Mr. John Coleman:

I will come in on that one. In respect of engagement with others in the space, we have done so, but the pandemic has slightly restricted that. You may remember, a Chathaoirligh, a series of workshops that was run on the Vienna model by Dublin City Council. The LDA participated in those discussions. We have discussed and met with other parties in Europe, in particular in Vienna, to understand where their successes have come from and what has made the difference. In Vienna and other areas, cost rental, or versions of it, are very much the norm. It is accepted and understood. Given the large scale in these other jurisdictions, it takes a number of decades to establish on the required scale. We see a key role for the LDA, given our access to State land, our partnership with local authorities and our focus on affordable housing to be the starting point to achieve scale similar to other jurisdictions for cost rental or similar forms of accommodation provision. That is a strategic opportunity that the State has through the LDA working with local authorities.

In terms of the understanding of cost rental, four or five months ago we commissioned a series of reports from Behaviour & Attitudes in respect of people's understanding of cost rental. We were quite surprised with the outcome. Essentially, not that many people understood cost rental. Through our discussions with people in the target market for cost rental we realised that quite a low proportion understood the concept of cost rental. When it was explained to them, it was overwhelmingly attractive to them. We do have a job to communicate better what cost rental is. Given the key role of the LDA in the provision of cost-rental homes, we have some ideas on that. That is something on which we will happy to work with policymakers on an ongoing basis. I concur with the point you make, a Chathaoirligh.