has been taken of the extensive public consultation in framing the final guidelines. A phenomenal amount of work is involved. Further work is also advancing to develop technical appendices to assist planning authorities with the practical application of the noise measurement aspects of the wind guidelines, which is important. My Department is advancing work on the guidelines in conjunction with other Departments, principally the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.

The revisions to the wind energy development guidelines 2006, when finalised, will be issued under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended. Planning authorities and, where applicable, An Bord Pleanála are required to have regard to guidelines issued under section 28 in the performance of their functions under the Planning Acts.

While I thank the Minister for his reply, unfortunately it does not tell me much. The consultation process was opened two years ago and closed ten months ago, and we still do not have sight of the regulations or guidelines. We would prefer regulations on the development of wind farms. Last year, I introduced a Bill on the development of wind farms setting out minimum setback distances and dealing with matters such as shadow flicker and noise. Although the Government did not oppose the Bill, it never came before the environment committee, which is disappointing. One issue is the delay. Wind farms are being developed apace without regulations. The other issue is the fact that there is no commitment to pro rata setback. The Minister said the guidelines would be produced as soon as possible. I have been hearing this answer for more than a year. When is “as soon as possible”?

We received 7,500 submissions with much detail and it is a very technical area, as the Deputy will agree. We are developing technical appendices and my Department is doing a considerable volume of work. Technically complex work is being undertaken by Marshall Day Acoustics and others. In the finalisation of the guidelines, we must be cognisant of our 2020 renewable energy targets. In the three areas on which we have been concentrating, the area we have been left with and which we have had to close off is setback distance.

In the Deputy’s contribution to the climate change debate he argued for the recognition of targets and the need for more targets. We must all acknowledge the extent of the contribution wind energy will make. In this context, the Deputy would want to be cognisant that while we need strong, fair guidelines that will deliver, given the complex issue of the requirements of our 2020 targets and good planning, the most important issue is that we get it right rather than rushing it.

I am hearing procrastination. We are not reaching our goal quickly enough. Planning applications are rolling in and planning permission is being given for wind farm developments. There is concern about the setback distances of these giant turbines. In the midlands and in Laois-Offaly, which I represent, huge turbines are being constructed. Some of the Minister's Labour Party colleagues are saying the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Alex White, is blocking the Minister. While Fine Gael is being blamed for other matters, in this case, the Ministers, Deputies Kelly and White, are being blamed. It is being reported in the newspaper that the Minister, Deputy White, as a Dublin representative, does not have much interest in this and is not overly concerned about giant turbines near people's homes. Will there be pro rata setback based on height, or will there be a standard, statutory limit of 500 m or 600 m, which would be useless for the size of turbines being constructed in the midlands?

The Deputy probably needs to put down a question to the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy White, to ask his opinions. Given that the Deputy has personalised this regarding my Labour Party colleagues-----

No, the Minister's Labour Party colleagues are personalising it. It was in the press.

Will the Deputy let me answer the question? If he talks to my Labour Party colleagues, he will find there is not one iota of a difference between us on the issue. He should talk to the Deputies and Senators.

This is a complex issue. I am very strong on the need for proper, good planning guidelines. I am well aware of the issues, projections and the type of turbines that are being planned. While I feel the need to ensure we have proper planning guidelines on it, we also need to ensure we get it right. The analysis is ongoing and I expect it to come to fruition in the near future.

Housing Provision

Mick Wallace

Ceist:

3. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on the unprecedented crisis in the Irish housing system, and the need for a significant shift in policy in order to deal with it; if he will consider establishing a new State body to deliver a social, affordable and rental house building and refurbishment programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38543/15]

We all accept that the primary objective of housing is to provide homes appropriate to need at an affordable price or rent. The policy of relying on private landlords to provide accommodation to vulnerable groups at a high cost to the Exchequer has been unwise and the Government should change direction. The Government is sourcing more than three quarters of social housing through the private sector. Does the Minister not think more housing should be built through local authorities directly by the Government?

