Professor P.J. Drudy:

I would certainly be in agreement with the State building very cheap housing - if one can call it that - to be in competition with the private sector. That is the whole point - the State should be in competition in order to bring down the prices and to bring down rents. If people can purchase a cost rental home, or if they are in a local authority home, if sufficient homes are provided by the State, then the private sector would have to knuckle down and build at reasonable prices. I have no doubt it would still make profits. That is the answer really. The State has to be seriously involved. It is no use building 4,500. I do not believe the State even built 4,500 last year because much of that was built by the private sector. It is simply insufficient. The State probably needs to build nearly 10,000 homes per annum. There could be a combination of cost rental and social housing. That should be integrated anyway and I would call it "community housing". As the Deputy said, there is a stigma associated with social housing but people are really all in the same boat - the garda, the teacher, the nurse and perhaps even the Dáil Deputy could be on the cost rental home where the rent may be €1,000 or €1,300 per month compared to the current ask of €1,600 to €2,000 per month. Then one is in competition with private rentals sector also. With such competition, the State is playing the market game. While the State should not play the market game really competition is what it is all about. The State has to be seriously involved. Then I believe the problem will be solved. Prices and rents would be reduced.