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

Super. I thank everybody who is here today for the informed and helpful discussion.

I will direct these questions to Mr. Coleman. I was heartened to hear him speak about the need to develop positive relationships with local authorities. I know this is part of the bread and butter of his role. It was good to hear him on the record clearly dismiss fears of land grabs from local authorities. This is because one of the main concerns of elected local authority members when it comes to the LDA is that many of them feel it would bypass or quench the authority they have when it comes to how local authority land is used. I fully support them on the need to protect the democratic power they have over council-owned land. One of the key remits of the LDA is to ensure State land appropriate for housing does not remain lying idle in the middle of a housing crisis. This is why it is so important that not only the LDA's targets and key performance indicators are made public but also that there is continual reporting on them so there is full transparency on how the LDA is doing, what it is doing and how much progress is being made all of the time when it comes to delivering housing and bringing affordability to the housing market. I am keen to hear Mr. Coleman's views on this.

Is Mr. Coleman comfortable with the budget allocated to the LDA and the ability to borrow beyond that budget? Does he feel this is still adequate in the context of cost inflation to deliver the homes that have been committed to. In response to the Chair, Mr. Coleman and Mr. O'Rourke spoke about modular housing and timber frame building and how they add capacity in a quicker as well as a more sustainable way. I attended a roadshow on modular builds five or six years ago. It is a real shame we have not been able to embrace this fast build in Ireland in the midst of a housing crisis. It would be very good if Mr. Coleman could keep us informed on any progress made in this regard.

How will progress be publicly measured? By this I mean more than the target is set publicly and that progress will be measured publicly. Is any unforeseen budgetary concern arising at this stage? I ask the witnesses to keep us abreast not only of progress in general but the specific inroads that may be made when it comes to modular housing.