Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Minister of State that we cannot eliminate the private sector from the market as that would be madness. However, the point being made was that reliance on an element of the private sector is one thing but over-reliance on it is another. It is no secret that the primary motive of the private sector is profit. That does not mean that all builders are rogues or that they all fail to do their job properly. We have good builders and bad builders, as in every profession. However, their primary motive is profit while the State's primary motive should be taking the best care of the interests of the citizens. Doing away with the cash buy-out is, of course, a good idea. That is a given. However, I thought the Minister of State was going to ring-fence these obligations and ensure there is no way around them. If this is ring-fenced, in future every single site will have social or affordable housing on it. We are not getting that. We are allowing ghettoisation to continue. Would the Minister of State not consider making sure that element is challenged and stopped forever? Would he not look at the legislation again and ensure that no site can be developed in the future unless there is social or affordable housing on that particular site?

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