Kevin Humphreys (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I support the amendment. These powers were introduced - Senator Coffey was a Minister of State in the Department - for good reasons. We were starring down what has become the housing crisis and it was to try to get the building of houses started within the country. At this stage, we are still struggling to get built the volume of new houses that is badly needed.

However, there is a need for such checks and balances. With such checks and balances, we have had further changes used by the Minister which have delayed the building of new homes across the country because of uncertainty that if there is enough pressure put on the Minister one can get yet another change. Even when the most recent change was made by the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, there were cries from the builders and the developers seeking even further changes and delaying developments. The latest changes that the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, brought in actually delayed starts because most developers went in for new planning permissions and let the old ones wither.The latest changes brought in by the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, delayed housing starts as most developers sought new planning permissions and let the old ones wither. There is a strong need for the checks and balances with respect to the 2015 Act and I very much support Senator Grace O'Sullivan's amendment.