Francis Noel Duffy (Dublin South West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the representatives of the LDA for attending the meeting. Over the past year, I have engaged in numerous briefings from the agency and I am encouraged that the intent of the agency appears to be moving away from private housing towards public housing. I hope that in the future we might reach 100% public housing on public land. However, we are where we are. As I believe should be the case, the primary remit of the LDA is to utilise State land for public housing. This is in the context of a severe housing crisis. First, does Mr. Coleman agree that the target for public housing on public land should be maximised? Where he does not, could he outline where those profits would be going, and whether they are reinvested if the LDA is selling the houses?

Second, I believe local elected representatives should have a meaningful say in developments by the LDA on local authority land. A councillor's primary role is to represent his or her community and bridge the gap between local residents and the council executive on local matters. Placing a barrier between the LDA developments and councillors is effectively bypassing local democracy. I have spoken on this numerous times as a councillor. Does Mr. Coleman have an opinion on the absence of section 183 of the Local Government Act for the LDA when purchasing land? How does he envisage meaningfully engaging with councillors, given their importance and role in ensuring sustainable development in this area?