In his reply to earlier questions, I heard the Tánaiste say there could be unintended consequences if there was a complete ban on cuckoo funds acting, about which we have all been talking in recent days. An obvious unintended consequence is the way they are acting at the moment, because they were established to increase supply and to provide capital and extra housing, instead of swooping in and purchasing housing already completed.

A number of cases have been brought to my attention in which further swoops are imminent. How long will it take the Government to come up with a solution to this problem? The activities we are talking about are not in the public interest.

Is there anything the Government can do, as an interim measure, to prevent more houses being swallowed up before it comes to a conclusion on what it will do?

Deputy O'Dea is quite right. This was an unintended consequence. An unintended consequence we want to avoid is a reduction in supply by banning forms of private investment but I am sure we can find a solution that gets the balance right. I cannot give the Deputy a timeline on it at present but I know the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy O'Brien, and the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, are treating this with urgency and we hope to have proposals soon.