Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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I have to move on. I ask members to leave the Minister time to answer, if they want an answer.

I will take the next slot. The Affordable Housing Act 2021, which the Government introduced, includes a small line about community-led housing. I do not know if any work has been done in that area, which I raised last week with the officials. While it is probably a small strand of housing that will deliver only 20, 30 or 40 houses here and there, it is one that we should consider and I ask the Minister to do so. I have met with a group of self-organised architects who are experienced, competent and know what they are talking about. They are using models that are in existence in other jurisdictions. Community-led housing could be helpful in the delivery and every house we deliver is important. I ask the Minister to consider that.

Funding was announced today to assist and move along developments where there is an affordability gap. This is where developers are looking at sites and deciding not to build housing because they will not be able to sell it. These sites will sit there forever and will be no good to anybody. Meanwhile, the continual urban sprawl, the three-bedroom semi-detached houses on the greenfield sites, are deliverable, affordable and buyable but they completely contradict what we are trying to do on climate and transport. I see this intervention not just as a housing intervention or a supply of homes but as an incredibly important intervention in our climate target challenges as well. We cannot continue to expand. We must have denser living and 15-minute cities and ten-minute towns, and we have to end the long commute with no transport links. I support this measure. People should consider it. I know many people will say this is money for developers. In a way it is but, as the Minister said, the quality of housing being built at the moment cannot be compared to what was built in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. The quality of the build is incomparable in terms of the materials used and the working conditions for those working on the sites. Those factors have added to the cost of it as well.

On Croí Cónaithe towns, has the Minister considered looking at a tiered grant system? This issue was raised with us. An example was given of a property in rural Limerick that was quite cheap to purchase. The cost of doing it up was quite expensive but the value at the end of it made it unviable.

The property that was taken in was in an area where it was expensive to purchase. The amount of money that went into it and what one came out with at the end made it a viable product. Has any consideration been given to Croí Cónaithe on tiered level?