Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I heard the Minister say it to Deputy Boyd Barrett. I am glad the Minister is not saying it. I know the Minister is probably tired of hearing this but the dependence on the private rental sector to provide homes to people in the long term is not as good a proposition as local authority-built social housing. The truth is that more and more people will need social housing because they will not be able to afford private housing. To expand on my point about affordable private housing, we have State land. Local authorities can provide housing for €200,000 and sell it to people at that price rather than asking NAMA to do deals with developers to sell it for €300,000. I do not understand why the Government will not do that.

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