Today's Order of Business is No. 1, statements on public service broadcasting and social media regulation, to be taken at 12.45 p.m. and to be adjourned at 2.05 p.m, with the contribution of group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes and those of all other Senators not to exceed five minutes.

We will not be asking the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Denis Naughten, to come into the House to discuss his other issues.

The Leader cannot hear Senator Mark Daly because of interruptions.

He cannot hear, full stop.

I speak in a personal capacity and as a Senator. For a Minister to say he is speaking in a personal capacity on an issue to do with his own Department defies belief and credibility. He needs to explain what he is doing.

Something else which needs to be explained is the fanciful figure-making represented by the recent pronouncements by the Government on house building. Lorcan Sirr was on "Morning Ireland" this morning and filleted the numbers, as well as the spin put on them by the Taoiseach's spin unit, which obviously has not gone out of existence. The Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Damien English, was in Cork last week and said the Government had built 7,000 houses. The cumulative figure for social housing from July 2016 to date was put at 2,592 which, less the total completed in 2016 of 652, gave a subtotal for 2017, including Part V houses, of 1,940. Without the Part V houses it was 3,000 and the total local authority and social housing build completed in 2017 was 1,640. One would have to have a PhD as Lorcan Sirr does to read the report. The report states in one place that Part V houses are not included but elsewhere states that they are included. The Government's report is lying to itself - quite an achievement by any Government. The Government has to get a handle on the facts before it can get a handle on the housing issue. At the moment, it is making up its own facts.

I wish to propose an amendment to the Order of Business, which is that we take No. 61, motion 14, on the Order Paper. The motion states, "That Seanad Éireann recognises the outstanding achievement of the Storm Lake Times Newspaper, Storm Lake, Iowa, winning the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing by its editor Mr. Art Cullen, whose ancestors came from Ireland."

This Saturday there is a memorial mass for Fr. Joseph Cullen, who was the last surviving son of the 1916 leaders. He was in Kilmainham Gaol the night before his father was executed. He was two and a half years of age. The last letter from his father told him, "My little man, be a priest if you can". Fr. Joseph ended up as a missionary priest in Hong Kong, where he served for over 60 years. I had the honour of sending him a birthday card on his 100th birthday and he wrote back to me. He said he had got a letter from the then Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, congratulating him on reaching his 100th birthday and one from Sinn Féin but he had only written back to Sinn Féin. On his 102nd birthday I organised two first class tickets for him to return to Ireland for the 100th anniversary of the Rising. I rang him up to ask him if he had got them and he said he had, but "too old". I told him to see how he felt the following year but he said it was not that he himself was too old. It was that his doctor was too old, at 85 years of age. He passed away at the honourable age of 104 and we should remember him and his family for their great sacrifice.

Well said.

Is the Senator formally moving an amendment to the Order of Business?

Yes.

It will be at the discretion of the Leader.

I second the amendment to the Order of Business. I thank the Leader for conveying to the Minister and the Department the need to publish the list of targets for social housing to be built by the 31 local authorities across this country for 2018. I sit on the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government and we received the information at 8.30 a.m. today. It was a surprise to members of the committee and was certainly a surprise to me, as I was up earlier in the morning and had read the reports in all the national newspapers, which were briefed yesterday afternoon by the Department. It was quite extraordinary.

I took out a file to look at correspondence with the Department, which had indicated that it would convey the information but chose to go to the media before going to the political Chambers, something which the Department is asked to do.

The issue is best illustrated by The Examiner, a newspaper with which the Leader is familiar. I checked with the Department this morning and the figures from The Examiner are those that have been agreed. I will read them out. The Government has committed to building 115 social houses in County Carlow, 41 in County Cavan, 29 in County Clare, 249 in Cork city-----

That is not correct.

It is correct.

The Senator is wrong and should correct the record. It is build, acquire and lease.

May I have the floor, please?

The Leader will have ample time to correct Senator Boyhan's figures if they are wrong.

I am citing local authorities' direct targets for the building of social housing.

I presume the Senator is quoting from a newspaper.

Not only am I citing figures from a newspaper but I am also referring to documents I received today from the joint committee and Department.

The Senator cannot rely on those.

The figures are for the direct construction of social housing in the 31 local authorities and have nothing to do with bringing voids back into use. The commitment given is to build 249 social houses in Cork city, 235 in County Cork, 104 in County Donegal and 1,045 in Dublin city. The figures show that thousands of people are waiting for social housing in Dublin city. The number of new social houses to be built by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is 183, while the figure for Fingal County Council is 408. In County Kerry, 140 social houses are to be built, while the figures for counties Kildare, Leitrim, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo and Wicklow are 217, 23, 69, 269, 46, 19, 41, 34 and 156, respectively. I challenge the Leader to contradict me and if I am wrong, I will accept that. However, if I am right, I expect the Leader to apologise on the record of the House.

The Senator is being selective.

I reiterate that these are the direct build targets sent to each and every chief executive this morning. I have a copy with me and if someone wishes to challenge me on the figures, I will be pleased to debate the issue. I challenge the Leader to contradict me. If he chooses to do so, I will respond in greater detail.

The Senator may not challenge the Leader when he is speaking.

I fully accept that.