Colette Kelleher (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for coming to the committee today. Addressing vacant and derelict sites to turn them into much-needed homes is a welcome measure, but I want to learn more. I seek a number of clarifications from the representatives today.

Will the witnesses please clarify the ownership of the currently publicly held land, before and after development? Will they also clarify the ownership of the homes that are built? Regarding the 60:30:10 mix, will those homes be in the ownership of the State, individuals, developers or corporate landlords?

I also wish to press the witnesses on the definition of "affordable". As Mr. Coleman has rightly said, every home is affordable to somebody if he or she has enough money. It seems to be the crux of the issue and I would like to hear more about that. What might be an affordable rent? The success of renting in places like Hamburg or Vienna is to do with security of tenure as well as reasonable rates of rent.

If there is any profit, will the witnesses indicate to whom this would accrue and where it would go?

On the governance arrangement, I would be interested to know more about DACs. I also wish to know more about mitigation against conflicts of interest on the board and among the staff. There were many golden circles that got us into a lot of difficulty. How can we mitigate against those? With regard to freedom of information and measures against lobbying, how can we be certain that the company will not make the same mistakes that were made before?

Could I have clarification on inter-agency inter-sectoral arrangements with local authorities and on interfacing with local plans, the Housing Authority, approved housing bodies, AHBs, and developers? Is there a possibility that the new entity will create duplication and additional delays? Has anything arisen to date that needs to be ironed out before we put something into law? Are there lessons about which we need to know?

My final question is for Ms Graham. She said in her presentation that the general scheme makes it clear that the LDA must have regard to Government policy on proper planning and sustainable development and contribute to the economic and social development of the State while at the same time obtaining a positive financial return for the State. That is a balancing statement. How will the balance be achieved? Who will make the decisions? How will it work in practice? It seems a little vague. I would like clarification on those questions.