Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise the setting up of the land development agency, the latest quango. I will give an example which I am sure could be replicated in every county across the State. Louth County Council has 50 acres of council-owned landbanks which would provide 1,000 social and affordable housing units, should the political will be there to fund them.

Under the Government's latest quango, those 50 acres will only deliver 100 social houses and 300 affordable houses or, as it now appears, unaffordable houses. In essence, the Government's land development agency will deprive the citizens of Louth of 600 social and affordable houses on council-owned land banks. Why does the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government feel the need to set up a quango that he knows will not deliver, and has no intention of delivering, any meaningful volume of social and affordable housing when he is doing such a perfectly good job himself? Is it because he can hide behind it? Is that why he wants to set it up?

As our housing crisis deepens, will the Taoiseach tell me why he and his Government refuse point blank to fund a State-wide social and affordable house building programme when he knows the misery the housing crisis is causing families across this State day in, day out? Will he give me straight answers to the questions about the quango and funding?

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