Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I ask this question against the background of a couple of issues that must be stated. NAMA has sold Project Arrow in recent months, with supposedly 50% as residential units that could have been acquired for the guts of €100,000 per unit. We have seen Dublin City Council refuse many units from NAMA in Ballymun because of the tenure mix. I cannot imagine why it did not allow an affordable housing scheme for those who are in well-paid jobs but who still cannot afford to purchase a unit. I do not know why that opportunity was not afforded to them.

Parallel to this we are spending €260,000 on these modular units. The Minister mentioned that he hopes to see economies of scale in future that might return a better dividend for the taxpayer. It is incumbent on the Minister to tell us what the delay was in procuring these units. Why is the cost of these units so exorbitant? They are to be commended and appropriate, as those of us who have seen them can attest. Will the Minister tell us, and by extension the taxpayer, what economies of scale could be achieved to give a return to the taxpayer? What deficiencies were evident in the process since the Taoiseach announced it 12 or 14 months ago with the former Minister, Deputy Alan Kelly? It was said that they would be in use within 12 weeks and that was the Christmas before last.

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