Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy asked if housing bodies will have a role. They will have a role in this but it will depend on how the relevant local authority wants to build out the land and the purpose it wants to put it to under the affordable housing scheme. Obviously, Ó Cualann is a housing body and Dublin City Council has worked with it already. As such, we know this can work and we know how it could work in future.

On the use of private lands and affordability, we have been able to achieve a greater allowance for affordability on sites which are not necessarily State owned, such as the Poolbeg SDZ. That is a welcome development. From the conversations we have had with local authority chief executives on certain sites that might be coming in as part of developments which are on stream at the moment, there is a prospect of bringing in affordability there as well. One of the challenges I have put to the local authorities with the Minister of State, Deputy English, is that where we have identified land for social housing we then need them to identify what land they can use for affordable housing also.

The Deputy referred to the equity stake. As it is an equity stake, it will come on balance sheet for local authorities and therefore for the general Government debt. However, it has already been counted in the context of the money provided in the budget for the €25 million site service fund.

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