Mr. John Coleman:

It is hard to contemplate every site that we might encounter. As the LDA is a national agency, we will unlock sites everywhere. In the case of a State-owned site in a town of 10,000 people where the market rates might already be very low at less than €200,000, the people in that town who earn between €30,000 and €50,000 might be able to afford what might be deemed to be a market rate in that location because that rate happens to be quite affordable. If we say that there is a piece of State land in a particular town on which we can make housing happen, but it just happens that housing in the town is generally more affordable, that is something we will have to consider. Again, every site is different and we cannot possibly contemplate every situation. I guess that the Bill is drafted to allow us the necessary flexibility to deal with every situation while recognising that our focus is very much on social and affordable homes, where needed.