Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I believe the Bill has sufficient compulsory purchase order, CPO, powers to allow the LDA to deliver the homes we have spoken about in previous phases of this discussion. As the Minister said, there is a fundamental difference here between what the Government wants to do by establishing a LDA that builds and develops homes and the Opposition, which wants to put together an agency that assembles land and then provides that land to the local authorities. We are not saying it is one or another. We are saying that both the local authorities and the LDA will be building affordable homes.

I was genuinely disappointed to hear the Opposition suggest there has not been sufficient debate on this issue. I sat through several sessions, chaired very ably, by the way, by Deputy Matthews, where there was full debate. More than 250 amendments were tabled, on which Ministers came in and responded. I do not believe, therefore, it is fair or reasonable to say that we have guillotined debate on this issue. We want to press the starter button to get on with this process and stop talking about the delivery of housing.

I acknowledge those Deputies in this House who said the process has delivered change and that their Minister listened and responded to them. I see those changes in the Bill. I am genuinely disappointed, however, that Deputy Ó Broin has now said that Sinn Féin is opposed to this Bill. When I saw the list of amendments, I did not see one from Sinn Féin. I presumed Sinn Féin would be supporting the Bill. It now appears that the greatest Opposition party in the history of the State did not table even one amendment to a Bill it is actually opposing.

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