Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I wish to make one further point in case I cause confusion. The partnership will look after any of the 10,000 sites located within the Dublin metropolitan area. Any sites outside the area will be looked after elsewhere. The partnership wants to keep the system small by having a small board and staff, using local authority structures and seconding staff rather than getting into the interview process and trying to make a big impact.

Another issue of interest has not yet emerged and Deputy Rabbitte's question offers an opportunity to raise it. Everybody gives out that there is a lot of land around Dublin, often lying derelict or used for anti-social behaviour, which is sometimes owned by the local authority and sometimes owned by God knows who. I am sure Deputy Rabbitte will have had the same experience of this in his constituency as I have had in mine. If a developer or local authority believes it could put this land, which is not zoned, into use, it could propose a project to the partnership. The partnership, within the existing structures, would then try to fast-track the development of the land purely for affordable initiatives, taking into account the needs of local residents. I have made the point to the partnership that if it were to try to make it attractive for local residents to get rid of what is probably an eyesore by guaranteeing some local participation in the affordable housing allocation, such projects could become quite attractive operations. If local residents believe it is house building for the general housing pool, they will probably not find it attractive. It will be interesting to see what emerges in regard to this aspect of the plan which has not had much of an airing, although it should have been aired because if many of the nuisance sites could be brought to the agency and planning and zoning were quickly secured, not alone could one get more affordable housing but one would also get rid of many of the nuisance sites.

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