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

I say this with all sincerity, but there is some scepticism as to whether the four-stage process will actually become a three-stage process. We will have to wait and see. The Department's report is very clear. It does not confirm the establishment of a single decision-maker. It states that it would be preferable, but there will be greater co-ordination. I invite the Minister to meet the Deputies involved with this issue and the relevant officials from the Department. Some of us may have helpful suggestions that could be piloted in this project to accelerate it.

On the issue of rents, Dublin City Council is currently saying that the rents could be €1,300 plus, even with the affordable housing fund. The term of the loan is too short. I know that the European Investment Bank, EIB, only provides that term, but with the Enniskerry Road project, the Minister was able to restructure the loan through the Housing Finance Agency, HFA. While it is possible to get the rents at this location down to €700, €800 and €900 for one-, two- and three-bedroom properties, that requires both €100,000 from the serviced sites fund or affordable housing fund and much longer maturities. I urge the Minister to work with us to ensure that the financing is restructured so that the project is delivered quickly and is genuinely affordable.

See this speech in context