Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and his officials to the House. There is a housing crisis in this country. We know there is a shortage of supply in social and affordable housing and housing generally on the market. The Government published Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, and that is the policy. Therefore, it has to be pursued, not blindly by us but ultimately by the Government, because it is its plan.

We discussed this at great length, and the reality is we must not see this in isolation from the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended. There is a huge amount of legislation on proper planning and sustainable development. It does not all just spring out. This has always been there. We have a good planning code and a good planning system. We have 31 planning authorities that are vigilant. My understanding, and I am open to correction, is that this legislation does not limit or stop a planning authority from giving a two-year restriction of a second extension of an extension, if the Minister of State knows what I mean. He might confirm that because that is important. It does not take that discretion from the local planning authorities, which is very important, because we hold a great deal of hope about the situation. I have to say on behalf of the planning authorities that I have dealt with, since I hold them in high esteem, that they are critical to the work and the function, and we have an independent appeals process in certain places.

Coming back to the issue here, while that is an important point to make, the target of Rebuilding Ireland is 47,000 social houses. It has taken longer than most would have envisaged to bed down, but it is the policy and, in time, we in the House will be holding the Government to account for the next roll-out in the next eight or nine months and how it progresses. I am a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, and we are regularly exercised by the delivery of social and affordable housing. In fairness to the Minister, Minister of State and departmental officials, they constantly attend and engage, and I acknowledge the importance of that too.

Extending time for house building makes sense, and for that reason I will support the Minister of State's legislative proposals that are before the House. The Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government and the Minister of State, Deputy English, are ultimately responsible for delivery of the housing element of the programme. This is about a second extension for planning permissions over and above the first extension, and the Bill seeks to ensure the extensions to planning permissions are legislatively provided for in a timely manner, which is very important, and allow house builders to complete unfinished housing estates under certain circumstances and conditions. It is not a blanket open permission but is under circumstances and specific conditions. There are discretions within the planning authority and that is very important. During the financial crisis, we know that construction companies had to fold up, walk off sites and not complete them. They should never have been completed in some cases because they were not good enough, but there are issues and we have to accept the reality and we have to live with the reality that there were issues which meant that developments did not get under way in a timely manner, and that is a fact. Our objective must always be to deliver more housing at every level in the market, so this Bill is to be welcomed. As a member of the Joint Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, I have been made aware in recent times that there are approximately 70 to 75 developments - the Minister of State referred to between 50 and 100 - throughout this country that are awaiting the commencement this legislation before obtaining planning permission. People are waiting and ready and want either start or recommence work. That is an important point. When we discussed all of this, it was pointed out that there would be further amendments to the Planning and Development Act 2000 to extend the duration of planning permissions that have already benefited from a first extension of duration. The Bill is, therefore, giving effect to something that we had discussed previously. It is not all new to us.

Rebuilding Ireland has a deadline to 31 December 2021. I want reassurances on this because this is something with which I have a bit of a problem. Am I correct in thinking that there will be no further extensions and that this will die at that point? I want reassurances that there will be no extensions after 2021, which is the deadline for the completion of Rebuilding Ireland. This is important. Could the Minister of State clarify the position? I would really like to hear the Minister of State's views regarding planning authorities' discretion to only extend it by two years. Is that an option? The Minister of State might reassure us on that.

The bottom line is that we need more housing. The delivery of more housing in every sector across this country is necessary in order to address a housing crisis. This is why I will be supporting the Bill. I am aware that there are a number of amendments. I have read those amendments and I have no difficulty with any of them. I stand open to correction that all of the matters to which they relate are adequately dealt with in legislation, be it building control legislation, the Planning and Development Acts and various other mechanisms. I am particularly drawn to the point relating to building controls, planning and development and climate mitigation and the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015. All of these areas are adequately covered. If I thought they were not adequately covered, I would be supporting the amendments. I do not think it is necessary to support them. I am supportive of the principle behind them but I would like to hear whether they are already provided for or whether safeguards and mechanisms are already in place that render the amendments unnecessary. I would like to get the Minister of State's feedback on that as well.