Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am just going to answer Deputy Ó Ríordáin first because he took the time to table the question. With the LDA legislation, we will be open to that. I have circulated the Bill among Cabinet members for observation. We are already at that stage. It will come back to me and it will go to the joint Oireachtas committee for pre-legislative scrutiny. I certainly want to see affordability tied into the Bill. On the other elements, I am acutely aware of what I raised when I participated in pre-legislative scrutiny in the last Dáil. This Bill is informed by contributions by the Deputy, me and others who were on that committee. It is detailed legislation that will require much work. We have to get it right. I intend to have freedom of information, compulsory purchase order powers and things like that in the Bill. I will be consulting with the joint Oireachtas committee as well at the right pre-legislative stage. When I publish the Bill is when we will be looking for input, which is what pre-legislative scrutiny is for. I ask Members to look at it in a constructive and open way. We need a land management agency, or whatever we call it. The State needs to manage its land properly.

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