Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

And Deputy Duffy - apologies - and the Chairman. We will have all had these representations where an approved housing body is going in to turnkey in what was initially meant to be a private development for 20, 50 or 100 homes. The residents of the neighbouring estate take exception to this – they are entitled to have their views – and write to us to say it will mean 50% of their neighbourhood is social housing and that is against Government policy, even though nowhere in Government policy is it stipulated what the appropriate percentage is before you get overconcentration. Part V is just a mechanism, but there is an idea out there which people have that there comes a tipping point of the percentage of low-income families in an estate which makes it potentially a bad place. That is an appalling way of thinking about housing policy and the people who live in those homes, many of whom the Minister of State and I and other members of this committee represent. I know the Minister of State is not accepting the amendments but this is certainly something we will return to on Report Stage because this is a conversation we have not had properly in this State.

There is a kind of dogma and common sense that has gripped many people that is just not based on fact or reality but rather is based on anecdotal impression and, in some cases – not in the Minister of State’s case, I want to be clear – on prejudice against the idea that low-income families should live in communities together and that, instead, they should not be overconcentrated and should be pepper potted – that is the other word we all use. We do not like to put them all on one street. We mix them around as if somehow that is more socially acceptable. It is fundamentally wrong. I will certainly be supporting theses amendments and I urge Deputy Boyd Barrett to press them. I just wanted to make those responses.