Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I will address points raised by Senators during the debate as well as the pre-legislative scrutiny, PLS, recommendations.

I thank Senators Boyhan and Fitzpatrick, as well as other members of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage, which is an excellent committee. Our interaction with the committee has been fantastic. There is no doubt it has been very busy in recent years. We appreciate the continued, active participation of the committee's officials, Chair and members in what has been a hectic schedule over the past two and a half years or so. I will pass on Senator Boyhan's regards to Mary Hurley about her involvement.

The points made by Deputy Duffy during the PLS process, the issue of duplication and the need for greater synergy were raised by Senator Boyhan. That is what this process is all about. I will address that in response to Senator Kyne's contribution on improving and streamlining information, which is essential.

I would like to visit the Ordnance Survey of Ireland office in the Phoenix Park at some stage. Its role is critically important. Archivists are of the view that physical records are far more significant than digitisation. To respond to the point raised by Senator Kyne in that regard, those manuscripts are important assets of the State. I would like to visit the OSI office to see those records.

Senator Fitzpatrick spoke about Tailte Éireann being a new departure. We all agree this is long overdue and I agree with her that it will build confidence among the public.

I take on board Senator Cummins's point on the loss of a rates base. This is a technical Bill on the establishment of Tailte Éireann, but those points need consideration. On the planning of infrastructure and the big challenge we face with nature restoration and development of the country, the interaction of this mapping information will be vital to us over the next decade and beyond. I acknowledge the Senator's comments about the Property Registration Authority in Waterford and the staff there.

I will take on board Senator Ó Donnghaile's points about accuracy and reliable information. The issue with the PSRA does not fall under the remit of this Bill but I note his comments. I also note issues raised by Senator Kyne. All Senators have made similar points. The national monuments Bill is progressing well and we should see it early next year.

With regard to Land Commission records and National Parks and Wildlife Service maps relating to SACs, NHAs and registered monuments, it is critically important that there is information sharing in respect of these mapping data. They are informing our spatial planning as well as our land use planning and mapping. Interaction regarding these records is very important. The Senators made valuable points and I thank them for raising these issues.

I will address the recommendations made by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing Local Government and Heritage during the PLS process. The committee recommended that the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage engage with the Department of Justice to consider integrating the Property Services Regulatory Authority with Tailte Éireann, and this matter has also been raised today. The primary role of the PSRA is to regulate property service providers, namely, auctioneers, estate agents, letting agents and property management agents. The functions of the PSRA were not considered to be sufficiently closely aligned with the functions of the bodies identified in Tailte Éireann, those being the registration of deeds, titles, State surveying, and the evaluation of rateable property.

The joint committee further recommended that "Tailte Éireann be given, as one of its statutory functions, responsibility for maintaining a publicly accessible, searchable, electronic register of land transactions that would include the price, location, size, zoning, date of sale and ownership details." This new register would operate on a similar basis to the existing residential property price register. The supply of housing is inextricably linked with the supply of land and its capacity for development.Under Housing for All, the Government's housing plan to 2030, my Department is committed to evidence-informed policy development and will continue to improve data availability and analysis.

The Government has recently published its first annual update of the plan's actions which sets out how the Government is responding to changed circumstances and ensuring that focus remains on delivery. Under action 24.2 of the progress report, the Government has committed to developing a national zoned housing land register based on local authority development plans including the potential housing yield capacity which can form part of the basis for the associated calculation of land use values required for land value sharing measures with a target delivery timeframe of quarter 1 of 2023. This is considered an appropriate mechanism for dealing with the issues the proposal seeks to address.

With regard to the appointment process for the chief executive and the board, the chief executive will be appointed by the Minister following an open competition through the Public Appointments Service, PAS, and in accordance with the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004. A competition is under way through the PAS for the role of chief executive of Taillte Éireann. With regard to the board of Taillte Éireann, it is intended the board membership will consist of a chairperson and six ordinary members who will be appointed by the Minister following an open competition through the PAS and in line with the code of practice for the governance of State bodies.

The Bill provides that the Minister may, where he or she considers it necessary having regard to the volume of business coming before Taillte Éireann and the need to ensure the effective and efficient discharge by Taillte Éireann of its functions, by order, increase the number of members of the board to not more than 12 for such a period as the Minister shall specify, up to a maximum period of two years. There is no provision in the Bill for certain nominees to the board. This is a broad understanding of how Taillte Éireann has a single-entity focus on the production and maintenance of core reference data focused on land ownership and value which will deliver benefits to the State. The provision of high-quality, reliable, trusted and maintained geospatial information is essential to a wide range of critical State functions, from environmental planning and management to the effective administration of property and land use.

Streamlining services into one entity with its own Vote of expenditure and headed by a single chief executive and board will allow Taillte Éireann to efficiently take advantage of the national geospatial data of GeoHive which has been developed by Ordnance Survey Ireland, OSI, and will be able to combine and integrate the wealth of authoritative land information held by the Property Registration Authority, Valuation Office Ireland, OSI and other public bodies to provide citizens, business and policymakers with new land information for products and services. It will provide a single point of access for land and property information and related services such as property and title information, property valuation data, maps and aerial imagery.

The establishment of Taillte Éireann will also provide for a less crowded administrative landscape. A project board has been put in place under the chairmanship of my Department to oversee the successful establishment of Taillte Éireann. When established, Taillte Éireann will be staffed by more than 900 civil servants and a wide variety of quality-management and technical skills and experience. This was referenced by Senators. Development is under way by the Commissioners of Public Works on the distillers building in Smithfield which will act as a civil service Government accommodation hub and provide office accommodation for the Dublin-based staff of Taillte Éireann.

In the beginning, I outlined the provisions of this Bill, which is focused on the merging of three bodies and the establishment of Taillte Éireann. This is largely technical legislation which was primarily designed to establish the merged Taillte Éireann organisation in the most efficient way. Accordingly, no other significant policy initiatives are contained within this legislation. Rather, in line with similar legislation, the Bill is focused on the statutory provisions necessary to bring about the merger of the three existing organisations into the new Taillte Éireann organisation, the governance of the new organisation when it is established and the carrying out of its functions into the future. I hope the Bill continues to receive the support of the House. I thank the Senators for their very positive contributions and input this afternoon. I also thank the Oireachtas committee and all other participants in this debate and our officials in the Department. I look forward to further consideration of the Bill's provision on Committee Stage.