Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I also raise the issue of the "RTÉ Investigates" programme broadcast last night. We in the Labour Party have signalled our intention to table an amendment to the planning legislation going through the Houses seeking to address this practice of manipulation and abuse of the planning system and of the withdrawal of appeals. We would like to ask whether the Government will work with us on this because, clearly, this practice, if it is allowed to continue, will continue to strike a real blow to the confidence in our planning system.

Separately, will the Taoiseach facilitate a debate on the funding of the Land Development Agency? We have real concerns, again, about the lack of clarity as to where funding is coming from. We see The Irish Timesreporting today a new deal for funding of this agency, with up to €3 billion to be provided, but that is only half of the €6 billion announced as part of a half-baked announcement by the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, in the wake of budget 2024. We need a debate on funding for the Land Development Agency to ensure it will have the capacity to deliver the much-needed homes to address the housing crisis we currently face.

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