I propose to take Questions Nos. 531 and 532 together.
The Land Development Agency has, to date, conducted no compulsory purchase orders. As required by the Land Development Agency Act 2021, the LDA may only acquire land compulsorily if it has first made a reasonable attempt to acquire the land by consent. As such, an application to the court for an acquisition order is a last resort by the Agency after other avenues have been exhausted.
As part of the the Programme for Government, the Government has committed to introducing a new Compulsory Purchase Order Bill with streamlined and strengthened CPO powers to activate under-utilised land for home building. Prior to this bill being introduced, a review will be conducted by the Department of Justice. Once this review has been completed, I will consider the appropriateness of granting additional CPO powers to the LDA.