Ms Caroline Timmons:

There is no particular national policy on that. My understanding is that Dublin City Council has a policy on purchase in those circumstances. The circular does not directly address whether Dublin City Council should or should not do that. What we have said is that in the case of a particular priority circumstance, if the local authority wishes to use some of its allocations for those particular purposes, it is entitled to seek to do so. We have not specifically determined, in or out, whether that can be done in the particular circumstance the Deputy raised. However, there is an ability to look at that. Obviously, the whole point of it is to keep the acquisitions for those particular priority categories. It is designed to militate against local authorities competing with first-time buyers in the market or approved housing bodies, which is something people have been strongly advocating. It is trying to do the right thing in that respect, focusing on the build. In those particular circumstances, in which we very much recognise that there might be vulnerable households, we are also trying to protect them insofar as we can with the limited number of acquisitions we can do. The intention is certainly to so something good for those categories and not to injure, as it were, any ability to help them out. I think that is the full expression of the circular. If there is a need to provide a clarification, we are happy to do so. We will come back to the committee on that particular point.