Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill referred to the budget. As he said, this is our last Order of Business before the budget announcements next Tuesday. The motion we will take after the Order of Business will re-order our business for Tuesday. Colleagues will wish to know that we will have statements on budget 2016 after the Order of Business on Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Many colleagues will wish to raise some of the issues they have raised today in that debate.

Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill raised, in particular, the issues of housing and homelessness. I could not match Senator Aideen Hayden's response to him in terms of its eloquence and her expertise in this area. The great expertise in housing policy that she brings to the debate is acknowledged across the House. I echo her words that the origins of the housing and homelessness crisis lie in the failure to deliver any social housing whatsoever during the lifetime of the previous Fianna Fáil and Progressive Democrats Government and, as she mentioned, the rowing back on Part V of the Act, which would have enabled the provision of 25,000 extra social houses. The ideology of light touch regulation, in particular, bailouts and backhanders is what led us to the crisis. We must be clear about this. As Senator Aideen Hayden said, the Government is committed to the most ambitious social housing programme in the history of the State. The social housing strategy 2020 which was published in November 2014 will deliver an ambitious target of more than 110,000 social housing units by 2020.

The priority given to the strategy is evidenced by the additional €2.2 billion announced for it in budget 2015.

A number of colleagues referred to the homelessness crisis, which is, undoubtedly, serious, disturbing and distressing, as we all will acknowledge. I would like to address a number of practical steps being taken to address it, about which colleagues will wish to hear. The problems and the high rates of homelessness arise from the chronic lack of supply of housing which is causing knock-on problems for the property market and wider society. As Senator Susan O'Keeffe pointed out, religious orders that have vacant properties have been invited to provide them. However, other steps are being taken at Government and local authority level. In particular, there is a policy of returning void units to use. Many of us may be surprised by the number of such units that could be brought back into use. For example, Dublin City Council has reported 633 vacant units to date, with a projected total of 765 to year end.

Therefore, all the Government has to do is provide the money for the city council and that will solve the problem.

The Deputy Leader to continue, without interruption.

A 2015 allocation of €37.16 million has been confirmed in homeless funding for the Dublin region. The Dublin region homeless executive has confirmed its expenditure to end-August was €33.54 million. Last week the Government approved the immediate initiation of a programme for early delivery of 500 units of modular housing to address the most urgent and pressing needs, while the task force on social housing and homelessness has been established and meets on a weekly basis to oversee identification and delivery of properties to accommodate homeless families in the Dublin region. Colleagues want to know about practical delivery and outputs. This process has overseen the delivery of a NAMA property - an apartment block in south Dublin. It is operating as a 65-unit homeless facility, with a single assessment centre for homeless families. The acquisition of 100 further units to be ring-fenced for homeless units is in progress. There is also a debate about tenancy protection measures and we hope for further announcements.

Dublin City Council faces a shortfall of €6 million. This is more waffle.

The Deputy Leader to continue, without interruption.

Colleagues asked for a response and I am giving it.

It is good spin.

I am outlining a clear set of practical steps that have been taken. I also have more rhetorical responses, but I am trying to focus on what is being practically delivered to inform colleagues of outputs rather than simply reading about aspirations.

The Government can set any target it likes.

A number of Senators referred to NAMA's role in housing delivery. NAMA funding delivered 40% of the 3,259 new housing units in Dublin in 2014. During the first half of this year, the agency funded the delivery of 50% of new input in Dublin and is on track to deliver 4,500 units in the city by the end of 2016. Clearly, practical steps are being taken and we are seeing outputs. It is important that colleagues be informed when they contribute to this debate. As I said previously, I will look for a comprehensive debate on the issues of housing and homelessness which Senator Aideen Hayden, in particular, has sought for some time.

Senator Paul Coghlan referred to the Private Members' motion tabled by my Labour Party colleagues, Senators John Whelan and Denis Landy, calling on the Government to undertake a review of the State Claims Agency. There was consensus in the House on the need for such a review, given the distressing cases about which we had heard recently where families had been put through lengthy and arduous and confrontational litigation processes, which ended in settlements very late in the day. The State Claims Agency was supposed to address this issue. As was said, it is good news for the House that following the debate, the Minister of State, Deputy Ann Phelan, committed to undertaking a review of the agency and how it handled claims. She also said the review would consider the introduction of a no fault system with particular principles and proposals that would not increase claim costs or the amounts paid in legal fees at the expense of deserving cases. I commend Senators John Whelan and Denis Landy for raising the issue. I worked with them in drafting the motion. It is the sort of motion that shows the Seanad at its best in terms of delivering change which we hope will follow the review announced by the Minister of State. It is welcome that she took it on board. Senator Sean D. Barrett also welcomed her response. He also noted the 150th anniversary of Magee College in Derry, which has 4,000 students. I am sure all Members will join him in wishing them every success and enjoyment of their celebrations next week. It provides a lesson in cross-community relations north of the Border.

Senator Aideen Hayden referred, again in eloquent terms, to the steps being taken in the construction of social housing. In particular, she noted Governor Honohan's point about the equity gap and the lack of access to finance for developers and the need to tackle this issue. She also referred to the ESRI's study of homelessness. I have addressed the steps being taken to tackle this issue. Clearly, it is a crisis and urgent measures need to be adopted.

Senator Denis O'Donovan raised the issues of homelessness and housing delivery by NAMA in the context of the budget.

Senator Michael D'Arcy called for a debate on the issue of domestic violence and, in particular, the report of the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality in this regard. I am happy to address that issue. The Senator also referred to the plight of the Yazidi community in the Middle East. I raised this issue during our debate on the situation in Syria with the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Sean Sherlock. Like the Senator, I heard the woman MP from the Yazidi community on radio this morning. She is the only Yazidi representative in the Iraqi Parliament. She spoke in graphic and distressing terms about the appalling abuses that were being perpetrated on her community and I have asked the Minister of State to make the community a priority in the allocation of Irish aid in the region and a priority when it comes to determining refugee status in our resettlement programme which is under way.

Senator Diarmuid Wilson also welcomed the SA motion and referred to the housing crisis, an issue I have addressed. He also asked me as leader of the Labour Party in the Seanad for my assessment of a general election announcement. I can only demonstrate the unity between Fine Gael and the Labour Party as I am ad idem with the Leader, Senator Maurice Cummins, on the issue. Earlier this week he said there would be another four months of sittings and that the general election would be held in February or March 2016.

What about the position of the Senator's party leader on the issue?

I am at one with the Leader of the Seanad on the matter.

Is the Deputy Leader ad idem with her party leader on the issue? Is it an agreed position?

I am certainly at one with the Tánaiste on it also.

Does Senator Paul Coghlan agree?

Therefore, we can assume the general election will be held on 11 March.

That is my view.

Does Senator Paul Coghlan agree?

The Taoiseach will want to go skiing in January.