Dr. Donal McManus:

I concur with Mr. Dunne on the agency's powers. We have come across it with things such as ransom strips which hold up developments and are very preventative of schemes. Ransom strips are probably the easier side to do as they are small parts of land but beyond that there is also compulsory purchase order, CPO, powers for other public bodies. I am not clear if the Land Development Agency would be first among equals. There is a body that is trying to assemble land, that is part of its function. If other public bodies do not agree to that, is it still possible to use CPO powers? Whether the land agency is first among equals is really the key issue in the whole Bill. The onus is on the other public bodies to say why they cannot give land for housing. It should be on them to do that, otherwise one is doing much chasing around to try to get land. CPO powers will be key for the small bits of land. Also, the Land Development Agency should be the leader in negotiations with other public bodies.