Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Most of the key areas have been covered and I will not go back over them, but I want to focus on a couple of points. The 10% to 15% target for the local authorities in regard to social housing is an area that has to be reconsidered. No one is arguing for 100% large estate builds but there is a problem if the local authorities are heavily involved in building that 10% to 15%, and I think this should be looked on as a limit.

I want to give the Minister my personal thoughts on this and get his view. The local authorities entering into the market, buying houses on an ever greater scale, even at this moment are beginning to create a distortion in that part of the market in which they are trying to buy. I have been contacted by people who, on a number of occasions, have lost out to the local authority - these would be people who were trying to buy at a particular price point. It is a supply-side issue. We need to build, and I know that, but if the local authorities enter too much on the buying side, there is a problem, so that balance needs to be looked at.

I am not looking to have a row with the Minister. I have met him on many occasions and respect him. However, as a former councillor who has voted for every single Part VIII that came before my council, I do not like terminology that refers to, in particular, hypocrisy on the part of public representatives who make a decision for what they believe to be legitimate reasons, even if the Minister said this only refers to some of them.

A councillor can be 100% in favour of the principle, and probably every elected representative is, and still have a right as a public representative to examine any issue that comes before him or her and make a decision.