Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 July 2018
661. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the actions being taken to ensure sites owned by Irish Rail which are not required for railway operations are made available for housing and other development. [32178/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe acquisition, disposal or development of such property is a matter for Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ) in the first instance. Sections 13(1) and 13(3) of the Transport Act 1950 and section 11 of the Transport Act 1964 provide CIÉ with the statutory power to acquire, dispose or develop property subject to the consent of its Board.
While there is no statutory requirement for Ministerial consent, Section 8.22 of the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies states that the Chairperson of the Board should seek the approval of the relevant Minister and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in advance of any material acquisition or disposal of land, buildings or other material assets proposed by a State Body.
Section 8.23 of the Code also states that in addition to any specific guidelines which may apply to a particular State body, any acquisition or disposal of property must be conducted in accordance with Circular 17/2016 on Policy for Property Acquisition and for Disposal of Surplus Property.
The Rebuilding Ireland Housing Land Map, a comprehensive mapping database of publicly owned lands in key areas, was developed with a view to identifying additional lands suitable for housing. The database is publicly available via the rebuildingireland.ie website. This mapping informed the preparation of the housing elements of the National Planning Framework which will see a more proactive approach being taken to strategic land management in future.
CIÉ actively participated in this initiative with the Housing Delivery Office in respect of potentially suitable sites under its ownership. CIÉ also support and encourage community initiatives which make use of vacant railway buildings for use by the community.
