Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is a very good point. We wish to encourage local authorities and AHBs to do so. There are affordable purchase schemes approved in 15 local authorities. Deputy Flaherty mentioned earlier that we have expressions of interest going out for a scheme in Longford. We have schemes in Mayo and other areas. It is increasing. This is a new ask of a local authorities. I want, as best as possible, for all of our local authorities to have affordable offers. One has to make the maths work in some instances. A pilot scheme is being developed in Longford. It might not necessarily be an affordability issue, but it is a viability issue because one can buy a home in a certain county for less than one could build a home. We have to see whether there is an interest in someone engaging in an affordable scheme in that instance. The issue that develops in that county - not that it is an issue - is that there are no new homes for individual purchase. It would all be one tenure. We have to work that through, but we have 42 or 43 schemes over 15 counties at present. We want that to increase further.

There are opportunities in our cities. In Dublin City Council, for argument's sake, there are schemes under assessment for Dublin City Council. We have opportunities through Project Tosaigh and the LDA to deliver some cost-rental homes at scale in our cities. That is the second round of Project Tosaigh. That is why we will need the cost-rental viability measure. I have not been shown a better way of doing that. If I am shown a better way, I would be open to looking at it. We also need further capitalisation of the LDA, because I would like to be looking back at the end of this year and at the very least saying that we have approvals in most local authority areas. We have a good pipeline in a number of them. It has taken a while.

On the affordable side, we have first-home scheme approvals in 24 of the 26 counties in the country and the eligibility is done. We have affordable schemes in County Limerick. We have approved two of them. We hope to have another one. There will be substantial affordable housing in Kilmallock, in Deputy O'Donoghue's area. Some 73% of the homes there in a really good scheme are either using the first-home scheme and-or the help-to-buy grant. It is a great scheme. It is the first private scheme there in 35 years, if I am right in saying so.