Ms Áine Myler:

I will start at the top in relation to land values. The very raison d'être for this organisation is the fact that we have not managed our land or taken a long-term view of it. In my own precessional view I believe we have to take the hit at this point in time in terms of what land values are, extant in the marketplace. If we take a longer-term vision for the management of our land stock so that we buy cheap and use high, which is an analogy for it, then the land costs are neutralised over the long term. We are dealing with short, medium and long-term issues now. There is not much the LDA can do in a market that is hot for land to reduce costs of acquisition. One would imagine that State agencies, Government bodies and local authorities would want to come together to develop a process whereby any State land that is usable for social and affordable housing will be used for that purpose, whatever the minimum cost is of transfer to the Land Development Agency.

Our view of the Land Development Agency is not that it is actually going to go out and build houses itself. If it is doing its job properly, it will be a strategic organisation that facilitates the market to deliver social and affordable housing, and other forms of development as is held in the general scheme of the Bill. I take the point made by the Construction Industry Federation that the inclusion of the smaller players around the country is exceptionally important. We have a couple of really big players, where we could have a monopolistic position in a relatively short period of time if we do not look at bringing in the smaller players. Getting sites ready, putting in the infrastructure and licensing out the sites are all key components. This is a strategic piece of what the LDA should be doing. Other issues such as tax policies can also play into land, as do the constitutional rights of private property holders. Reference was made by one of the other organisations to sharing any uplift on the rezoning of land. This is a very useful way that we could develop policy. It could be the case that the public shares in that uplift and not just the landowners.

On the cost model, if we have an organisation that can take a long-term view then our long-term view could be very much cost model based. It was the sense that many local authorities delivered their social housing over many years. It was a cost model provision because they could take a long-term view. That is critically important for our housing provision.

On compulsory purchase orders, I am active in that area as a professional. CPO powers will be critically important to the agency in order so that it can operate on an effective basis. That power of compellability, in itself, is a useful tool. It may not be necessary to use it but it is very important. However, bigger issues arise regarding the operation of the CPO process. A root and branch review of the legislation and the arbitration process is needed. We have already made a significant submission to the Law Reform Commission on that basis.