Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I confirm I am in Leinster House. I welcome Mr. Curran and Ms Keenan from the CCMA and Mr. Dunne from the Housing Alliance. We have talked about affordability. I and most other Members operate on the understanding and belief that affordability is based not on location but on income. I ask the witnesses to comment on that because it is critical and many people miss it. I live in Dún Laoghaire. Ms Keenan represents Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and she will be aware of the costs there. Wherever we go in the country, there is a different impact in respect of affordability and we must address this key issue.

I am conscious of time and I want to stick to a few questions. The Minister announced 390 new cost rental units and I see that members of the Housing Alliance, namely, Clúid Housing, Respond and Tuath, have been involved in some of those endeavours. Of those 390 cost rental units, will the witnesses confirm that 50 of those units are already accounted for as part of the Enniskerry Road project? Mr. Curran mentioned the issue of acquisition. I am taken aback by that. We know a number of local authorities have a legacy regarding the land aggregation scheme. Nothing has happened in that regard. That legacy needs to be brought into play in respect of affordability. I accept there is a need for mixed tenure. I would like to hear what the CCMA is doing in that context because there has been no mention of it.

I was somewhat surprised by what I thought was a bland statement from the CCMA this morning. I had expected it to have been a bit more ambitious. I am not suggesting the association is not ambitious but I did not see ambition reflected in its statement. In the greater scheme of things regarding this proposed Bill, the witnesses might also comment on the LDA and how it will interact with the local authorities. I know for certain from talking to city and county councillors around the country that they have serious concerns about the proposed adjustments to the section 183 disposal system. The witnesses and anyone who works in the local authorities will know there are many good reasons that elected members may decide not to release land to the LDA, while there are also many other reasons that they would do so. I ask the witnesses to comment on that.