Ms Geraldine Tallon:

There was no particular pressure to push for that particular site. That would not be a correct assumption. The direct dealing on this was done by the Affordable Homes Partnership. The Department was not involved and was not a contracting party. The Affordable Homes Partnership was dealing with it. The pressure was coming from the other side. House prices were extremely high and there was extreme concern about the number of people who were priced out of the market and about the cohort of people who were not social housing applicants but who were no longer able to afford a first home. The Government's pressure was much more around the policy and the means by which the policy could ensure that homes could be made affordable for people and how that policy was to be delivered. The pressure was not around a specific site or sites. There was considerable concern in Government to identify potential lands that could be used. There was a whole variety of areas, including Infirmary Road, McKee Barracks in Kildare and Broc House in Nutley Lane. A whole variety of sites were looked at over that period.