Minister of State, Patrick O’Donovan has said that the country’s four largest local authorities (in Dublin) need to “step up” when it comes to providing sites for modular housing.
The response from “the big four” had been “very disappointing” he told RTÉ radio’s News at One.
"There had been very good progress in the rest of the country with modular schemes completed in Cork and Claremorris, in Sligo, Cavan and Thurles with others in Offaly and Laois in progress.
“Some local authorities have really engaged with this, as have their local authority members, because, if we're talking about housing for all, then this is exactly what it should be.
"What we have proven through the course of this is that modern methods of construction in single storey and also on Department of Agriculture lands we're now looking at the concept of two storey buildings.
Mr O’Donovan said that of the target of 700, 514 have been completed, but that there was a shortage of sites for 186.
“We're still in discussions with some of the public bodies who haven't been maybe quite as energetic as they should be around providing us with land.
"Some of the smaller local authorities have been the most helpful. If you look at where these are based at the moment they are in rural and provincial Ireland in small local authorities with limited space. The larger ones need to step up.
“This problem is not going to go away. We have these houses. And any local authority member or any local authority chief executive or director of service is welcome to come into an OPW site.
"These are a new generation of housing that will really set a discussion loose in this country as to where modern methods of construction go. And we would welcome any local authority member who wants to see exactly what we've constructed on any of our sites.”
