Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his reply. One of the concerns both he and I had last year was that by using the designated activity companies model for the residential developments, those activities would not be subject to FOI and the lobbying register. That is obviously still the case where the LDA uses the its subsidiaries as the Minister has outlined. There is of course also a concern that the definition of "affordable housing" in the new general scheme is simply a discount on prevailing market prices in that location, which, in many part of this city, would not be affordable.

It is very troubling that the agency does not have CPO powers any stronger than those in the last general scheme; ransom strips were there previously and still are. That undermines the ability of the LDA to do its land management function.

There is still too little mention of social housing in the general scheme. I think there is only one instance. This means that on land which is not owned by local authorities - such as, for example, the site of the former Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum, on which up to 1,000 homes could be built - we could have only 10% social, maybe 30%. How affordable they would be we do not know and there will still be a large volume of homes at open market prices. That is concerning for some of us so maybe the Minister will respond on those issues.

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