Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I confirm to the Chairman that I am attending this meeting from within the confines of Leinster House 2000. Comhghairdeas do Chormac on his illustrious career to date, and also on his appointment as chairman of the LDA. Mr. O'Rourke is very welcome to the committee and it is great that is Mr. John Coleman back again also. Mr. Coleman engaged with our committee last year and helped us in our pre-legislative scrutiny of the Land Development Agency Bill. This is incredibly important legislation for the State.

We have very big ambitions. When I say "we", I do not just talk about us in the Oireachtas committee; the country has huge ambitions for the Land Development Agency to deliver affordable and sustainable homes into the future. The big immediate issue is the supply of affordable homes and the fact that the LDA is going to leverage State-owned lands to reduce costs to deliver real affordability for people. It is very exciting and very important, not just from an economic perspective but, most importantly, from a social perspective.

I have noted the sites listed by Mr. O'Rourke in his opening statement, and they are familiar to us. During the past 22 months of Covid, construction was affected and inflation has risen dramatically. While it is encouraging that there has been a 42% increase reported in house building commencements what we really need is a massive increase in the commencement of affordable homes being built on State-owned land so that we really deliver affordability to people.

Of the 10,000 or so units between State-owned lands and Project Tosaigh that have been mentioned in the appendix to Mr. O'Rourke's statement, I would appreciate if the witnesses could talk to the committee about how these projects will be progressed. I am hoping they will progress in parallel as opposed to sequentially. As we exit Covid I am hoping that the LDA can look at accelerating the delivery of affordable homes in the next years. I appreciate that this is a big ask when we are still in the pandemic but this is where I believe we need to be focusing our attention.