Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Can I ask a final brief question? With regard to approved housing bodies, I came across a few cases where private estates were being built. When private estates are being built, a certain level have to go to local authority housing. The same rule does not apply where an approved housing body buys an entire estate, where a certain percentage has to be for private ownership. I have one in my area where more than 80 houses were being built. Many young people locally wanted to buy. They were working and living ten, 15 or 20 miles away from home. They wanted to move back to their own neighbourhood and suddenly found that the approved housing body had bought all 80 or 85 houses. They felt aggrieved by that because they did not then have an opportunity to come back into their own area. Is there any restriction on an approved housing body acquiring an entire estate overnight? We have a restriction where a private developer is developing, where a percentage must be provided for local authorities, but we do not have the same restriction on approved housing bodies buying entire estates.