Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I can come straight back in because Deputy Ó Broin asked a few quick questions. With regard to underfunding and Covid losses not related to rates, we are working on that right now. We are in detailed negotiations with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. I recognise that local authorities will have spent more because of bringing in Covid measures relating to the public realm, open spaces and various amendments. We will look for more money this year. Those negotiations have not concluded yet but as soon as they do, I assure the Deputy that the Dáil and this committee will know. It is an issue.

With regard to long-term voids, we are concluding a report which breaks down the voids by different categories and county by county, as well as what they submitted for. One will be able to know whether it is in Wexford or Wicklow, how many voids the local authority said it would deal with and how many it has actually done. I will not count voids as new builds or new accommodation. It is reported separately, and rightly so. They are part of our existing stock and should be seen as such. We need to get better at how we de-tenant and re-tenant properties.

I am awaiting a submission about County Clare. I have extended the scheme into County Limerick and the funding for it is in place. It is not a significant number of homes. It is important to those people whose homes are affected by pyrite. I have not yet received a formal submission from County Clare but when I do, I will look at it with the Pyrite Resolution Board. The board makes a recommendation to me on whether it is appropriate to extend the scheme. Regarding the marine planning and development management Bill, the programme for Government gives a commitment of nine months from the establishment of the Government. Work has been ongoing for some time. It is pretty detailed. It is the first time that a marine planning and development Bill has been done where the mapping has been done around the country, so we are looking to obtain that mapping.

On the Land Development Agency, we are in weekly discussions with the Office of the Attorney General. The Deputy will see in the programme for Government that the heads of Bill that we looked at before in this committee contain feedback from that committee, which I have put in in preparation for the revised heads of Bill. I hope that the heads of Bill will be published this year and that in the next couple of weeks, we will be able to circulate them to other Government Departments for observations. It is October. There are complications relating to many issues that the Deputy and I raised in the last Dáil and they need to be ironed out. We fundamentally all agree that we need a land management agency in the State. I hope we will be able, at the very least, to have published legislation this year. If I have missed anything, we have taken notes and I will come back to Deputy Ó Broin.

I am sorry, Deputy Gould-----