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

Will the Tánaiste outline to the House the legislation we as a Government have passed that empowers local authorities to build public housing on public land? Does he reject what happened yesterday in the Chamber when several terms like "sweetheart deal" and "blackmail attempts" were used deliberately to misrepresent what is happening with O'Devaney Gardens? This was a democratic decision of Dublin City Council in 2019. It was negotiated on its behalf by officials with the successful bidder for the first refusal purchase of 30% of the 50% earlier earmarked for private sale.

Those units would be purchased so that they could be used for affordable rental accommodation. The State is simply being given the option to exercise that first refusal purchase. I chaired the meeting - there was no corruption, only an attempt to improve an already tendered contract, the parameters of which were set by a Sinn Féin-controlled council. Yet, Sinn Féin went on to vote against the improvement to its own deal.

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