Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

So far, the suggestions I have are in different categories and do not necessarily overlap. However, I have made a commitment to Deputy Michael McGrath that I will commission an independent impact assessment of the help-to-buy scheme with a view to examining the general impact under the headings he has suggested. That will be done in September 2017. On that basis he dropped his amendments and is accepting the commitment I made.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett proposed that there be a more extensive assessment of the cost of building local authority houses and that a comparison be made with the cost of building private houses. That matter should be referred to the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government.

The third proposal is that the committee, together with the budgetary committee, make a combined intervention through a general assessment of further difficulties in housing supply along the lines the suggested by the Deputy. I would have no objection to this, but it is a matter for the committees to organise their work and for Parliament to organise its work.