Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It was not a good thing the last time we built thousands of social houses, when we showed the country could do that, and we must get that capacity in place again. This time, when we add another 47,000 to 50,000 social houses to the social housing stock, I want them to be intermingled with private housing and affordable rental accommodation. Family sizes are different, demands are different and key workers need to be able to rent - as many of them want to rent - at affordable rental prices in city centres. We must respond to those. The Deputy seems to want to go back to the classic model of just designating large parts of the city for social housing only. I do not agree with the Deputy on that. There are social consequences that I want to avoid.

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