John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

While councillors will retain their zoning powers, these powers will have to be used responsibly. Councillors will have to abide by national and regional guidelines and will no longer be able to engage in zoning free-for-alls.

The planning context for the post-NAMA period will be set by this legislation which aims to achieve much more focused land use strategies, with the provision of land zoned for residential and other development closely tied to national and regional policies and grounded in an evidence base of population projections and other needs. A robust planning structure can ensure that some of the mistakes of the past are not repeated in that it should be no longer possible to provide vast tracts of zoned land without reference to population demand and the provision of essential services. More focused land use strategies will also result in a more efficient use of taxpayers' money by allowing the State to target investment in essential infrastructure and services more accurately. When our new planning legislation is enacted each local authority will have to review its development plans and, in many areas, deal with irresponsible rezonings of the past.

The introduction of NAMA is also an opportunity to ensure that a so-called social dividend becomes an integral part of all future planning and development. This has long been shamefully neglected. The Green Party will ensure that our communities get the services they need and deserve. It is essential that there is a social dividend to NAMA and that there is a first-refusal mechanism on NAMA assets for social projects, from schools to hospitals and community facilities.

This morning, Mr. Tom Parlon and members of the Construction Industry Federation was on "Morning Ireland" complaining about this and claiming that NAMA would be "hog-tied" by such a provision. I disagree profoundly and fundamentally with him and his members. I have one message for Mr. Parlon and his people: "Please, keep your noses out of NAMA". It is for the Government and Members of this House, of all parties, to decide on how NAMA and related planning reforms will work.

Profit without social dividend is what created this property bubble. Developers lived high on the hog from charging astronomical prices for sites for schools and other social infrastructure, from building serried ranks of houses without regard to the needs of those to whom they sold them.

We will also ensure a windfall tax on the future rezoning of land. In our deliberations over NAMA, we in the Green Party argued that a windfall tax on property developers would have to be an essential and indispensable component of the package. It is the least the public deserve for footing the considerable NAMA bills.

People have suffered too much from the culture of speculation which has infected our property and building sectors. The remedy for this suffering from inflated prices and deficient facilities has been posited for more than four decades, but blithely ignored. Now, at last, a key recommendation of the Kenny report can be put in place.

I listened to what Deputy Gilmore said about 1999 and his own submission on the Kenny report. His party has been in Government since the Kenny report was published-----

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