Sir, – John Thompson’s letter of May 27th rightly calls for radical change in a whole lot of areas, including whether we are to house the growing generations of homeless families. He says we should not look for inspiration to other countries. We only have to look at Northern Ireland where the average mortgage is half that of the Republic. The price of development land is the main issue.
Northern Ireland, along with France and other European countries, has limited the price of development land to 1½ times the price of agricultural land. With our huge population growth and limited amount of public land, the Government and Minister for Housing must show courage and grasp the nettle of the value of development land. They must emulate our Northern politicians and show the great care and magnanimity of spirit they have shown towards their beloved people.
MICHAEL MULVIHILL
Castleknock,
Dublin 15.