The Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Mr Ó Cuív, is to urge the Cabinet to change the rules to allow the building of single houses in rural Ireland to redress the growing population imbalance.
However, the Minister denied yesterday that a decision on rural housing development had been agreed and is to be part of the long-awaited National Spatial Strategy, due to be published in the autumn.
A spokeswoman for Mr Ó Cuív, who is on holidays, stressed that no decision has been taken but confirmed that he was in favour of such a change as part of his belief in the right of people to live in rural areas.
"As Minister he is part of the negotiations in the National Spatial strategy. Whatever decision is taken will have to come to Cabinet for approval and that stage has not been reached," she said.
"The Minister has been in favour of the building of single rural houses for years. His position is not a new one."
A decision on rural development is expected to be the main plank of the spatial plan, which is to be launched along with a decentralisation programme that will see thousands of civil servants relocated outside Dublin.
The recent census showed that more than half of Ireland's 3.9 million people now live in Leinster. This leaves a huge dependent population living in the west, south and north-west because the 20-50 year age group have been forced to leave.
Most parts of Ireland have a ban on building single houses in rural areas, as it is thought this is not environmentally sustainable.
Meanwhile, Fine Gael TD Mr Billy Timmins yesterday called on the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Mr Cullen, to clarify the definition of "local growth" as referred to in the strategic planning guidelines for the greater Dublin areas, rather than leave the issue to be be decided by the courts.
Mr Timmins said he believed Mr Cullen was awaiting the outcome of a judicial review sought against Meath County Council for failure to implement guidelines, before he addresses the situation.
"Often these policies are assisted by elitist and detached groups who purport to know what is good for local communities despite have no concept of what those communities' needs and wishes are," Mr Timmins said.
He said there was now a "farcical" situation in Wicklow where someone from Rathdrum could not buy a new house in Laragh or someone from Stratford cannot buy a new house in Kiltegan.
"Such restrictions would not have been tolerated in the former Eastern bloc countries and they should not be allowed to survive here either," he said.