Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Unfortunately, I am not in a position to accept the amendment. The Senator has explained her position and why she believes it is appropriate. I oppose it on the basis that the LDA is entirely separate to NAMA. We have spent a lot of time on this. The LDA exists, and has existed for a number of years now, but it does not have legislation to underpin it. We need to get the LDA set up on a primary legislative footing so we can actually capitalise it, allow it to get on with delivering homes for people on State-owned land and put that land to productive use on behalf of our people. The objective is to enable the LDA to undertake strategic land assembly and to effectively use lands for the public good for the provision of social and affordable housing, initially on the nine sites it has but on more sites after that.

The independent commission of investigation into NAMA relates, as the Senator said, to Project Eagle, which was around the sale of its Northern Ireland portfolio. There is zero link between the LDA and the investigation into NAMA. While I accept the reason the Senator believes it is of importance, I cannot accept an amendment that will effectively delay the formal establishment on a legislative footing of the LDA on the basis of waiting for a report about an agency that has nothing to do with the LDA. It is absolutely possible, and I do not have this information, that the commission of investigation could seek an extension to its timeline, as it is able to do, beyond the current deadline of September 2021. If I were to accept the amendment and the commission were to be extended further, where would we go with the LDA? Unfortunately, I cannot accept the amendment.