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

I thank the Deputies for their amendments and for contributing. To row it back a little bit, people will recall this Bill was published before the Affordable Housing Bill. That is why I intend to bring forward amendments on Report Stage, especially to Part 9, including section 76, which will align the Land Development Agency, the affordability piece and the definitions with the Affordable Housing Bill. It is important that is done to provide the additional clarity around this. We will do so by way of amendments.

Deputy Higgins and Deputy McAuliffe are correct. You will have a heavily discounted land value based on the affordable land value and the proportion of a site which is designated affordable or cost rental. I agree with Deputies that there is more work to be done in this space. When this Bill was published, we did not have the full definitions of how our Affordable Housing Bill would work. That Bill is currently in the Seanad. The job we need to do on Report Stage is to marry the two and that is what we will do.

Section 76 and Part 9 will be fully aligned with the cost rental, which is under Part 3 of the Affordable Housing Bill, and with the affordable purchase. That will become clearer for Deputies as we get to Report Stage. I cannot accept the amendments before us at this stage, but we will be working through this on Report Stage and aligning it with our Affordable Housing Bill. There is nothing sinister in this. It is to make sure both Bills are complementary.