Mr. Frank Curran:

When we talk about expanding the serviced sites fund, we are referring to discussions we are having with the Department and the Minister in regard to applying the fund to all the costs of construction in order to provide affordable housing. An individual who can borrow 90% of the cost of a house does not need a subsidy, but a discount would be applied for people who fall below that level of affordability and who cannot secure a loan to cover 90% of the property cost. We are looking for that sort of flexibility. We are also looking to expand it to current developments, rather than just construction, which will give us another route to providing affordable housing.

In terms of affordability, we are looking at other forms of delivery, such as design-build, which will allow for delivery to be achieved much more quickly. We are looking at frameworks to put in place in that regard. We are also looking at economies of scale and larger developments that will provide better value for money. I ask my colleague, Mr. Taaffe, from the housing delivery and co-ordination office, to comment on that aspect.