Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 27 June 2017

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government

Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (Resumed)

11:30 am

Mr. David Walsh:

Unfortunately, it depends on the amount involved. The issue is the spread and scale of expenditure in some cases. Some local authorities have projects worth €15 million or €18 million, while others are receiving sums of €600,000 or €800,000. That might still open 800 units, but if the money is spread across them, the reduction will not be significant and it will depend on the location. While we are examining more broadly how to address the issue, the difficulty is with relative affordability in respect of what the prices were versus what can be delivered.