The Dáil will this week debate and vote on a Labour Party proposal to allow local councils force landowners to sell land to them at capped prices in order to ease the increase in house prices.
A Labour Bill on the issue will be debated in the Dáil's private members' time this week, which is rotated between the Opposition parties. While it will be defeated by the Government's Dáil majority, Labour is using the debate to highlight policy differences with the Government on the issue.
According to the party's environment and local government spokesman, Mr Eamon Gilmore, controlling building land prices is essential to the control of house prices. This was needed, "if many young families were to ever again have any hope of owning their own homes", he said yesterday.
The Labour Bill comes as the Government considers measures to tackle the price of building land. In a weekend interview, the Taoiseach suggested the possibility of a tax on potential building land that is being hoarded.
The Government is expected to commission a study to ascertain the extent of such hoarding.