A shortage of supply is at the heart of the current challenges in the housing sector and the Government is addressing this on a number of fronts. The Government’s Construction 2020 strategy, published last year, is aimed at addressing issues in the property and construction sectors and ensuring any bottlenecks that might impede the sector in meeting residential and non-residential demand are addressed. My Department and a range of other Departments and agencies are actively implementing the range of commitments set out in the strategy. In addition, NAMA is aiming to deliver a target of 20,000 residential units before the end of 2020, with 90% of these units to be in the greater Dublin area.

The Social Housing Strategy 2020 sets out clear, measurable actions and targets to increase the supply of social housing, reform delivery arrangements and meet the housing needs of all households on the social housing list. Social housing has been prioritised by this Government and over €1.7 billion in Exchequer and local authority self funding was allocated to the social housing strategy between the 2015 and 2016 budgets, to support the provision of more than 33,000 units. The Government’s capital plan goes beyond 2016 and commits €2.9 billion in capital funding towards social housing out to 2021.

In April 2015, we announced provisional funding allocations totalling €1.5 billion for all local authorities to meet an ambitious delivery target of 22,882 social housing units out to 2017. To date, €493 million has been allocated for the construction and acquisition of 2,900 units. Further project approvals will be announced in the near future. Establishing yet another body to deal with housing is neither necessary nor appropriate, particularly given the time and resources that would need to be diverted to such an endeavour.

Therefore, I do not believe the establishment of yet another body to deal with housing is either necessary or appropriate, particularly given the time involved and the resources that would need to be diverted into such an endeavour. We require delivery on the ground. The funding has been allocated and the targets have been set. The bars have been set high. We need to see local authorities and approved housing bodies delivering with the funds that have been allocated. We also need to see the private sector contributing in a real way to the increase in supply that is so badly needed, as we all know.

It is not just about supply. The suggestion that it is all about supply is a false notion. There was no shortage of supply seven or eight years ago, but there were huge affordability problems and rents were very high. The Minister of State has told us that NAMA will build 20,000 units. I remind him that they will be built on lands paid for by the taxpayer through the NAMA process. Why, in God's name, are we not putting more social houses on these lands? Some 90% of this activity involves the provision of private housing. It has been estimated that each of these houses will be sold for approximately €300,000. Will the Minister of State explain how this will benefit the various groups of people who need a house in Ireland today? No one on the social housing list can afford to buy a house at such a price. Many people in other categories cannot afford to pay €300,000 for a house. I have no problem with the 80% and 20% rules that have been laid down by the Central Bank, but I am not satisfied that the Government intends to supply enough social housing to meet the needs of those who cannot afford to buy in the private sector.

The Deputy has asked a critical question. He is right to ask why we do not have more social housing. We do not have to go back too far to find the obvious answer, which is that local authorities have not been building social housing to the necessary extent for the past ten to 15 years. There was an over-dependence on Part V private development. When such development stopped, the dividend in the form of the delivery of social housing from that avenue also stopped. We are now addressing the problem in that regard. If the cash in lieu measure introduced by the previous Government which essentially allowed developers to pay cash rather than delivering on their social housing obligations had not been introduced some years ago we would have over 10,000 additional units that we do not have today. I am glad to say the Government has removed the cash in lieu obligation. The Deputy's main question was related to the establishment of another housing body to deliver housing. I am saying clearly to him that the local authorities are the housing authorities. The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government is prioritising housing. The Minister, Deputy Alan Kelly, and I have allocated ring-fenced funding in our budgets. We are also working with the approved housing bodies. We are working with the private sector through public private partnerships and other avenues to deliver as many houses as possible. The simple establishment of another agency would not solve the problem. The angle being taken by the Government involves a multifaceted approach.

I do not disagree for one minute with the suggestion that the last Government made a hames of Part V. However, Part V was not a substitute for the construction of housing by local authorities. Under Part V, fewer than 5,000 social housing units were delivered in 15 years. It was a non-entity. The Government is relying on the approved housing agencies and the rent supplement scheme.

On the philosophy of local authorities, I remind the Minister of State who has said the local authorities stopped building houses that this happened because central government stopped giving them the money to build them. Central government needs to fund local authorities in order that they can start building again. There are 3,600 people on the social housing waiting list in County Wexford. Fewer than 100 of the 760 houses to will be supplied in the next five years will be built by the council. Local authorities will still not build social housing. I insist that the housing crisis will continue until the Government changes its philosophy and decides to build social housing through the local authorities from scratch. It will not be done overnight, but it has to be started.

