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

My thanks to Deputy Boyd Barrett for his amendments. I will deal with his initial comments first. We are talking here about a commercial semi-state company. It is 100% publicly owned. It is fully accountable to the Oireachtas. There is full oversight. I have ensured that there will be full freedom of information provisions and oversight from the Comptroller and Auditor General. It could not be more publicly owned than it is. We will have to agree to differ on this because it is not only 100% publicly owned but its remit is to deliver and build on public land.

I take the point made by Deputy Boyd Barrett with regard to the hoarding of private land. That needs to be addressed, but let us be aware of and deal with the reality. There is a great deal of publicly owned land that should be used more productively. That is what we need to do. That is why this legislation has been brought forward. The State is the biggest hoarder of land and that needs to stop. We need to put our land to use to build homes for our people, including social and affordable homes.

Amendment No. 49, which is related to amendment No. 79, is jointly tabled by Deputies Boyd Barrett, Gino Kenny, Paul Murphy, Bríd Smith and Barry. It seeks to amend section 3 of the Bill which provides definitions for references made in the Bill. In particular, the amendment seeks to insert a definition of public housing. I am opposing the amendment as a specific term for public housing is not referenced at any point in the Bill. As such, a definition is not required. The Bill already includes multiple references to affordable and social housing, which we discussed at length on Tuesday. Local authorities are the housing authorities. They will be the main drivers of delivery of social and direct-build affordable homes. The LDA will assist them in implementing that role, but also in delivering on State agency land, which is not happening at the moment. On nine sites that we know of already, and others, that will be moving forward. As such, local authorities have the primary role with regard to the delivery of social housing, including in regard to the allocation of such housing and the setting of appropriate rent levels. I will be opposing these amendments.