Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I have tabled amendments No. 240 and 258. I hope the Minister will accept amendment No. 240. Rather than putting the focus on housing alone, the amendment suggests that housing has to be developed in the context of sustainable development and creating sustainable communities. That is very important. I cannot see any reason the Minister would not accept this amendment. We should be talking about developing housing in the context of sustainable development and sustainable communities. I look forward to hearing the Minister say that he will be supporting the amendment. I cannot see any reason he would not.

On amendment No. 258, the Minister said that no one is talking about unaffordable housing. He said that there will be no full-price sales on the open market.

He has said that he is looking at up to 100% of homes built by the Land Development Agency on public lands being affordable and social homes. At the same time, he has defended the recent decision by Fingal County Council to sell public land to a private developer so that 60% of those homes can be sold at full market prices. On the one hand, he is saying 100% affordable and social housing is good while, on the other, he is defending sales of public land which provide for the majority of homes to be sold at full market price.

In terms of the Land Development Agency, we will find out very quickly how serious the Minister is because if he is serious about not having any homes sold at full market price, he will be happy to accept my amendment. Amendment No. 258 proposes to delete the words "a proportion of" so that, rather than having a proportion of all dwellings provided on relevant land and former relevant public land made available at a price below market price, all of them would be made available at a price below market price. If the Minister is in any way serious about the comments he just made about not having any homes on these lands sold at full market price, he will be happy to accept my amendment No. 258. I look forward to his support for it.