Pádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister for reading out that script. I do not know whether it makes sense to anybody other than himself. Has the Government any plans to revert to what was its original intention in the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2002 where 20% of all developments would be handed over to the local authorities for social and affordable housing? That Act was amended in the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2004 as a result of pressure from builders. I do not know whether they were inside or outside the tent in Galway but wherever the pressure came from, the 2004 Act was amended to allow developers an out in that regard. The position now is that the developers can either give land, money or sites or an equivalent amount of land in any area of the local authority. Is the Minister aware that in areas like Galway city in particular, where developers are developing land and where land is very expensive, developers in county areas near the city such as Oranmore, Castlegarren and elsewhere can now provide land in Glenamaddy, Tuam, Mountbellew or anywhere else 30, 40 or 50 miles away in lieu of the 20%? Does the Government intend to revert to the original concept in the 2002 Act whereby builders and developers are required to allocate 20% of the proposed development for affordable or social housing? The current practice is a farce. Developers are either giving money to the local authority, which is not ploughed back into the equivalent amount of housing that 20% represents or they are giving land or a mix of land and money in locations other than the prime location where they are building the houses. Is the Minister aware that people living in social housing in Tuam, Mountbellew, Glenamaddy or Headford are clogging up the roads driving 20 or 30 miles a day to work in Galway city? The Government should revert to the 2002 Act whereby the developer had to provide 20% of the proposed development to social and affordable housing.

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