Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The planning department staff are the ones who would impose the guidelines so that is why I mentioned them in response to what the Minister of State said. If the Acting Chairman wishes to impose order, he should be in order.

The clerk of works was also mentioned by the Minister of State. He believed that it was a good point. Why did he not introduce a relevant amendment in the Seanad? He had an opportunity to do so. He brought in the other amendments. That would have been a more suitable amendment, would have been more respectful of the local authorities around the country and would have had a greater effect on housing standards in the future than what he is trying to do here. It would have ensured that apartments in the future were liveable.

Whether he likes it or not, the Minister of State is eroding the democratic mandate councillors and the council are given by his suggestion that they are introducing or introduced guidelines that are impractical. The fact that as we speak, Dublin City Council is taking on board some of the suggestions made by Deputy Wallace and the Minister of State about lifts shows that you can change and they are willing to listen. This is being discussed at the moment yet the Minister has already taken the decision for them. Why bother having a discussion around the development plan in any shape or form when the Minister is going to make the decision for them? They should leave it and say the Minister is the representative on the planning SPC or whatever part of the city council takes the decision.

What the Minister of State is trying to do is a disgrace. I know he said he is not doing this for any developer and I would not suggest that he is. I do not know him well enough and I do not know his background but I know exactly what the consequences of what he is doing will be. It will facilitate developers in screwing people even more and taking more money out of a pot of land than they are currently able to take. Every developer in this country can make a profit on the price of houses on the land on which they are sitting in this city. There are plots of land around the city that could be built on and houses or apartments sold when they are built and those developers would still make money. They just want more money and that has always been the case. It was the case prior to the collapse. If one looks at the price of houses and apartments in this city, particularly those for rent, one can see that all we are doing is adding to the future crisis. It is cyclical in nature.

The amendments introduced by the Government from the Seanad represent a retrograde step. I support the amendments we have been discussing here, particularly those from Deputy Wallace. We need a reasonable set of standards that can be complied with rather than a diktat from a Minister and a Department.

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