Government to pressure semi-States over land transfers for housing
Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien brought forward the proposal to earmark land owned by semi-State bodies for housing.
The Government wants to put pressure on semi-State bodies that are delaying the transfer of land earmarked for housing to the Land Development Agency (LDA).
The call was made as part of an update to Cabinet on the Government's Housing for All policy, brought forward by Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien.
The update said progress on transferring sites to the LDA has stalled, including on an ESB site in Cork and on a Horse Racing Ireland site in Dublin.
The Cork site has the potential for approximately 300 houses, while the Dublin site can accommodate up to 2,080 houses.
Progress has also stalled on a HSE site in Limerick, where there is the potential for approximately 700 homes.
Negotiations are currently underway with all three landowners, with the LDA seeking the sites as they are unconstrained for housing delivery.
To put pressure on the landowners, relevant Government ministers have been asked to work to expedite the transfer process
A Government spokesperson said Mr O'Brien wants to encourage the semi-states to hand over the land, which is fit to deliver housing in the short-term.
Meanwhile, Cabinet has approved the deployment of eight gardaí to France while the Rugby World Cup is ongoing later this year.
The proposal, brought forward by Justice Minister Helen McEntee, will see gardaí deployed to Paris between September 6 and October 8 to assist French police.
As part of the measure, Ms McEntee will be able to extend the gardaí's stay abroad depending on whether Ireland reach the quarter finals.
These gardaí are due to be deployed between Bordeaux, Nantes, and Paris.
Additionally, three gardaí will be deployed to France in August to provide assistance to Irish tourists.
These gardaí will be deployed to Mont St Michel, Giverny, and Paris.
The Justice Minister also received Cabinet approval to accept proposed EU rules which would allow for criminal prosecutions to be moved between member states.
The proposal, brought forward by the European Commission, aims to provide additional tools to fight cross-border crime.
The proposal itself is seeking to add more "legal certainty" when cases are brought against people.
As part of the plan, there will be no obligation for member states to agree to a transfer of proceedings, with multiple grounds for refusal due to be provided.
Additionally, Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys updated Cabinet on the 2022 annual report for gender recognition.
According to the report, there were 321 gender recognition certs issued last year.
This is a significant increase on 2021, when there were only 108 gender recognition certs issued.
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