Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I understand the time allocation is four and a half minutes, four minutes and three minutes, in that order.

I thank the Minister for his speech and for outlining the challenges we face. I believe the Land Development Agency is a potential game changer in addressing housing supply. The report yesterday from the surveyors shows that we will not have compact development in our city if we rely solely on the market because of the cost.

I fear we will not have regional dispersion, involving the growth of Waterford, Cork and other cities if we do not have an active Land Development Agency. My point to the Minister is that our plans must be ambitious. The agency must be equipped with sufficient powers to carry out the acquisition of lands and assembly of sites.

I fear that the system will be too conservative in terms of the Land Development Agency. It is important that we have a State developer that challenges private developers and hoarding and some of the features that have developed in that market. It is also essential that the Land Development Agency develops master plans for all our housing needs, not only the needs of those on public housing lists but those of everyone who is looking for affordable housing.

I support the affordable housing Bill, the heads of which the Minister has published in recent days. It is true to point out that many of the people who the Bill will help are paying up to €20,000 in rent per year for one-bedroom apartments. The scheme will allow these people access at three quarters of the cost in terms of their monthly payments to a far larger dwelling suitable for their long-term needs. It is to be commended.

It is of course true that if one lets people into the market who have been blocked out, one adds to demand. The key to ensuring that this does not create pressure in prices is supply. That is where we come back to the crucial ambitions of the Land Development Agency. The agency must be equipped to drive on that supply.

I wish to point out the many useful recommendations from the National Economic and Social Council in that area, including aggressive use of Part V provisions, more aggressive use of the various funds that the Minister knows about and use of infrastructural funds and serviced sites funds and so on. There are new dimensions in public procurement that can be more innovative and drive down costs, as well as new dimensions in zoning. All these measures should be put in place. There are schemes, like the repair and refurbish scheme, where we have seen low levels of take-up in most local authorities. Some 19 authorities have not bothered at all. Yet 45% of applications have come from one council, namely, Waterford City and County Council.

I strenuously oppose the narrow ideology that has sunk the 853 homes in Santry. The development was going to offer balanced supply, with 256 social, 170 affordable, 213 cost-rental and 213 private dwellings. This was badly needed on a site that has lain derelict for 40 years. There was four years of planning, which was approved by Sinn Féin at the time it was initiated. It was then sunk at the last minute by the vote of the council. This is the sort of innovative procurement from local authorities that we need to see. It will drive down the cost of producing public housing. There is more than a hint of hypocrisy in the way it has been dealt with.

The mantra of "only public housing on public land" must be called out for what it is. It will block the potential of the Land Development Agency to really change the way in which our housing market works. The agency has an obligation to provide homes for all our community. We must not see a return to segregated housing for one type of tenant only.

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