I wish to raise again the Francis Street development in Ennis. These are the six houses that were purchased with a view to knocking them down and eventually building a mixed-use development. On 23 March last year, I raised the matter with the leader of Fianna Fáil, the Tánaiste, Deputy Micheál Martin, who stated: "we should be making those houses fit for habitation and allocate them because development of the kind the Deputy mentioned will take a long time." Nevertheless, in March of this year, the day before a challenge to those plans was to be heard in the High Court, the houses were demolished by the council. Yesterday, the council held a meeting and stated that it would be three years before there would be shovels in the ground. The people who would otherwise be in those houses - including a three-bedroom house built less than 30 years ago - can look at fancy bollards paid for with their own taxpayers' money promising something into the future. Is the housing crisis over? Are these executives accountable to anybody or do they operate like sun gods in their own little realm?

Clare County Council is the housing authority for County Clare.

I am familiar with this case. Thankfully, Clare County Council is building many more homes than heretofore. I have always told all local authorities to use existing stock where they can to house people. We are doing that across the country. The decision taken in respect of that specific scheme was taken by Clare County Council. As such, this is a matter for the council.