People Before Profit have submitted 63 amendments to tonight’s debate, more than any other party
During Leaders’ Questions this afternoon, Richard Boyd Barrett TD slammed the government for its failure to guarantee “genuine affordability” on public land ahead of the final stages of the Land Development Agency Bill tonight.
People Before Profit Housing Spokesperson, Richard Boyd Barrett TD, has submitted 63 amendments to the bill which aim:
– to guarantee 100% social and affordable housing on all public lands
– to ensure no marketisation of public land, and
– to define affordability in relation to income – ensuring that nobody pays more than 25% of their income on rent or a mortgage
Despite promises by the government to bring amendments that would guarantee 100% social and affordable on sites in Dublin and Cork, it appears the Minister has only allowed for the possibility of 100% in these cities and left it open to have as little as the 20% already allowed for with Part V.
Deputy Boyd Barrett said: “The Land Development Agency is just NAMA 2.0 and will see all our public land handed over to the new Agency with no guarantee of this land being used for social housing or in anyway guaranteeing affordability. The only way to ensure that homes on this land are affordable is to insert into the legislation a link between affordable and income.
“Last night our amendment to the motion on affordable housing in the Dáil, which was not voted against by the government, defined affordable as the owner or renter not paying more than 25% of their income on rent or mortgage. We have submitted the same amendment.
“Our amendments to the bill goes some way towards undermining the marketisation of housing on our public land bank and we will be calling votes on these and challenging the three government parties on their betrayal of their promises in the programme for government to provide public and affordable housing.”