Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

With regard to that housing estate in Kildare last year, it was not bought out by funds. The majority of those homes went on the open market while the remainder have been acquired by Kildare County Council for social and affordable housing under the terms of Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000. There is an endless attempt to spin this issue, but the facts are the facts. That estate was not bought out by the funds, as the Deputy has asserted. Also, in terms of the objectives, the planning laws we introduced on this last year have worked. Some 15,883 residential units have received planning permission since May 2021. Basically, in the space of 12 months, almost 16,000 residential units have been planned for or reserved or received planning permission for individual purchasers. The number of 350 is out of 16,000, so there needs to be balance and perspective here.

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