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

The bottom line is that the circular issued to all planning authorities yesterday, so anything lodged beforehand is still in the system under the 2018 guidelines. I cannot change that because they were lodged at the time when the 2018 guidelines pertained. Existing permissions stand. It is important Deputies know that one of the reasons I looked at this in a lot of detail is that 14 permissions were granted to deliver approximately 2,100 units of this type and not one of them has been delivered. I was particularly concerned about the impact that was going to have, or was having, on land cost and values and whether some of these applications and permissions were simply about inflating the value of a particular piece of ground. Effectively, the current applications will move through the system and for new applications there is a presumption of a of a refusal because the guidance is that there be a refusal. I cannot make it retrospective, as the Deputy knows. The Government's position on co-living is clear: it is not a tenure of housing we prefer or that I, as Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, want to see.

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