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

I thank the Deputies for their comments and amendments.

Let us remember that this legislation is about setting up a land development agency and it is not the Affordable Housing Bill. We are going to align the parts that relate to definitions so cost rental and affordable purchase will be aligned exactly with the Affordable Housing Bill that is in the Seanad at the moment.

Let us consider cost rental for argument's sake. Part 3 of the Affordable Housing Bill, which is where it should be because the main piece of legislation is the Affordable Housing Bill in terms of the provision of affordable homes be they for rent or purchase. That Bill sets out in great detail the details of the estimated total cost that was referred to and the definitions for cost rental itself.

The criteria around eligibility will be published by way of regulation. I expect that members will agree that that makes absolute sense because should levels change within eligibility then one needs that flexibility to be able to change them but they will be published alongside it too.

There is no admission of any issues here whatsoever. It is very simply that the Land Development Agency Bill was published in advance of the Affordable Housing Bill. Both Bills are now moving through the Houses. We want to align one with the other and that is exactly what we are going to do by way of the Affordable Housing Bill itself. We will also make sure that the LDA uses the definitions of the Affordable Housing Bill for both affordable purchase and affordable rental.

To get to the point made about affordable value and a discounted land value, it will be the case that they will be heavily discounted on the market value based on the proportion of affordable and social homes on the State agency's site. That is a fact and is what will happen. That is the whole purpose of being able to drive affordability and use our lands to deliver social homes. This will help in the provision of those affordable purchase units, in particular.

Some of these amendments may be more appropriate to the Affordable Housing Bill. They are certainly not appropriate to this Bill. I will bring forward further amendments to Part 9 of this Bill, including section 76, which we have talked about here, on Report Stage so that there is that exact alignment between both pieces of legislation.