John Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister the House. It is true that this measure was not in the original Bill. I sat on Waterford City and County Council for 11 years and always took that role exceptionally seriously, as does every councillor in the country. It is also true that I have reservations about this section 183 change. However, it is also true, as Senator Fitzpatrick referenced, that much has changed since the original Bill was passed, not least the housing crisis getting worse but also the fact, though Senator Warfield may want to wish it away, that his own party has objected to 6,000 houses in Dublin. As recently as a couple of weeks ago, it opposed 18 public houses on public land in County Wicklow, something we hear the Opposition calling for day in, day out in this House, on the airwaves and in the Dáil. Much has changed and I have, therefore, an appreciation of where the Minister is coming from with the changes that have been made to the original Bill.

A number of changes have been made in recent times to the original proposal, which would have seen the section 183 apply across the board to all lands rather than residential lands. That has come as a result of engagement on behalf of my Fine Gael Party colleagues, by Senator Fitzpatrick, on behalf of her Fianna Fáil Party colleagues, and by the Green Party, including at the Oireachtas housing committee. The impact of the changes will be that section 183 will only apply to residential land, that is, land which councillors have already decided is suitable for residential development and land the council has decided it will not develop. That should never happen in my view. Councils should not own land zoned as residential which they are not progressing. The Government is empowering and resourcing local authorities to build social and affordable houses on their own land. In recent months, the Affordable Housing Act 2021 underwent about 40 hours of pre-legislative scrutiny and Seanad and Dáil debate. The Act will allow local authorities to build social and affordable houses on public land. I would like the Minister's opinion on this but in my view this provision should not actually have to be used if councils take on the role of building housing on council lands they have already zoned.