Will the Leader considering inviting the Minister, Deputy Simon Coveney, to the House to explain and give some rationale for a proposal that was announced in the national media yesterday about the provision of €200 million for a critical infrastructure fund? We know that there is a social and affordable housing crisis. Everyone in politics and public life knows this, as do citizens, yet it seems to be taking so long to address it. From talking to councillors right around the country we know that critical infrastructure is short in many places. We know that many bad planning decisions were made where no critical infrastructure was provided on land that had been zoned by people of all parties and none across local government. We also know that the Planning and Development Act clearly provides for sections 48 and 49 levy schemes for planning permissions to provide for contributions by developers in respect of development and that ultimately they would be ring-fenced for critical infrastructure to aid, assist and bring about these developments.

I refer, in particular, to housing. It is great that, yesterday and the day before, the Minister made a host of announcements in the media that funding for housing was coming, which is welcome. It is interesting that the Minister has hit the ground running with announcements, but they must go a little further. I note that in today's edition of The Irish Times there is a correction regarding these announcements yesterday in the media and that this funding will not come until the back end of 2017. I ask the Leader for clarification in this regard because, throughout the country, approvals for planning permission are withering on the vine because developers cannot get projects off the ground as a result of the lack of infrastructure and bad planning in preparing for that infrastructure. More importantly, in some cases it is not viable and I was informed the other day of a cost of €45,000 for critical infrastructure before one even got going. As that will not happen, Members must face up to the reality. A continuous supply of affordable and social housing is needed and I look forward to partaking in the debate on homelessness later because this also is part of the subject. However, I ask the Leader to invite the Minister into the Chamber to clarify what this fund is, when will it come on stream and where he will allocate it.