Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice has called on Minister Simon Coveney to “fast-track” the building of local authority houses.
“The paltry figures for the building of local authority houses around the country are shocking in the midst of a major housing emergency” Deputy Fitzmaurice said.
“The figures show that in the entire country there were just 2,076 local authority houses built in 2016 and they also show that no local authority houses at all were built in Roscommon, Longford and Leitrim in 2016, which is amazing.”
Deputy Fitzmaurice said that he appreciated that Minister Coveney is “doing his best to sort out this crisis” but the Independent TD feels there are problems within the Department.
“The systems (within the Department) for dealing with the building of local authority houses are not fit for purpose. Someone will have to get in there and sort it out as soon as possible. There seems to be more interest in completing drawings and filling out forms than in getting the work done.
“Remember also that apart from anything else, local authorities building houses will also create local employment. The Minister will have to oversee the introduction of a system whereby the building of local authority houses can be fast-tracked. Let’s get on with the work in every county.”