I am happy to report to the Deputy that over 200 construction sites have been approved in various local authority areas throughout the country and more will be approved. In the next few weeks submissions will be made by the approved housing bodies with the support of local authorities. They will receive further approval for construction. As the Deputy knows from his background in this area, when construction projects are approved, they have to go through the Part 8 planning system. That process is already under way. They then have to be tendered for by contractors. Local authorities are reporting that many contractors have been engaged. The works can then commence on site. We are starting to see them commencing. I have opened a few around the country, as has the Minister, Deputy Alan Kelly, and we expect to open more in the coming months. The Deputy is right when he suggests we cannot be over-dependent on a single sector. However, that is the problem we have inherited and are dealing with. By making legislative changes and providing additional budgets, we are trying to bring a multifaceted approach to the solution to this problem. I was at a meeting yesterday that was attended by Ministers from Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales. They are experiencing the same problems that we are experiencing. They are looking at our strategy of developing innovative ways to deliver new housing as quickly as possible, for example, by using public private partnerships and working with approved housing bodies. The Deputy is right when he says this will not happen overnight. We are doing everything in our power to deliver housing as soon as possible.

Social and Affordable Housing Data

Robert Troy

Ceist:

4. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on whether the 2015 to 2017 targets for capital and current funded social housing units under the social housing strategy 2020 are out of date, given that they are based on social housing waiting list applicant numbers from the housing needs assessment of 2013, rather than the numbers of local authority waiting list applicants for 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38546/15]

Deputy Robert Troy is substituting for Deputy Barry Cowen.

In the light of the unprecedented number of families on social housing waiting lists and the unprecedented number of people who are homeless, I ask for an update on the social provision targets for 2015. How many housing units have been commenced this year? How many housing units have been completed - fully constructed and occupied - so far this year?

I thank the Deputy for his question which essentially relates to the whole social housing strategy, the targets for capital and current funding and the needs-based assessments carried out by the Government in 2013. The target in the 2020 social housing strategy is for 110,000 social housing units to be provided by means of a mixture of direct provision by local authorities and approved housing bodies and indirect provision through the private rental market, mainly utilising the housing assistance payment. This targeted provision will meet the needs of the 89,872 households nationally that were identified in the 2013 summary of social housing assessments as being qualified and in need of social housing support. There is some flexibility for increased demand. Some 46,584 households, or 52% of the those identified in the 2013 assessment, were found to be dependent on rent supplement, which was meant to be a short-term measure. Over time, the housing assistance payment will provide a more suitable solution for those on rent supplement with a long-term housing need.

In its analysis of the 2013 social housing assessments the Housing Agency concluded that 35,000 new social housing units would be required in the following five years. The social housing strategy which provides for the delivery of these units has been supported in successive budgets. Over €1.7 billion in Exchequer and local authority self-funding has been allocated between 2015 and 2016. The 2013 summary of assessments was compiled on foot of a rigorous and deep analysis which involved local authorities contacting individual households to confirm their continued requirement and qualification for social housing support. It involved a comprehensive quality assurance exercise on the data, including the elimination of duplicate households. It is not methodologically sound to compare this comprehensive data collection exercise with a snapshot of housing need in a given county at a point in time in 2015, as the Deputy has done. I recognise that we need up-to-date and comprehensive data on housing need on an ongoing basis. To ensure we have such information, the strategy includes a commitment to undertake housing assessments on an annual basis from 2016 onwards.

The Minister of State has not answered my question about what has been commenced and completed this year. He has spoken about what is happening in working towards the 2020 social housing strategy which I suggest is based on flawed figures from the 2013 report. It alludes to the presence of 90,000 people on housing waiting lists, but my colleague has discovered on foot of freedom of information requests he has submitted that there has been a 43% increase in the numbers on the lists. I suggest there are some 130,000 people on them. Just two rounds of funding have been announced so far this year and €39 million has been drawn down this year on foot of these two rounds. The Minister of State has suggested the Government is working towards a certain figure or target, but what is happening now? Some 3,000 voids are lying idle and there is a cap of 30,000 on voids. What is going to be done in that regard? There is a situation where-----

I ask the Deputy to put his question as he is over time.

