The Green Party in government is supporting a model of cost rental that involves profit returns for investment funds. That is what is happening. Last night, the Government voted to provide tax exemptions for cuckoo funds to buy up homes. In addition to these tax exemptions, the State is incentivising the bulk buying of homes by investment funds by copper-fastening guarantees of rental income for 25 years. The Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers has said the State should be seeking 50% discounts on market rents when agreeing any long-term leases. Instead, the State is paying almost the full market rent and agreeing discounts of as little as 10% or even 5%. Why is the Government paying out almost double the recommended rate and when will it end these sweetheart deals with investment funds?

I want to clarify this because it is important. We have been talking about this issue in the Dáil for four or five years, as I recall. Our party was the first to introduce a motion on cost rental, three or four years ago, on which we got cross-party support. There was a reference in that motion to the Vienna model because Vienna and Austria have shown a really good example of how this can work. It takes time but, over the long term, the housing becomes an asset that can be used as collateral to get more public housing. The Vienna model also recognises that sometimes the state will allow pension funds and other investors in to back up and support public housing and get a return from it. It is a low return and it is regulated, but it does help. One of the reasons it helps is that there is also then the potential for us to do some of this off balance sheet. It gives local authorities the ability, over a long timeframe, to keep housing supply going, even if the national budgetary situation is difficult. It is important to say that we stand by the Vienna model, we want to replicate what is happening in Austria-----

I am moving on, Minister. We are over time.

-----and we think it could work here.