Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I expect the private sector, with the momentum there at the moment, will be able to deliver a larger number of new homes in the time ahead. That should especially be the case if we begin to see an improvement in the interest rate environment across the next number of years and begin to see the issues that have been created by cost price inflation begin to moderate. That is a very reasonable expectation, particularly in light in of some of the trends we saw in private housing output towards the end of last year and into the start of this year. The Deputy asked me whether I believe the current NDP ceilings are sufficient to deliver the current Housing for All targets. I do. He also asked about acquisition. Last year's budget had sufficient flexibility within it to deliver a higher level of acquisition. I therefore expect as I move into this year that, given the budget has increased, there will also be flexibility open to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, to engage in acquisitions if he believes that is appropriate. My preference, and I believe it is the Minister's, is that over time we can reduce the role of acquisition and instead it can be the delivery genuinely of new social and affordable homes rather than doing it through acquisition. If we are in a world in which housing output is increasing and beginning to accelerate in its rate of increase, with us seeing more new homes being delivered, then that has to lead to a point at which we can make less use of acquisition than we have in recent years. That is a policy for the Minister for this year and for next.