Mr. Tom Phillips:

In response to the Deputy's question about interaction I note that we have a very good interaction with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, and we always have done. Some of its officials have met us. We meet them several times a year. When the Rebuilding Ireland document first came out we were invited onto various committees. Along with the Construction Industry Federation, CIF, Property Industry Ireland, PII, was the only private sector organisation involved. We have had quite a lot of consultation, including in the drafting. It was Property Industry Ireland that came up with the concept of strategic housing development in the first place. We promoted it to the then Minister, Deputy Simon Coveney, and he went with it, albeit in a slightly modified version. It was PII that made the case and we were listened to. The issue about an "us and them" attitude is largely gone. There is a lot of good collaboration between the private and public sector. We need to encourage that. It is the only solution. If there is silo thinking in the public or private sector it will not work. Tackling these issues requires not only a whole-of-Government approach but a whole-of-society approach.