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

I will address all the amendments in the group and speak to them. The Affordable Housing Bill just went through the House. Members will know that we accepted some Opposition amendments when we could. We are always open to doing that but these amendments seek to amend section 2 of the Bill, which provides for the purpose of the Bill by inserting a reference to public, social and affordable housing. I am opposing these amendments because there is already a reference to affordable and social housing in this section, as there is in multiple sections throughout the Bill. This is about the activation of idle, State-owned land, on many sites all of us are aware of, to deliver social and affordable housing.That is what we want to do.

These amendments - I say this respectfully - do not add anything further to the section and only seek to rephrase what is already in the Bill. The purpose of the Bill, as Senators will know, is to establish the LDA and make appropriate arrangements for the utilisation of public land for housing. That is it, simply - that is what it is. We have the first nine sites and many more are to come. The Bill is seeking to increase the supply of housing, especially affordable and social housing, by ensuring that public land not being utilised or being under-utilised is made available for housing. We have made significant changes right through the Bill to further reinforce that and to ensure we have the agency in a position whereby it will be able to break ground this year on its first project and deliver cost-rental affordable and social homes. This is exciting but we should be doing more. That is why we need this Bill through. We have covered amendments Nos. 2 to 5, inclusive, 8, 12, 18 and 19. I cannot accept any of them.