In the context of Rebuilding Ireland, there are 53 acres of council owned landbanks throughout County Louth. We are almost a decade into the housing crisis. The Taoiseach and the Government have been in government for the past seven years. The landbanks have also been there for that length of time and longer. There are more than 4,000 people and families on the housing waiting list in Louth, many of whom have been waiting for over nine years. There are more people on the housing waiting list in Louth than the entire council-owned housing stock in the county. This shows the significance of the housing crisis in County Louth.

However, the Government is still refusing to build social housing on these landbanks. Approximately 20 minutes ago the Taoiseach said money was no object in the roll-out of house building but that sites were a problem. Not for the first time, I am telling the Government that there are 53 acres of local authority-owned land in County Louth. As we have the sites and money is no object, when will the Government roll out a social housing building programme in County Louth on council-owned landbanks which sit idle and barren in the midst of a crisis?

Louth County Council has done some excellent work in using its own CPO powers to bring properties back into use as social housing. We are trying to use it as a template for local authorities nationally which are not doing it as well as Louth County Council. In the next two weeks I will be writing to the chief executives of all local authorities, as well as to every councillor and Member of the Dáil, with the targets for each local authority area. They will be able to see exactly what social housing is to be delivered on each of their landbanks.