Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have a question. That should be obvious at this stage. This applies to all the wise people as well. To what extent has the ILCU examined the prospect of entering into a public private partnership with the local authorities which have direct responsibility for providing local authority housing? Has the ILCU thought of the possibility of reintroducing what used to be funded by the local loan fund through the local authorities, whereby first-time buyers, such as junior civil servants, local authority workers or anybody in the public sector or private sector, was able to get a local authority loan directly and provide himself or herself with a house through his or her own means, with the help of the local authority and the ILCU? For God's sake, could we get away from this reliance on approved housing bodies? They have a speciality or a niche at which they are best. As I have often said, that is in the special housing requirement areas.