The question remains the same. How many units have been commenced this year? How many will be completed this year through acquisitions, the refurbishment of voids or construction? Perhaps the Minister of State might answer this straightforward question.

I can give a quick and straight answer on voids.

More than 2,000 voids were turned around by local authorities last year and more than 1,000 will be turned around this year. At a meeting, the County and City Management Association, CCMA, which represents the heads of local authorities, assured the Minister and me that there would be few or no voids in their areas by the middle of next year. They are being provided with funding and we expect them to have those houses turned around efficiently. We have set them a target. They need to deliver.

The Government has been accused of using a flawed methodology in the housing need assessment. The Housing Agency, an independent body, was engaged to conduct a deep, research-based analysis in which direct contact was made with every applicant on the housing list. People's circumstances were assessed and reported accordingly. What the Fianna Fáil Opposition is proposing is a snapshot of housing lists around the country but that is flawed because some people have duplicate applications on different lists and others' circumstances are changing.

Deputy Troy asked a couple of questions. We expect to deliver approximately 7,500 social housing units this year. We have allocated more than €800 million this year across various housing programmes, for example, local authorities, approved housing bodies and public-private partnerships.

I will allow the Minister of State back in later.

Every avenue for delivering housing is being prioritised by the Government. Now, it is a matter of delivering on that. People must step up to the mark.

Everyone must step up to the mark except the Government which states it is the fault of the councils and everyone else. It is actually this Government's fault. For the past four years, it has cut funding to local authorities.

This is more of it now.

This is why they have not been in a position to construct houses and the Minister of State was not in a position to say that any house had been constructed this year. Local authorities have not been given the funding to do so. The Minister of State referred to making funds available for doing up voids but the Government cut that amount by €6 million in the past 12 months. There are 100 voids in Longford in my constituency. Given the process through which the Department makes local authorities go, they do not have the autonomy to work through their voids.

A question, please.

They must get the Department's approval at every stage. It is time the Minister of State realised that we have a crisis. Announcement after announcement or the Minister, Deputy Kelly, visiting Mullingar to open houses-----

I am sorry, Deputy, but this is Question Time.

-----that have been occupied for six months is no good. We want turf turned on the ground, houses constructed and voids addressed but none of that is happening.

Is the Deputy saying that we should not have given them the funding? Should we have given them nothing at all?

This is Question Time. It is not for statements.

We all agree that shouting, ranting and raving will not resolve the problem for any housing applicant. We need a delivery strategy. When the Minister and I took office last year, our first act was to secure adequate funding in the Department's budget to provide for an ambitious social housing strategy. More than €4 billion across five years will be provided. I have already outlined that more than 7,000 new units will be delivered this year. This figure includes direct builds and direct acquisitions by local authorities-----

How many direct builds?

-----because they are now being funded to buy houses where value for money can be achieved in areas of high demand. I urge the Deputy to ask his local authority about what it is doing with the funding that is being provided by the Government. I urge all Deputies to do likewise. Funding is not the problem. This is now a question of delivering the strategy.

As public representatives, we must all tackle a strange statistic.

I am sorry but we must move on.

The number of refusals of first offers of housing is too high. It has reached approximately 40% in some local authority areas. We must address this issue. Existing stock is being offered to people but more than 40% of them are refusing it.

Private Rented Accommodation Price Controls

Brian Stanley

Ceist:

5. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the measures his Government is putting in place to deal with the problem of escalating rents in the private rental sector. [38589/15]

My question relates to the crisis in the private rental sector of the numbers becoming homeless and the families that are being squeezed out of private rented accommodation because of the lack of action on rent certainty or rent controls. We just discussed housing waiting lists. They are being added to by the day because, unlike other states, we do not have effective rent controls.

I thank the Deputy. A shortage of supply is at the heart of rising rents and the Government is addressing it on a number of fronts. Construction 2020 is aimed at dealing with issues in the property and construction sectors and ensuring that any bottleneck that might impede the sector in meeting demand is addressed. It is being worked through constantly. As the House knows, social housing has been prioritised by the Government, with more than €1.7 billion in Exchequer and local authority self-funding allocated to the social housing strategy between the 2015 and 2016 budgets to support the provision of more than 33,000 units. The €4 billion social housing package for the entire country is the largest in the history of the State. More than 200 sites are being developed.

