Pat Casey (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Before I begin to speak on the Land Development Agency, I want to say that I agree with Senator Mullen on the vacant site levy. At this stage, we all agree it is not fit for purpose. How it is applied in the various local authorities differs and there is no consistency. It does not do what it was intended to do.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on Second Stage of the Bill and I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Having served on the housing committee in the previous Dáil I was there when the heads of the first Land Development Agency Bill came before us. At that time, I had serious reservations about the Bill and how it was formed. What was presented originally in the Bill was completely different to what we saw on Committee Stage in 2019. In fairness to everybody involved in the legislation, they have listened to what Members have said until this point. What is before us now is significantly different to what was laid before the House initially.

The Minister of State mentioned the phrase "market value" and the Opposition love to hang onto such phrases. The Minister of State gave a fair description of how it is working out. While it might start at market value, the obligations in delivering affordable housing, cost rental housing and social housing will have a huge impact on land. I am glad to see the legislative provisions on this have been changed.

Another element is public land for public housing. In fairness, the Minister of State has more or less delivered on this, particularly in Dublin and Cork where it is now 80%, with 20% under Part V. It is now delivering 100% public housing on public land.We also need to give things time to work and to see whether they work out. As I pointed out through amendments a while ago, we need private housing in some localities. We need that mix in communities and to get the right balance. Building 100% public housing on public lands is not always the best option. We sometimes need to have a mix.

I will move on to section 183 of the Local Government Act 2001, which my colleagues have all mentioned. We are all on the one page in this regard. I acknowledge and recognise the work done in this regard and the amendments that have been made. The provision now only relates to land zoned for housing. While I encourage the Minister of State to see if a bit more could be done for local authorities in this regard and to see if it can be pushed out a bit more, I understand why the provision is needed, as my colleague referred to earlier on. As a Senator from Wicklow who was a Deputy for Wicklow in the previous Dáil and who has served on the local authority in Wicklow for 12 years, I know that when something lands on one's desk in one's own county, one understands it better. What happened in Wicklow on Tuesday night and how Sinn Féin voted in Bray shows nothing other than hypocrisy of the worst kind. I am sick and tired of listening to Deputy Brady's megaphone politics. On Tuesday night, his two councillors voted against 18 social housing units on public land. Sinn Féin does not want social housing on public land. The hypocrisy in which Sinn Féin engages time and again must stop. I have served with Deputy Ó Broin on the housing committee and, while I have respect for him, the hypocrisy of the Sinn Féin Party must be called out for once and for all.

The Land Development Agency Bill 2021 represents another avenue to deliver housing and must be welcomed. It is now a matter of multiple choice. Housing may be provided through the local authority, approved housing bodies or the LDA. We have multiple avenues through which to deliver affordable, social and cost-rental homes. I have concerns about the legislation. I always will and always should because we should always question legislation that comes before us. In my own business, I sometimes have to say that things are not working out. We have had to amend this legislation since it was originally launched. If we can keep the legislation under review, we can identify aspects that are working and others that are not. We should not be afraid to come back and change the legislation.