Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I ask the Tánaiste about the commitment in the programme for Government to introduce legislation, in line with the recommendations of the all-party Oireachtas committee on the Constitution, on property rights. In The Irish Times today he will see a story that explains that the State has paid €81 million for school sites since 2002 and that there have been a number of outrageous attempts to get the State to buy back a site for a school at rezoned values. The Tánaiste's colleagues in government, the Green Party Ministers, in particular the Minister of State, Deputy Sargent, have made a point of this commitment to bring forward legislation to implement the all-party committee recommendations on the acquisition of land. This is a major issue in respect of housing because such measures as were in place were changed by the Government at the request of developers, the result being that the number of social and affordable units has been much lower than it might otherwise have been. Essentially, it provides for the compulsory acquisition of land at existing value plus 25%. The all-party committee concluded, as the Tánaiste is aware, that there was no constitutional impediment, if the exigencies of the common good so required, to acquiring land for the provision of housing, schools and so on using such a formula. Deputy Sargent looks like he approves of my reading the programme for Government. I hope it helps him in getting the matter brought quickly before the House.

See this speech in context