Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I also welcome the pupils and wish them a happy St. Brigid's Day. It is important to have robust debate and it is good to see such impassioned contributions in the Chamber. Before I close, I will try to reflect on some of the contributions made by Deputies since I came into the Chamber. Quite a lot of the issues raised were not particularly related to the motion but they are related to local government in general with regard to funding and provision of facilities. Deputy Boyd Barrett raised the issues of social and affordable housing and co-living and Deputy Canney spoke about public facilities, which is core to what we are discussing this morning. Deputies also spoke about the key role for elected members and I will reflect on that in my closing speech because there is a key role. I spent 16 very happy years on a local authority. The reserved function of the elected member in terms of the provision of facilities, provision of services, prioritisation in development plans and local area plans, play policies and other policies of local authorities is critical to the work of the local authority.

The staff and executive of local authorities are carrying out the wishes of the elected members who set the policies. That is a critically important role that the elected member has at local authority level.

Deputy Tóibín raised problems with local government funding not keeping pace with population growth. There is no doubt that local government funding in general is a challenge. It is quite exciting that the Government is embarking on the Land Value Sharing and Urban Development Zones Bill 2021. That will help in terms of the funding in general. I will reflect on that in my closing speech.

Deputy Tóibín also referenced putting public buildings back into use, as did other Deputies. We have provided local vacant homes officers to 31 local authorities. They use the Town Centre First initiative, which will have a Town Centre First officer. We are putting infrastructure and resources into local authorities to build capacity to unlock the potential in vacant dwellings and vacant properties. The vacant homes fund was announced by the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, last week, and the Croí Cónaithe fund is also available. There are myriad really good funding regimes and policies to support the regeneration of our town centres to get these buildings back into productive use. That is hugely important.

Similarly, Deputy O'Donoghue raised issues around active travel funding, the need for which has never been greater. I am absolutely conscious of the issues around rural Ireland and in particular the expansion of Local Link services. The Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, made an announcement about hackney services, which is a game changer in terms of the interconnectedness of rural public transport. I absolutely share the concerns raised by the Deputy in that regard. It is critically important that our smaller rural communities are connected and feel connected, which is what the Minister, Deputy Ryan, is trying to achieve.

Wastewater infrastructure was raised with regard to Irish Water, which brought in the small town and villages growth scheme. The Government has invested significant capital moneys in Irish Water to meet its capital objectives around the provision of safe drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities for the expansion of our smaller towns, villages and settlements. That is reflective of some of the comments I heard since I came in on the debate.

I thank the Deputies for their engagement this morning. We have listened carefully and with interest to the contributions that have been made on this important topic, which is very much alive in our growing towns and cities. As has been mentioned by my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, the motion put forward by the Members from the Independent Group today is in many respects aligned with Government's overall approach to supporting growing communities through the provision of funding to support amenities and services that are needed.

It has already been said, and it is clear from the motion, that it is in everyone's interest that proper planning and development ensures that community services and infrastructure are funded as and when such new development arises.

This Government shares that interest and supports existing measures to achieve those aims and objectives. Furthermore, this Government is progressing additional measures to further support what could be best described as community gain that must arise from such developments.

My colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, has already shared with Members an outline of the existing measures that are in place and those proposed measures that are in line with the spirit of the motion today, which is that the uplift in funding derived from new developments should benefit those affected communities.

This next point is relevant to matters raised earlier this morning. I will not repeat those save for making it clear that this Government recognises that the need for services, amenities and facilities benefiting communities must be developed and enhanced in connection with new development, including housing development. Those existing legislative provisions permit planning authorities to secure development contributions towards local infrastructure projects. Those same provisions also empower elected members of local authorities in determining the priority to be afforded to projects within the functional area of the local authority.

This Government will continue to support those existing arrangements, although it recognises there are opportunities for more to be done in this area. The Government recognises the need for additional infrastructure and for community gain to be secured in connection with new housing development.

Perhaps the most radical changes in this area for decades are contained in the proposed land value sharing mechanism. This is intended to increase the sources of funding available to local authorities to enable them to benefit from any value uplift that arises from development.

The Land Value Sharing and Urban Development Zones Bill also includes provisions to empower local authorities to designate areas with significant potential for development, including housing, as candidate urban development zones and for the Government to designate such areas as urban development zones. I very much look forward to seeing this Bill progress when it is published in the coming weeks. The potential benefits for local authorities and communities would further strengthen the linking of community gain from future housing developments.

The proposals already outlined also make it clear that they include a key role for elected members and the local community in the adoption of a framework for the development of the area within the development plan, and in the adoption of detailed schemes for the master-planning of the areas. Such empowerment of elected members should be welcomed and supported and I would welcome support from Opposition Deputies as this Bill progresses. That is also critically important to state.

As we go through development plan processes throughout the country, it is critically important that communities are and continue to be engaged. Local authorities are striving to increase the level of participation in our development plan process. We really want communities and young people to have a say in how our development plans progress. It is vitally important that everyone is able to have a say. The young people present in the Public Gallery will be inheriting the plans and decisions we make today and into the next decade. We want to ensure we future-proof them for their generation as well. It is, therefore, really important that people participate in such public processes. During my time as a local authority member, I really valued that role of people being engaged. I value the role the elected member plays because he or she is the conduit between the community and the executive of councils and how plans and policies are shaped and formed. That is vitally important.

Finally, in not opposing this motion, the Government recognises that there is work in train to deliver the general objectives contained in today's motion. As the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, stated, it is aligned with the spirit of Government policy concerning the channelling of revenues arising from development that is already well established and in addition to the work that is also under way to develop this funding principle further.

As the Land Value Sharing and Urban Development Zones Bill progresses through the Oireachtas, I urge the Deputies who proposed today's motion to support its passing. Ultimately, this new innovation will help to deliver additional funding available for the development of community facilities and amenities, which we can all agree are essential in housing development.

I thank the Deputies for bringing forward this Private Members' business today. It has been really useful to have this debate. It is very progressive and the Government will not be opposing the Bill.

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