Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will speak to amendment No. 189. There is a balancing act between ensuring that the LDA achieves its objective of delivering housing on appropriate State-owned land while also ensuring that publicly elected councillors retain their section 183 authority to determine what should happen on State owned land.

Our counsellors and the leadership teams of councils are best placed to determine the needs of their local communities and what a site in their area should be used for. The housing demands needs assessment will give councillors the data they need to be able to make informed decisions on what their local community needs from a housing perspective. Their views on the best use of council-owned sites still need to be taken into account.

A population clause in the Bill could, for example, mean that in a town with a population of under 30,000 people councillors would determine what happens on council-owned sites and the LDA would have the final authority on sites if councillors cannot agree a use for them in more populous areas. That would be a good solution because the demand for housing is likely to be greatest in more highly populated areas. This would represent a compromise and would achieve the objective of delivering homes on appropriate State-owned lands while responding to the concerns of councillors highlighted to us through representative organisations like LAMA and the AILG. Like Deputy McAuliffe, I am open to another solution if the Minister has one.

It is important that we balance the needs of the LDA with the democratic rights of councillors.