The Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, has rejected builders' criticisms of the social and affordable housing provisions of the new Planning Bill, saying they are "fair and equitable" and that he is determined to introduce them.
Builders maintained yesterday that the plan to compel builders to sell part of their land to the local authority for social housing as a condition of receiving planning permission would drive up house prices, reduce the amount of housing land coming on the market and slow house sales.
"I can imagine that builders might be unhappy with that, but we have satisfied ourselves that it is fair and equitable in the current climate and we will be proceeding with it," Mr Dempsey told The Irish Times yesterday.
He also rejected Labour Party claims that it would take three years before any of the social or affordable housing provided for in the Bill would be built. Labour's environment spokesman, Mr Eamon Gilmore, claimed yesterday it would be 2003 before any new social housing would be built.
However, Mr Dempsey said these provisions of the Bill could be in operation by next April or May. The Bill would be introduced in the Seanad in the forthcoming Dail session, and he hoped it would begin its second stage in the Dail before Christmas.
"It should be completed and signed by next Easter," Mr Dempsey said.
He also rejected claims that the requirement that local authorities produce a housing strategy before the provisions of the Bill take effect would necessarily delay the construction of the social housing.
"There is nothing to stop local authorities beginning work on that strategy now. They could be ready for the legislation as soon as it is passed", said Mr Dempsey, who is to meet county managers over the next few weeks and will urge them to do this.
Public meetings on the Bill will be held in Dublin, Cork and Galway before mid-October to hear the public's views on the Bill, and according to Mr Dempsey these meetings may lead to changes in the Bill at committee stage.
The Minister also rejected Fine Gael criticisms that the Bill had not been produced quickly enough.
"If the previous government had taken action I would have been able to have legislation ready within two months of coming into office."
Mr Dempsey emphasised that the Planning Bill contained much more than simply the provisions on social housing, and that he hoped its other provisions would be subject to public debate as well.
Fine Gael's environment spokesman, Mr Alan Dukes, said his party agreed with the broad objectives of the Bill but its specific provisions appeared to be "very heavy-handed and unnecessarily cumbersome".
He said Fine Gael would be proposing amendments to the Bill to make the planning process and the work of An Bord Pleanala faster and more accountable.
The Workers' Party welcomed some aspects of the Bill but said it did not absolve the Government of the responsibility to house those who could not house themselves.