Seanad debates

Tuesday, 23 November 2021

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business

 

12:00 pm

Photo of Victor BoyhanVictor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leader for setting out the draft Order of Business today. I will start by congratulating Dublin city councillors for approving an 853-home development. It is a very important decision and it took a long time coming. There was much debate about Oscar Traynor Road and that site with regard to the quota and percentage of social houses, affordable houses and council-owned houses. It is a council site and the councillors exercised their powers and functions, and they must be commended on doing so against a lot of resistance and negative commentary by a lot of people. Dublin City Council members have approved these new plans for the development of 853 social and affordable homes. The council's decision, which was backed by most councillors last night, is very important because 40% will be used for social housing, 40% will be used for cost rental units, and 20% will be for sale to low- and middle-income workers who qualify for the upcoming affordable purchase scheme. I acknowledge the Government's role in that scheme. This is a positive day. It is positive in giving power back to local government and giving power back to councillors, in this case Dublin city councillors. I commend them and acknowledge them.I note from an email that the Leader and Senator Gallagher are bringing in a Bill in regard to peat and doing a briefing tomorrow. I look forward to attending that briefing. I welcome the recent comments by the Tánaiste, Deputy Varadkar, on the availability of peat in the horticultural sector. That is available in one of his statements issued two or three weeks ago in which he recognised that there were no viable alternatives to peat for the horticultural sector and that the Government needs to find a solution to the problem. That is a very important statement from him, recognising that fact. I now use this opportunity to call on the Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Malcolm Noonan, to publish the final report without any further delay. It is feeding into much uncertainty in regard to the horticultural sector but particularly the mushroom sector. The Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, will be familiar with the horticultural sector in Lusk, north County Dublin, which is a huge, viable business. In terms of organics and pursuing the horticultural food sector it is an important sector and one that we need to embrace and support. It is madness that we are importing peat from Baltic states. It should stop. It is not appropriate. We need to address limited resources of peat and use peat from Ireland for specific targeted areas for the horticultural sector. I commend the Minister of State on his initiative in that regard.

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