Ms Annette Aspell:

The issue is our inability to compete in the market in respect of the acquisition of greenfield sites. When we go to develop social housing on that, we have to be able to recoup the cost from the Department, so the cost per unit is a factor there. As to what we can afford to pay for land, we have always to be mindful of the end result and what we can actually build on the site and how we can recoup that cost. Otherwise, we will be carrying the acquisition cost of the land, which we could not afford to do. As for our ability to buy land in Kildare, the site I mentioned in Kildare town is a small town centre site bordering between greenfield and brownfield.

In the future, we will have to focus more on brownfield sites, and on acquiring sites within towns and putting sites together to develop them. That is probably where we are going to be able to afford to purchase. That is going to be the key.