Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

My question is similar to the one I put to the CIF. I seek a breakdown of the cost of building a house. I generally agree that there has to be a national strategy and that it has to come from somewhere such as a ministry. I have always argued that the right to property brings with it responsibility. It always seems to fail on this aspect in the private end of things. I would like the delegates to develop the idea of a national strategy. They will obviously have to take on board the fact that land is cheaper in some areas than in others and also the question of caps on land prices. They will also have to consider targeting areas where houses need to be built, in addition to private developers coming in at the back of this.

What is the delegates' thinking on how great the profit margin should be? Should it be 10%, 20% or otherwise? Keeping construction costs down over time will be very difficult. There will be people seeking extra money in the selling of materials, including cement. That plays a part. May I, please, have a breakdown of the labour costs involved?