Sir, – It is to be welcomed that a new State agency for housing is to be created that will have the power to assemble large land banks from existing State land for the construction of homes (News, January 17th). However, the problem is that this State land is then intended to be sold to private developers who are then expected to carry out the construction of much necessary housing. Surely lower-priced housing would emerge if this agency itself directly contracted developers to build homes on State land rather than affording developers an added opportunity for increasing their profits at the expense of hard-pressed homeless people. Why is the State so reluctant to get directly involved in home building, which undoubtedly would benefit the consumer rather than the developer? – Yours, etc,
BRENDAN BUTLER,
Malahide,
Co Dublin.