Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The downside of it was that the State had liability 24-7. It did not go away when the block of houses was built. We could not wait for one county either. Every county had to have the same capabilities. It worked well on a small scale, but when demand grew, it did not work. If you want to build a house, you get a building contractor to do it for a price. That does not necessarily contribute to the contractor’s profit. It keeps the contractor employed and also gets you your house, we hope.