Anthony Lawlor (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Having spent a number of years on a local authority, I welcome this Bill. Any power being divested to council members is always welcome. For some strange reason, local authority members never seem to use the powers they have or reflect on the powers they use. We seem to be fearful of using the powers we have. Local authority members may be scared they will not have the pothole down the road filled if they start to give out to the county manager and use the powers as they are entitled to. I welcome the fact that this Bill is giving more power to local authority members. Previous Administrations used to centralise power compared to what we are doing in this Bill.

There is a problem in certain areas of north Kildare with regard to rents. Kildare is taken as a whole county and calculations for rent supplement are based on what is perceived as the rental value in the whole county. However, in certain parts, particularly in the northern end which is mostly in my constituency, rents have been forced upwards in areas like Celbridge, Leixlip, Maynooth and Naas, particularly since the announcement of the Kerry Group coming to the area. As a result, rent supplement does not match the requirement on the ground. The idea of divesting that power from the Department of Social Protection to the local authority should be taken on board. The local authority should have some say on rent supplement. People are starting to move to Athy because rents are so much lower and rent supplement, which is applicable to the entire county, can be used for it. People cannot get the same kind of property in the northern end of the county. Divesting this power to local authorities would give them some say in the matter.

A problem mentioned by other Members is boarded up stock in local authority areas. It is a shame considering the number of people on the housing list. If we send a letter to each of the county managers or through the County and City Managers Association, perhaps it will put pressure on them to do something about it. We see boarded up stock in local authority estates and rural areas.

Another problem concerns Part V of the Planning and Development Act. I voted against it on my local authority and I have been a vociferous critic of it. I could see what some local authorities were trying to do with the 20% social and affordable housing provision. Some local authorities used to negotiate with landowners on the zoning of land on the basis that if they were given 20% of the land it could be used for a school site, playgrounds, recreation fields and a building for small businesses. Instead, the Part V social and affordable housing provision meant only houses could be built on this land and made available to the local authority. This provision was supposed to solve the problems by getting people off the housing list but the list has expanded rapidly since then. It is a failed policy of a previous Administration. Perhaps the Minister of State will examine it and get the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan, to think about introducing an amendment to the planning Acts to remove the provision. Local authorities should be allowed to build houses on land. As a work in practice, it has failed utterly. People are trying to pay back the loans they received from the local authority when they received a house under the Part V provision. Some people have not been housed because of the lack of housing stock. Since the crash in 2008, virtually no houses have been built so no additional housing stock has been built as a result of Part V. Perhaps the Minister of State can take these points on board. I welcome the Bill and anything that gives power back to local authorities is always welcome. Councillors should have more of a say in what they need locally.

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