Vol. 563 No. 4
582 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he will reconsider the finding of Justice Kenny's report of 1973 and recommend forms to control land prices for residential development in an efficient and equitable manner. [7629/03]
This Government has indicated its intention to address the issue of the cost of land required for development, including its impact on the affordability of housing. In that context the Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution has been asked by the Taoiseach to assess the possibility of placing a cap on the value of development land, including revisiting the recom mendations of the Kenny report. In doing so, the committee will have to consider the constitutional and practical issues involved.
My Department has introduced measures to obtain gain for the community from the increased land values arising from zoning, in particular through the requirement in Part 5 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 that up to 20% of residentially zoned land be made available to the local authority at existing use value rather than at market value. As part of the overall examination of land costs for housing and other major infrastructure, my Department is looking at identifying other necessary measures aimed at moderating land costs for housing and other essential public infrastructure.
