I propose to take Questions Nos. 606 and 607 together.
Every local authority is required to maintain a register of all lands in its ownership, or leased by the local authority. When land is no longer held by the local authority, the date and manner in which the local authority ceased to hold such land and the consideration, if any, paid to the local authority in respect of such land, must also be recorded.
In relation to the disposal of land, elected members are required to be notified, under Section 183(1) of the Local Government Act 2001, as amended, of any proposal to dispose of land held by a local authority. Such notification shall include particulars of the land, the names of the persons from whom the land was acquired and to whom it is to be disposed of, and the consideration proposed in respect of the disposal.
It is a matter for the local authority elected members, by resolution, to decide to amend the terms of the disposal or resolve that the disposal not be carried out.
Any issue of whether an individual land transaction falls within the terms of section 183 is a function of the specific circumstances involved. If there is a doubt as to whether the terms of section 183 have been appropriately applied in an individual case, this is a matter that the elected members should pursue with the Chief Executive, in the first instance, and legal advice on the matter should be obtained, as necessary.
One of the key objectives of the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness is to increase the supply of high quality social housing and homes at more affordable price points on local authority lands as quickly as possible, particularly in areas where demand is greatest. In that regard, details of some 1,700 hectares of land in local authority and Housing Agency ownership were published on the Rebuilding Ireland Housing Land Map on 27th April 2017. These sites can be viewed at the following link: http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/rebuilding-ireland-land-map/.