Mr. Michael Kelleher:

Unfortunately, the system that has evolved is that the local authority does the zoning, Uisce Éireann has one set of utilities and then there is the ESB. There is collaboration but there are different metrics to drive. We have a situation where the capital programmes are not aligned. We have development plans that last six years, which is out of sync with Uisce Éireann's plans. There is a need to bring full alignment on those plans so everyone is looking at the same metrics to forward-plan on zoned land. That has not happened heretofore. It is why we are looking for more co-ordination on forward planning and looking ahead by ten or 15 years, so if it is a plan-led development from the NPF going down onto the regional plans and into local plans, we should, as a collective, be able to understand where we want development to take place over the next number of years and have designated where the growth should be through that. Therefore, we should all be collaborating to ensure the infrastructure is put there so we do not have the issues where we have a lag. Let us be clear the planning system is complex because of environmental and other issues. It takes a long time to get through the system and we need to be getting everything shovel-ready so it is ready to be developed, because the building is not the problem here and instead it is everything beforehand that is causing the issue.

The are other issues, like 50% going into brownfield development. That is a good idea from a sustainable point of view but is unviable at the moment. There are a number of different issues causing this logjam that is constricting development, even though the industry has ramped up, as Mr. O'Connell said, 45% last year to deliver. We are going to plan-led development and we now need more looking forward and more forward planning being done collectively. We are looking out to 2040 in the NPF. We need to be looking out there now, because if we go to ten-year development plans we need to be looking to the 20-year plan so the infrastructure is there, like the Deputy was saying. It is there for the plan, so the land is zoned. The biggest problem we have is not that land is being hoarded. We know of land that has been sitting there for two or more development plans because of lack of infrastructure. That is the key issue here. We are delighted Uisce Éireann has done this heatmap to deal with where the servicing is. That is an important tool for us all to ensure we understand where the issues are and deal with them.