I thank the 24 Senators who contributed on the Order of Business. I will begin by responding to Senator Ardagh and the other Members who spoke about the issue of housing. They were Senators Humphreys, Boyhan, Murnane O'Connor, Ó Clochartaigh and Noone. It is important to work together collectively to ensure the provision and supply of social housing and housing for first-time buyers, the major issue of our time, will be addressed. It ill behoves Senator Ardagh to describe the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Coveney, as having his eye off the ball. To be fair to him, he has probably been the most proactive Minister in his portfolio that I have seen in my ten years in the Houses of the Oireachtas. Certainly, he has his eye on no other contest than ensuring people will be housed and that the availability of housing will be increased. I draw the attention of Members to the remarks today of the chairperson of Threshold, former Senator Aideen Hayden, on the Sean O'Rourke programme. She referred to the decrease in the rate of increase, reaching a peak and signs that the market had stabilised. It is important to recognise that we have come through the worst housing crisis in the history of the State. At the risk of creating a political row which I do not want to do, I note in response to the the Senators opposite that Fianna Fáil presided over the worst recession to hit the construction and banking industries and which had a devastating effect.

Fine Gael has been in government for six years.

I understand that, but Fianna Fáil cannot absolve itself, although I know that Senator Ardagh was not there at the time. It is about ensuring we will have supply, availability and an increase in the number of first-time buyers. We all meet people in our constituency clinics and offices who cannot get onto the housing ladder and are finding it difficult to find social housing. We must ensure those who are citizens and members of our own community have access to finance. We must ensure local authorities can fix voids. The Government is committed to doing so through its action plan.

On the number of houses available in Dublin, I heard what Senator Humphreys had to say. I will be happy to have the Minister come back to the House to specifically discuss the issue. However, to say nothing is happening is not correct. The Government which was criticised has committed to making an investment of €5.35 billion to deliver 47,000 social homes by the end of 2021. That is an ambitious target to which the Government has committed to supply social housing. In many local authority areas there are projects which are commencing or which have already commenced. People are being put into houses. I accept that it is not happening quick enough, but I stress the point that we have come through the worst recession in our history. The building industry was decimated. Let us have another conversation when we review the action plan for housing and homelessness and discuss how we can incentivise the construction sector to build houses more quickly. Sinn Féin Members will then have to question their own modus operandi in opposing developers at all times. They have cast them aside as pariahs in the construction sector. One needs builders to build in association with local authorities under local area plans and with the Government committed to delivering money. It is a circle in which we all need to put aside our political baggage to ensure we will deliver houses for people. I wish it could happen at the flick of a switch, but Rebuilding Ireland has key components which the Minister is committed to implementing with the Minister of State, Deputy English. I challenge any Member to question the sincerity of the Minister and the Minister of State in the delivery of social housing and ensuring we will see an end to the blight on all of our political calendars.

He made a decision that made it worse.

We have to read it again. I am quite happy-----

It is getting worse. The rates are going up.

I am quite happy to scrutinise the remarks that Senator Diarmuid Wilson rightly made about Sinn Féin's commitment in government in the North of our country in delivering housing. I canvassed in the Assembly election and the second issue that people mentioned to me in the North-----

Try standing a few candidates.

-----was the issue of housing.

It was Senator Buttimer's friends in the SDLP-----

Let us make it quite clear-----

It was the Senator's friends in the SDLP that did not build any housing. Was it the SDLP that the Leader was canvassing for?

The Government is committed-----

Senator Ó Donnghaile, please.

I am glad the Cathaoirleach is protecting me.

I protected the House from the Senator when he was trying to interject earlier, so I have to be balanced. Allow the Leader to continue.

The Government has announced €226 million of enabling infrastructure investment to facilitate the supply and construction of 23,000 homes by 2021. That is the yardstick we can be measured on. Senator Ó Clochartaigh knows full well that one cannot just build a house in 90 seconds. It takes a bit of time.

It does not take six years.

This Government is committed to doing that and I am very happy that our record will be judged-----

Six years later.

-----on that when we come to scrutiny.

Senator Craughwell raised the issue of the matter he has addressed in the House before. I am aware of the Senator's commitment and interest in our security and our Defence Forces. Again, as I said to the Senator - I fully understand his bona fides on this - I have spoken to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Minister of State at the Department of Defence, and I have asked them to speak to the Senator. I am not sure if that has happened, and, if not, we will make it happen. This is a matter of national security.

It is in the public interest.

It is important that we balance the public interest that the Senator speaks about with the greater good of national security. If he watched yesterday, in another chamber in the United States where former acting Attorney General Sally Yates was asked about matters of national security, she did not answer. The same thing applies here. We cannot compromise our national security, but I am happy that the Government is engaging in national security. It has co-operated in ensuring that our neutrality is upheld and that we are doing the right thing.

We are not telling the people in charge of national security-----

I would be happy to have the Minister of State speak to the Senator. I had a conversation with the Minister of State to arrange that briefing for the Senator. I am not sure if it took place or not, but if it has not, I would be happy to facilitate that.