The key to addressing upward pressure on rents is an increase in the supply of public and private housing. In 2014, the number of house completions was 11,016 nationally, an increase of 33% on the 2013 figure. The latest figures for new house completions show that 8,914 units were completed to the end of September 2015, up 14% on the corresponding figure for 2014. As announced in budget 2016, NAMA aims to deliver a target of 20,000 residential units before the end of 2020, with 90% of these to be in the greater Dublin area. This will be a positive contribution.

In addition to these measures, I continue to work on proposals that address the issue of rising rents. The level of increases in rent, particularly in the greater Dublin area and, to a lesser extent, Cork and Galway, presents a serious challenge. Any decision on this issue is a matter for the Government and it is my intention to bring proposals to same in the near future.

I thank the Minister for his reply but he sidestepped my question to some extent in that he blamed the problem of rising rents on supply. There is a plentiful supply of houses in County Laois where I live, given the number of properties lying vacant despite being value for money. The same applies in south County Kildare. I remind the Minister that rents did not collapse during the property boom when we were building 90,000 houses per year. In fact, they increased.

The flood of people becoming homeless has turned into a torrent. Many are being squeezed out. Rents have increased by more than 35% since the Government entered office. The Labour Party Minister reduced the threshold-----

I am sorry but will the Deputy put a question, please? He has four seconds left.

-----for rent allowance as well as the amount of rent supplement. What effective measures will be taken? There are two problems, those being the limit for rent supplement, which-----

I am sorry but other Deputies are waiting to ask their questions.

-----is too low, and the amount of rent allowance that is made available. What effective measures will be taken to stem the tide?

I ask Members to stick to their time. It is unfair to other Deputies who come to the Chamber in the hope that they will be able to have their ordinary questions answered if too much time is taken up by Priority Questions.

It was strange to remark that supply was not the issue. Of course it is. If there is enough supply, people have options in the market and rents will not be as high. In the long term, the most important issue is private and public supply. We just discussed the social housing programme in detail. The €4 billion package will take four years to implement but it will help with supply. Construction is the only sector in the country that has not repaired itself. Once it has undergone that process, there will also be supply on the private side but it will take more time. The Government is considering a number of measures to address the lag in supply that will exist in the coming years. However, there are some-----

I am sorry but we have gone over time. I will allow the Minister back in later.

A recent Simon Community survey found that no house was available for rent in the Portlaoise area within the rent limits set by the Government.

Those are the facts. Some 90% of rents are above the limits set across the State and there is no house for rent in the Portlaoise area within those limits. The limit for a family of four is €480, with a portion allocated as rent allowance, depending on income. I checked those limits again this morning.

It seems like there is a blockage by vested interests. There have been widespread reports of the Minister and his Fine Gael colleague in Cabinet having a head-to-head on this.

Would you mind putting a question, please?

There has been talk of Kalashnikovs and everything else.

The Deputy would know more about them than I would.

Does the army council know about it?

Put the question as we are over time.

What is the Minister doing to remove these roadblocks if they are being erected by his Fine Gael colleagues?

I ask the Minister to reply.

Will the Minister of State, Deputy Coffey, play his role in trying to resolve the matter?

We have a good package between us, so do not worry. It is more than what Sinn Féin is offering.

This is a serious problem.

Resume your seat.

When will we see rent controls? The people on the street do not find this funny. It is serious.

Did you hear me? Resume your seat.

It is very serious. When will we have rent control?

The Deputy is playing games with his inflammatory language.

This applies to the Deputy and the Ministers. Please stick to the allocated time. That is why we have clocks. They are not ornaments; they are for a purpose.

The Deputy's response was very ironic. There is no issue with vested interests in any form and I would not tolerate that in any way. I am not under the control of any form of vested interest.

A small percentage of landlords are trying to act in an unscrupulous way, which is unacceptable. However, we also need landlords to supply stock because we need a mixture of social and private housing. The issue is how we can ensure more supply and measures for the coming years while that supply is being put in place to ensure people believe there will not be unjust rent hikes.

The Minister is over his time.

The Private Residential Tenancies Board is doing much work in the area and I presume the Deputy has seen the awareness campaigns.

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