Seanad debates

Monday, 12 July 2021

Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage

 

9:30 am

Photo of Alice-Mary HigginsAlice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 2:

In page 8, line 11, after “of” to insert “public”.

I am conscious that many others have amendments in this grouping. The core of this amendment is "public". We are hearing many references to public land, public use of public land and public building on public land, which is what everybody wants to see. The piece that is certainly up front is the discussion on social, affordable and cost-rental housing, but the concern is that, as the Bill is currently constructed, there is a lot of provision for all kinds of other uses for the land, including commercial housing. Many of the points relating to amendment No. 18, and I recognise that others, such as amendment No. 19, address a similar point, is that the functioning and clear remit of this Bill should be to address the crisis in social, affordable and cost-rental housing. We should not have a land development agency that is simply seeking to intervene, and play a role, in a private housing market or which is inviting a private housing market to play a key role in relation to it. The attempts to narrow the function and purpose of this Bill are the concern.

The earlier amendments specifically address that issue because the key purposes and functions of the Bill only refer to housing and do not specify public housing. The Bill refers to housing and the inclusion of affordable and social housing. Of course, there is also a very big difference between affordable and social housing. Affordable housing, for example, might only be public for a very few moments and then you have a direct purchase arrangement so, ultimately, it is on its journey to leaving the State. Cost rental, as set up under the Affordable Housing Bill, unfortunately allows firms to build cost-rental housing and, potentially, reclaim the properties as assets at the end of a period of time. That is some of the concern we have.

This amendment copper-fastens that the public good should be the core and, indeed, only focus of this Bill, and should be the test against which the powers, functions and actions of the LDA are set. Others have similar amendments.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.