Ms Una Fitzpatrick:

I thank the Deputy. Technology Ireland produced a report series called Future Needs, Future Thinking between 2019 and 2021. In that we highlighted infrastructure. That is a broad mix including everything from housing to energy infrastructure to transport and the road network. The feedback from the technology sector is it is about both the supply of housing and the housing mix, and that it is all of the country rather than a Dublin-only issue. It has not prevented huge levels of investment but it has been something members have sought to seek clarity on with respect to what the projections are. A lot of the decisions are being made in terms of what the expected housing output will look like in two to three years' time.

On the housing mix, given the demographics within the tech sector there was a concern if everything being build is a three-bed semi, that is not necessarily what employees of the tech sector are looking for. That is regional. Take Athlone, for example. We have quite a strong presence of technology companies there and they were saying there are not enough apartments there. It is similar with Donegal. We have a strong network of members in Letterkenny. They often say it is hard at the moment to find rental properties and the right type of rental properties as well, so this is an issue all over the country. From the members' perspective, they have been reassured by some of the indications in the Housing for All plan but I am aware there are constraints on that and obviously Covid has had an impact. It would be a concern going forward if the completion numbers were not increased.